"Rants and Raves" is an open forum for coaches to discuss topics, ranging from issues to observations on the state of college basketball and beyond.
 
 
The State of Performance Enhancing
By Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma

In his January 20 'State of the Union Address,' President Bush spoke to the present state of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. Some politicians have since tried to undermine the President, saying that the war in Iraq and the economy are more pressing issues concerning Americans.

Be clear on the fact that it was not the basis of his 57-minute speech, something that some at the 'Golden Globe Awards' seem to have intentionally overlooked. Perhaps those individuals thought that those few minutes encompassed the body of his speech.

But the fact that President Bush deemed it important enough to include in a 'State of the Union Address' should speak to just how problematic this is in sports today. It also confirms what we already knew, that sports is part of America's conscience.

When many from my generation hear the word "steroid," we almost immediately reconstruct images of East German swimmers. The physical makeup of female athletes -- in particular -- from former Soviet Satellite nations was simply undeniable. And for American athletes it was incomprehensible.

The notion of a needle enhancing ones chances of gold was difficult to understand. Victory at any cost was a hard pill to swallow, but unfortunately many professional athletes in America saw gold in its' truest form -- money.

Fair or not, the National Football League had a reputation in the 1970's of being overrun -- in some quarters -- by performance enhancing drugs. The idea of prolonging ones career -- which was his family's source of income -- was more attractive then the ugly reality of later years.

And like the Communist-block athlete, the transformation was unmistakable.

The frail 90-pound reserve had suddenly become All-Pro Atlas.

I remember watching Lyle Alzado terrorize quarterbacks throughout the 1970's. A monster on Sunday, Alzado was embodiment of what fans thought a football player was at the time. He was big, tough and had the look of a hard-nosed warrior that you would want beside you in the trenches.

As I think back on it now, the only thing more powerful than the image of him crushing a quarterback were his final days, which more closely resembled the 90-pound reserve.

Steroids destroyed Lyle Alzado and it was difficult to watch it happen.

Sadly, before mandatory drug testing there were countless cases like this. So many athletes wanted that competitive edge. And sadly so many young fans grew up thinking that, "It won't happen to me."

Even with all of the information available today, the price of victory and reward today still outweighs bigger losses tomorrow. And there is no denying the long term effects.

But the state of the situation is even more puzzling at present. We are far removed from the days of salary-induced reasoning. Today athletes see more money in one year than most Americans will bring in a lifetime.

Is the lure of 12 Million, rather than 10 Million that enticing?

That question is ultimately difficult to answer, but -- for the majority of us -- so too is the question of taking a substance to make us perform at a higher level. The question that majority asks is simply, why?

In today's sports climate, the dunk and the home run are the highlight reels. More often than not, the hustle plays on the court and the sacrifice bunt on the diamond are passed over in favor of the long majestic home run and the high-flying acrobatic dunk.

Kids want to grow up and hit the ball farther and wow the crowd more with their vertical talents.

There is a reason there are home run and slam dunk competitions. And some will look for an alternative edge.

But what is important to remember is that 'big' doesn't necessarily mean banned substance.

It is the natural progression of an athlete to become bigger and stronger and a great many make this transition through hard work. In high school, athletes often only lift weights in-season. In college and beyond this is a year-round process.

Look at Roger Clemens. He epitomizes hard work with his rigorous off-season workouts. Clemens is still one the best pitchers in baseball and he hasn't gotten their by taking shortcuts.

I can remember how slight Karl Malone was playing at Louisiana Tech and how lanky Nomar Garciaparra was as a rookie called up from the minor leagues. Clemens, Malone, Garciaparra and so many others are testaments to what you can become if you work hard enough.

In baseball in particular, performance enhancing drugs do not translate quicker bat-speed and making contact.

Barry Bonds brings his bat trough the hitting-zone quicker than anyone I have ever seen. The proverbial "juice" has the exact opposite effect on a hitter's swing.

But Bonds -- who I believe is more of a target because of his discord with the media -- is an example of great potential reached, a far cry from a Jose Canseco or Ken Caminiti.

Canseco was destined to be a first-ballot hall of famer. He was, in the truest sense, a five-tool player. Likewise, Caminiti was already an established all-star, before his MVP season. A season, which was later discovered to be dominated more by steroid use than he on-the-field accomplishments.

Both players were revered by their piers and commanded lofty salaries. So why then the detour in favor of a shortcut?

If not riches in gold then perhaps it's the riches of adulation that many opt for enhancers.

It has become a popularity contest of sorts, with many seemingly running for political appointment. Commanding big dollars simply isn't good enough for many.

The nature of an athlete is to be better than the opponent. For most that means regimental workouts. For others that means drug supplements.

The latter is just foolish, but yet it is still pursued.

It would be unfair for me to assume the reasoning behind the motivation of Canseco and Caminiti, but the fact remains that in spite of all the available information they still made terrible decisions.

And it is scary if the percentages of professional baseball players, which they have claimed are taking steroids, are even remotely close. More often than not, where there is smoke there is fire.

But in the end there is only one intelligent choice.

At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary it was the East German women speed skaters who entered the games, having dominated all previous World Competitions. There was no reason to think that America's hope for Gold, a tiny girl from Madison, Wisconsin had much of a chance.

All that American woman did was blow the East Germans away. Today she is recognized as the greatest women's speed skater of all-time. And Bonnie Blair, who appeared to be skating against men, did it without the assistance of substance.

Blair and so many -- before and since -- have shown that you can achieve the highest level of success without compromising the future.

The fact that President Bush mentioned this topic in his address to the nation should tell us that the problem is probably more far reaching than we realize. And we need to continue to educate today's youth that winning now is no way worth the price of being depilated or -- worse -- dieing later.

And if you still harbor the idea that it "won't happen to you," then you are just foolish.