CrossFit Boston

The following paragraph is from an article in Sports Illustrated in April 1997; "Over the Edge" by Bamberger and Yaeger.

"Bob Goldman, MD has conducted this survey every 2 years since 1982 and has gotten more or less of the same response each time.  A poll of 198 sprinters, swimmers, powerlifters and other athletes, mostly US Olympians:  'You are offer a banned performance enhancing substance that comes with two guarantees:  1) You will not be caught.  2) You will win every competition you enter for the next 5 years, and then you will die from the side effects of the substance.  Would you take it?'  More than half the athletes said yes."

Bummer.

Now if you had told me that 198 bluesmen went to a crossroads in Mississippi and hypothetically more than 50% would agree to a deal with the devil, I would say that sounds like it’s the nature of the blues business… but 50% of competitive elite athletes? 

Ordinarily this is the point where I would go on a rampage about the devastating effects of steroids and other drugs.  But this survey includes the premise that the user would die after five years, specifically from side effects of their drug use!  And yet more than half of all the athletes surveyed said yes to this “what if” scenario.

Dr. Goldman’s survey was only hypothetical.  The sad truth is that performance enhancing drugs can be used without getting caught… for a while anyway.  Steroids can be used without getting sick from them… for a while anyway.  Total victory for a five year period cannot be promised, but we can look to professional sports such as baseball, and most of the greatest players since Babe Ruth have been known steroid users.  (…so much for not getting caught.)  Few people who take steroids and other performance enhancing drugs will become famous like Manny Ramirez, or David Ortiz, or Barry Bonds, or Mark McGuire, or Alex Rodriguez, or Sammy Sosa, or Roger Clemens, or Andy Petit… but that won’t stop millions from trying.

I love Crossfit for its anti-steroid culture.  Unfortunately, the more popular Crossfit becomes and the more competitive it becomes, the more that steroids and other performance enhancing drugs will permeate our sport.

Bummer.