While reading various MMA sites, I have noticed that a fair number of fighters are testing positive for anabolic steroids (and other recreational drugs). I’ve been wondering why there’s such a dramatic increase in the number of fighters getting caught lately.
Another thing and this is only mho, I do think steroids make professional sports more interesting. I also know through personal experience and research on how these substances work.
What’s your take on this situation?
They sure made things interesting for THIS professional “athlete.”
Why the increased number of people getting caught? Increased popularity in the sport, increased visibility, increased numbers of competitions, increased prize money, leading to an increase in everyday macho yahoos (ie., not real athletes) who want to get into the sport and believe cheating by taking dangerous drugs will help make up for their lack of skills, years of discipline and natural ability?
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]They sure made things interesting for THIS professional “athlete.”
Why the increased number of people getting caught? Increased popularity in the sport, increased visibility, increased numbers of competitions, increased prize money, leading to an increase in everyday macho yahoos (ie., not real athletes) who want to get into the sport and believe cheating by taking dangerous drugs will help make up for their lack of skills, years of discipline and natural ability?[/quote]
I knew you’d pipe in with Benoit. I don’t know what it is about you…meh.
As for your other points, ya I think it partly has to do with that but ‘natural’ abilities are not going to pull people into a stadium the way they did back in the prior to the 1960’s.
A side note: You’re comments are always condescending and full of disdain for nearly all topics you choose to reply to. Why is that? Nm, save it for another thread. Not this one.
You start a thread about roids a day after some muscle-bound roid-head strangles his family to death, hangs himself, and the news is all talking about roid rage. It would have been strange and remiss if no one had mentioned that case.
Thanks. I appreciate that you didn’t completely shoot down my response.
That’s not true at all. I’ve got disdain for steroid users because I believe they’re cheating – sacrificing their health to gain an unfair and illegal advantage over competitors who don’t want to cause such harm to their bodies and prefer more natural training and honest competition. But I respect and appreciate almost all people, welcome their views, and don’t consider myself superior at all. I think you just didn’t like me coming down hard on roids because you believe they’re not so bad. Whatever. You’re entitled to your opinions; I’m entitled to mine. You did ask for our opinions, didn’t you?
You start a thread about roids a day after some muscle-bound roid-head strangles his family to death, hangs himself, and the news is all talking about roid rage. It would have been strange and remiss if no one had mentioned that case.
Thanks. I appreciate that you didn’t completely shoot down my response.
That’s not true at all. I’ve got disdain for steroid users because I believe they’re cheating – sacrificing their health to gain an unfair and illegal advantage over competitors who don’t want to cause such harm to their bodies and prefer more natural training and honest competition. But I respect and appreciate almost all people, welcome their views, and don’t consider myself superior at all. I think you just didn’t like me coming down hard on roids because you believe they’re not so bad. Whatever. You’re entitled to your opinions; I’m entitled to mine. You did ask for our opinions, didn’t you?[/quote]
First, yes I did ask for your opinions and thank you for that.
Secondly, I’ll address Benoit for a moment; I don’t think that roid rage played a role in the killing of his family. I’ve always been a firm believer that steroids cannot change you into a homicidal maniac. However, you can become edgy (see: moody) and in combination with other drugs, more specifically rec drugs, then yes there could be a chance of something going wrong. I believe that Benoit was overcome with other troubles that perhaps we’ll never know about. Stress…nothing more put this man on the edge of sanity. People need to be clear on the subject or have to experience such claims first hand in order to comment and seeing as though you’ve never touched steroids then I think your comments on usage are null and void. Nuff said. Plz don’t turn this thread into a WWE exclusive on Benoit. We all know that ‘pro’ wrasslin is as vain as bodybuilding of which I’m fully aware. I’ve personally stopped watching the ‘show’ because I believe it has ZERO value and has actually had a very negative effect on the people watching due to the scripts and such. Anyway, we’re talking about MMA so let’s try to keep it on topic.
As for cheating: well, I don’t think of steroid usage as cheating. Never have. If you knew the type of work that goes into sports then you also know of the injuries it can cause. In professional athletes injuries are extremely common. And in my opinion, steroids are the only solution in the healing process. After all, athletes these days compete on a far more regular basis than in the past and in much more fierce competition than before.
Finally, I’d rather watch a bunch of guys who can pick up a small car and run the 40 in 3 secs (ha) than someone who can’t. That’s just me.
I used to think that it was a bad thing and that these guys who take them are pussies-but then I thought about it for a minute or two and decided that it’s like wearing a motorcycle helmet- I feel that I should have the choice of wether or not to wear a helmet or not since it is my skull that it as risk- I apply this logic to many things suck as smoking/ingesting ganja, steroid use, and homosexuality.
