Performance-enhancing political committees
Bettman joins the big boys
How can you still tell hockey's a major-league sport in the United States?
Well, the Commish has been whisked off to meet with the politicos, called out with the other ringleaders to address society's latest Greatest Evil. (Substance abuse in professional sports.)
No Nascar honchos to be found. Tractor pull doesn't register on this ratings scale.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told a U.S. House subcommittee on Wednesday that hockey is not plagued by steroid use among its players.Bettman went on to tell the committee that substances that make one stronger or recover faster from injuries have little use for the average hockey player, who is a muscleless, uninjurable athlete:
Bettman joined his major-league counterparts — baseball commissioner Bud Selig, NBA commissioner David Stern and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — in Washington where he testified that only one player has tested positive for steroid use in the 2½ years since the NHL resumed play after the 2004-05 lockout.
"Indeed, while our historical experience indicates that performance-enhancing drugs are not a problem in the NHL, we nevertheless agree that the public at large and our fans in particular are entitled to have confidence that our games are being played in an environment free of performance-enhancing substances."Historical experience indicates some pretty funny things about major league baseball, and even present experience would tell you the NFL is clean as can be.
Does anyone honestly believe that Sean Hill, the only guilty party found in two and a half years, is the only one?
Anyone?
Anyway, I think the NHL should use this opportunity to remind people they're still one of the four major sports, and haven't sunk into WNBA territory. Bettman should have a Versus logo on his forehead, and Doc Emrick could be brought in to do play-by-play.
I'd watch that.
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Labels: performance-enhancing drugs
by James Mirtle @ 1:42 PM
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12 comments
12 Comments:
Don't be bitter you did not get hooked up with the Versus ice cube tray.
Two summers ago Andrew Peters acknowledged being on steroids.
I'm incensed that the commissioner of World's Strongest Man competitions wasn't invited.
On behalf of both guys who follow the WNBA, let me register my offence that they're being compared to the NHL.
(Kidding.) Phoenix Mercury rules!
As if there aren't hockey players on the juice ... it's like they're still at the stage baseball was 20 years ago when they said steroids and HGH wouldn't make you a better ballplayer.
Wait, so you're saying in the sport that practically invented groin pulls and miraculous recovery times, no one has any interest in something that might help you recover from injury faster? Really?
Should Bettman use HGH so he can shop for big boy clothes?
Wasn't Sean Hill looked at rather negatively amongst by his peers for using steroids? Hockey seems to be one of those sports that has a good root system, very honored amongst players. Play through the pain, play for your teammates because they need you out there. Do I believe everyone is clean? No. But I think the major majority of players are clean. Maybe I am naive.
Mrs DeBakey wants to know where a fella can git some of these performance enhancin drugs.
In comparison to other sports, steroids or HGH are the least of the NHL's worries.
Amphetamines is another story, and a story that is going to drop on the NHL at some point in time.
PJ hit the nail on the head before I could.
It wouldn't surprise me if more than 1 NHL player in the past 2 and a half years have been on steriods but the more effective performance enhancing drug for this sport would be amphetamines....And as someone who has played collegiate level hockey, I can tell you it's there.
Bettman may be able to say with an honest conscience that the NHL doesn't have steroid/HGH issue like other league, but I would dispute that's the case with amphetamines.
I was just going to say that. In fact, back in 1998 or 2002, was there not a little uproar that NHLers would not be able to pop a whole case of Sudafed before each game in the Olympics as pseudoephedrine was an IOC banned substance?
Coca Cola is also a banned substance by the IOC so let's not use them as an example.
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