I wonder if I will be seeing this in the NHL soon enough. Anybody who does not think PED’s are a problem in that league have their head in the sand. They put their helmets and visors and oversized elbow and shoulder pads on and think they are Superman, the music and sound effects at the games is deafening. The game is now made into such a visceral, emotional experience for fans. It does not surprise me that all of that plus the PED’s are leading to player depression and drug abuse leading to suicides. Hoping I am not being off topic here.
PED’s have been and will continue to be a problem in sports. The “records” that have been set by those who have used PED’s undetected, inspire those on the way up.
How does a truly average kid (in stature) grow into a behemoth. You can spend all the time in the weight room you want, but you’re only going to get as big as your DNA is going to support. Is that big enough to get him where his dreams want to take him? In most cases the answer to that is a resounding NO !.
Enter the PED, and zoom, all the work in the weight room pays off, he’s got muscles beyond what his DNA would have assigned for his frame, and he’s headed for a career as an athelete. No PED and he’s just another wannabe player who may have played in college, and done OK, but not a star, and definitely not a “prospect” as a professional. That’s a bitter pill for some folks.
You get “house’d” by some guy who’s a “star” but you know deep down that he’s not better than you, but just plain bigger, and you think.... Hmmm, I can’t beat him because he’s just bigger, and if I were bigger I could really take it to him.