Sports Feats that will probably never be duplicated

[Navin R Slavin]

the conspiracy theorist in me believes there are some damn close things happening out there in secret among the top tier of the top tier somehow biologically maximizing their bodies to perform at absurd levels late into their careers.

I mean, it doesn't take a conspiracy theory to believe this. Athletes will do anything to win that isn't bright red line illegal, and sometimes they'll do that too -- and I'm sure the rules are primitive compared to what's possible now with enough money. Will sports make stem cell therapy illegal? Why should they? What about crispr? You think Brady isn't dabbling in that stuff?

 

[LakeLivin]

I mean, it doesn't take a conspiracy theory to believe this. Athletes will do anything to win that isn't bright red line illegal, and sometimes they'll do that too -- and I'm sure the rules are primitive compared to what's possible now with enough money. Will sports make stem cell therapy illegal? Why should they? What about crispr? You think Brady isn't dabbling in that stuff?

I think Brady's secret involves drinking the blood of young children. And dead chickens.

 

[NotOpie]

I think Brady's secret involves drinking the blood of young children. And dead chickens.

Brady's secret weapon? One word - Gisele

 

[Vagrant]

I mean, it doesn't take a conspiracy theory to believe this. Athletes will do anything to win that isn't bright red line illegal, and sometimes they'll do that too -- and I'm sure the rules are primitive compared to what's possible now with enough money. Will sports make stem cell therapy illegal? Why should they? What about crispr? You think Brady isn't dabbling in that stuff?

it's really easy to lose the script when talking about why this stuff is legal and "steroids" are not. I would imagine in a decade or two, when we learn what top level athletes were already doing to enhance performance it's going to make steroids look like child's play. it's confounding how you can go get an injection of stem cells to repair yourself biologically but if you get caught using poor people steroids you're a pariah. you get caught in a bad dope cycle and you lose your adidas sponsorship but if you go to switzerland and come back from a complete knee ligament tear in 3 months you're just an incredibly determined rehab patient and an absolute inspiration.

 

[raynman]

Baseball was more exciting when dudes were juiced up lookin’ like they could rip a phone book in half if they couldn’t find a number they were looking for.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

it's really easy to lose the script when talking about why this stuff is legal and "steroids" are not. I would imagine in a decade or two, when we learn what top level athletes were already doing to enhance performance it's going to make steroids look like child's play. it's confounding how you can go get an injection of stem cells to repair yourself biologically but if you get caught using poor people steroids you're a pariah. you get caught in a bad dope cycle and you lose your adidas sponsorship but if you go to switzerland and come back from a complete knee ligament tear in 3 months you're just an incredibly determined rehab patient and an absolute inspiration.

I understand why "performance enhancing drugs" are illegal, and in theory, I agree -- but in practice, it's a bunch of idiots like Dick Pound who are all moralizing and no sense. These guys were already behind the curve when Bonds was using the Cream and the Clear, and it took a snitch to break that case -- and that was 25 years ago now.

Maybe there's a case to be made that there's a difference between "performance enhancing" and "performance maintaining", but even then, steroids are a pretty key tool for maintaining, and the "powers that be" have absolutely no idea how to enforce such a distinction.

 

[Discipline Daddy]

Brady's secret weapon? One word - Gisele

I would say that I also married to a beautiful Brazilian but no NFL team will sign me, but I know damn well not to mention any hot wives on this board, so I won't.

 

[DaveG]

I mean, it doesn't take a conspiracy theory to believe this. Athletes will do anything to win that isn't bright red line illegal, and sometimes they'll do that too -- and I'm sure the rules are primitive compared to what's possible now with enough money. Will sports make stem cell therapy illegal? Why should they? What about crispr? You think Brady isn't dabbling in that stuff?

This is already happening. HGH was already in use in youth sports when I was coming up, 25 years ago now. I never dabbled (though interestingly my asthma medication wasn't approved by the NCHSAA at the time) but I know of many that did that went on to swim at the NCAA level on scholarships. Now that HGH testing is pretty standard for WADA the rule breakers are moving on to stuff that's more and more difficult to detect. I guarantee stem cells are figuring in there if they're at all hard to detect.

It's also one of the reasons I actually believe Tatis and think his suspension is excessive. Yeah 30 years ago taking clostebol would have been a great way to cheat, but any test from the last say 15 years would pick up on that no problem. He might be a goof but I find it hard to believe he would be that dumb to knowingly take a steroid that easy to detect intentionally.

The cheaters will always be ahead of the game, always. It's just the nature of things until the WADA figures out how to cheat in ways they haven't even figured out yet, which is completely counter intuitive since what benefit do they have for that kind of R&D research.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

It's also one of the reasons I actually believe Tatis and think his suspension is excessive. Yeah 30 years ago taking clostebol would have been a great way to cheat, but any test from the last say 15 years would pick up on that no problem. He might be a goof but I find it hard to believe he would be that dumb to knowingly take a steroid that easy to detect intentionally.

The WADA response to this line of reasoning would be "that's exactly what they want you to think. They use an illegal substance that has a plausible non-enhancing rationale, and then feign innocence. That's why our list includes everything in any trace amount."

And my response to WADA would be "lol stfu".

 

[Vagrant]

it's weird but it's almost like people are more upset at the carelessness of being caught than they are of the infraction. the league doesn't want to catch juicers, because they've already had the game damaged by that. to have to do that to the rising face of the league had to have been difficult. his trainer probably failed him, thinking that due to his injury status he might not be tested at the time he was tested. they pay these guys a lot of money to be right about those things.

 

[Bub]

it's weird but it's almost like people are more upset at the carelessness of being caught than they are of the infraction. the league doesn't want to catch juicers, because they've already had the game damaged by that. to have to do that to the rising face of the league had to have been difficult. his trainer probably failed him, thinking that due to his injury status he might not be tested at the time he was tested. they pay these guys a lot of money to be right about those things.

This. In fact, I'll say these days NO sports league wants to catch "juicers" (or whatever it is anyone does) if they a) are a big name or the "face" of the sport, or b) in a sport that's already damaged. Guys that wouldn't shock me in the 'a' category would be, say, Tiger Woods* and Rafa Nadal; sports in the 'b' category would be cycling and baseball. Round up enough little guys every now and then to look like you care, but turn a blind eye to anyone that really matters.

* - yes, I know he's pretty much done. Shaddap.