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At nearly 39 I take it for granted that athletes cheat. Not all, but it sure does seem like a good deal. Maybe it was the fact I saw it first hand while in high school and in college. Granted not many distance runners can afford blood doping techniques, but I did see many a shot putters juice up. Maybe it was a Poli Sci 101 professor who talked about the "magic locker" at LSU's baseball locker room. As he described it that locker assured Seniors a couple thousand dollars a week for performing well. To me, using performance enhancing drugs and taking cash as a college athlete are equal crimes.
Maybe it was seeing Ben Johnson the Canadian sprinter smash the 100 Meter world record only to be declared void due to steroid use, he was the first athlete that I recall getting caught, but certainly he was not the last. In Track and Field, in professional cycling, in baseball, and in American football the use of performance enhancing drugs is to the point that most just accept it as part of the game. I think most governing bodies are at a loss of how to combat the problem or if they really should. I recall as a child baseball was all about the pitchers, such as Nolan Ryan. But it seemed a pitching duel was bad for the business of baseball, it was deemed boring. Home runs assure folks tune into a game, and that is good business. Track has benefited from steroids b/c the lowering of WR times has made people tune in. I am not advocating for the use of performance enhancing drugs, but I don't see how it is going to be stopped.
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