# Could cocaine use have made Maradona a better player? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 14, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775 "2014-06-14T14:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/1 "2014-06-14T14:49:38Z")
This could be a dumb question considering I don’t know much about soccer, or cocaine for that matter - so it stands to reason that I know absolutely nothing about playing soccer while high on cocaine; but some of his feats seem almost superhuman. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/2 "2014-06-14T14:50:14Z")
What exactly do you think cocaine use does? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/3 "2014-06-14T15:06:30Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > What exactly do you think cocaine use does? Don’t really know myself; I’ve never done it. Mostly people have told me its like drinking 20 cups of coffee, gives you lots of energy, makes you more social, sometimes more angry. More specifically my question is in response to the comments people post on youtube commenting on Maradona highlights; you will always see lots of people mentioning he was coked up at the time etc. Just wondering what effect that would realistically have. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/4 "2014-06-15T20:17:46Z")
1. What makes you think he _didn’t_? 2. Cocaine is not a performance enhancing drug. 3. Neither drug has ever done much for me, but I can’t imagine 20 cups of coffee gives most people a _positive_ effect! Neither would be good for shooting or archery, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/5 "2014-06-15T21:39:49Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > Don’t really know myself; I’ve never done it. Mostly people have told me its like drinking 20 cups of coffee, gives you lots of energy, makes you more social, sometimes more angry. More specifically my question is in response to the comments people post on youtube commenting on Maradona highlights; you will always see lots of people mentioning he was coked up at the time etc. Just wondering what effect that would realistically have. Cocaine doesn’t actually make you faster or stronger or more agile. It just makes you think you’re faster and stronger and more agile. Try to base athletic performance on these cocaine-induced beliefs and the competition will quickly demonstrate the difference between perception and reality. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/6 "2014-06-15T21:51:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Try to base athletic performance on these cocaine-induced beliefs and the competition will quickly demonstrate the difference between perception and reality. But on the plus side, you won’t care because it will still feel AWESOME :p. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/7 "2014-06-15T22:55:51Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > 1. Cocaine is not a performance enhancing drug. It might not be a traditional “performance-enhancing drug” because it won’t help you run faster or jump higher,\* but it does enhance mental performance. I obviously haven’t done a study, and I’m somewhat sorry to say I haven’t tested it myself, but it seems entirely plausible to my non-pharmacist self that it could improve alertness and attention. Those things are very important to a striker like Maradona. \*unlike, say, the latest energy drink. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/8 "2014-06-15T23:00:52Z")
As a bit of a hijack, I recall stories of an MLB pitcher who threw a no-hitter while on acid. This would have been about 25 to 35 years ago, I believe. The story was that he saw the catcher’s mitt as this HUGE target that he couldn’t miss. Does anyone recall this story, and who it may have been? ---
**Author:** ![Cognoscant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Cognoscant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cognoscant)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/9 "2014-06-15T23:01:25Z")
Well it’s possible that cocaine did help Maradona have a hand in the odd World Cup goal. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/10 "2014-06-15T23:05:57Z")
No, that was the hand of og. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/11 "2014-06-15T23:09:04Z")
> **[Drugs and sport. Research findings and limitations - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9421862/)** > > Many types of drugs are used by athletes to improve performance. This paper reviews the literature on 3 categories of drugs: those that enhance performance as stimulants (amphetamines, ephedrine, and cocaine), those that are used to reduce tremor and... Says that tests haven’t shown cocaine to improve performance. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/12 "2014-06-15T23:22:15Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > [Drugs and sport. Research findings and limitations - PubMed](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9421862) > > Says that tests haven’t shown cocaine to improve performance. Interesting link, but very far from conclusive: “The few studies of cocaine and exercise suggest that little to no performance gains are incurred from cocaine use.” Small sample size and use of word suggest means very very weak data - unless my understanding of scientific verbiage is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/13 "2014-06-15T23:26:22Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > As a bit of a hijack, I recall stories of an MLB pitcher who threw a no-hitter while on acid. This would have been about 25 to 35 years ago, I believe. The story was that he saw the catcher’s mitt as this HUGE target that he couldn’t miss. > > Does anyone recall this story, and who it may have been? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_vUhSYLRw14/hqdefault.jpg "No Mas Presents: Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No by James Blagden") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vUhSYLRw14) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-cocaine-use-have-made-maradona-a-better-player/690775/14 "2014-06-15T23:50:22Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > As a bit of a hijack, I recall stories of an MLB pitcher who threw a no-hitter while on acid. This would have been about 25 to 35 years ago, I believe. The story was that he saw the catcher’s mitt as this HUGE target that he couldn’t miss. Hijack away - personally I think a thread about athletes performing while high would be pretty interesting. Supposedly Maradona was coked up here; he certainly seems to be enjoying himself. around 1:38 is pretty amusing: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4vashrNoXTE/hqdefault.jpg "Maradona - Live is life") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vashrNoXTE)