Back in my Thai boxing days I encountered a few guys that were said to be juicing and it turned out that they didn’t have the advantage they were hoping for. Also look at well known steroid users in MMA- Coleman, Randleman, Bob Sapp- they tend to have some kind of body dysmorphia that makes them want to be to0 big for athletics and they gas badly in competition- the point here being, although there are strength advantages- steroids have their disadvantages in competiton.
These are more extreme cases and I guess a few athletes are smart enough to use them to give them a little edge that is not to their detriment.
As for Benoit- the info released about that points to premeditation- not a sudden onset of roid rage.
My summary- I would never take them as I don’t crave their benefits and thus any risks are not worthwhile- but if someone else wants to take them- let them.
[quote=“CanisLupusFamiliaris”]I used to think that it was a bad thing and that these guys who take them are pussies-but then I thought about it for a minute or two and decided that it’s like wearing a motorcycle helmet- I feel that I should have the choice of wether or not to wear a helmet or not since it is my skull that it as risk- I apply this logic to many things suck as smoking/ingesting ganja, steroid use, and homosexuality.
Back in my Thai boxing days I encountered a few guys that were said to be juicing and it turned out that they didn’t have the advantage they were hoping for. Also look at well known steroid users in MMA- Coleman, Randleman, Bob Sapp- they tend to have some kind of body dysmorphia that makes them want to be to0 big for athletics and they gas badly in competition- the point here being, although there are strength advantages- steroids have their disadvantages in competiton.
These are more extreme cases and I guess a few athletes are smart enough to use them to give them a little edge that is not to their detriment.
As for Benoit- the info released about that points to premeditation- not a sudden onset of roid rage.
My summary- I would never take them as I don’t crave their benefits and thus any risks are not worthwhile- but if someone else wants to take them- let them.[/quote]
CLF: along side this topic of well known steroid users, I’d like to mention that there are probably a fair number of athletes in the sport doing HGH. Bob Sapp, I believe is doing HGH therapy. The upside is that it’s undetectable and leads to HUGE gains. The downside to using that crap is cancer and the fact that back in the West HGH is EXTREMELY expensive to buy on the blackmarket. No if, ands or buts that shit will lead you to somewhere you don’t want to be.
It’s cheating if it’s illegal. I don’t know if it gives an advantage or not in MMA, but if the rules prohibit it and a competitor secretly does it hoping he can get away with it without getting caught, then it’s gotta be cheating.
I do. I used to be fairly athletic long ago. I know sports are tough. I know injuries suck. But I believe the proper response is to warm up sufficiently and do lots of stretching excercises at the start of the season and before each competition, eat a good diet, try to get plenty of rest, don’t push too hard when injured, use ice and heat as needed, seek medical care as needed, and avoid taking illegal drugs that pose a risk to one’s health and risk of getting disqualified.
Look at Marion Jones: super highly respected world-class millionaire athlete now totally broke due to roids. Or that weasely Tour de France champ (and half the other riders). What did roids do for them?
I know what you’re saying. Everyone wants to watch bigger, faster, stronger, etc. But I believe roids are cheating are harmful and aren’t necessary for spectacular sports action. I’m confident that despite the mess most sports are in, there are still plenty of top athletes who don’t use roids. Understand, I’ve got nothing against recreational drugs; I’ve done my share. But I believe athletics should be all about honesty, integrity and everything else good, and roids violate that.
Monster I suggest you watch Mark kerr the smashing machine.
It is a good documentary about Kerr and his steroid use.
I’d say that film refers more to his pain killer abuse
ah ok can’t remember i watched it a long time ago good movie though 
Not as good as “choke” that is my all time favorite MMA documentary
The implication here is that steroid use is a personal matter for athletes who have weighed the risks sensibly and do so for the same purposes as some alpine climbers choose to use supplementary oxygen. None of these assumptions are correct.
The athletes we are talking about are public figures and in as much as they function as role models for aspiring professional and amateur athletes, are subject to public standards of conduct. Using steroids has a significant health impact, and in this way is not the same thing as using supplementary oxygen or a safety helmet.
And whether the majority of athletes are capable of weighing this health impact is a whole other problem. Many athletes are young boys and girls, often not even old enough to legally drink. For every case in which steroid rage is an aggravating factor, there are countless others that go unreported.
I agree with Dog that steroids are not the answer to training problems that they often get interpreted as. But they are often interpreted that way. Young, impressionable boys and girls see major sports figures using agents whose long-term health effects are not clearly known.
Should role models be involved in health damaging behaviour to improve their ability to hold their position as a role model? I think the answers pretty clear. Current controls aren’t very effective, but that’s a different issue from whether steroid use is right or wrong.