# Why are steroids cheating? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 12, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929 "2012-06-12T16:47:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/1 "2012-06-12T16:47:28Z")
First, I don’t think steroids are a good thing. I would not use them if I was an athlete. But why are they cheating? If someone found a new type of apple that worked like steroids would that be banned? Or would it be OK since it’s just food? Baseball ignored steroids for a while until they were pressured into cracking down, because they liked all the homeruns being hit. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/2 "2012-06-12T16:49:54Z")
Would it be against the law to use this apple without the appropriate medical need? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/3 "2012-06-12T16:53:52Z")
But steroids are legal drugs you can get by prescription. Some athletes get them from their doctors so no law is broken in those cases. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/4 "2012-06-12T16:54:12Z")
Because they enable someone to be bigger and stronger than their natural limits. They also allow better and faster recovery from exercise, again beyond natural limits. ---
**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 12, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/5 "2012-06-12T16:59:44Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > beyond natural limits. Do steriods turn people into cyborgs or something supernatural? I don’t understand this phrase you’re using. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/6 "2012-06-12T17:00:04Z")
Don’t other things make people bigger and stronger too? Like various food supplements, weight machines, and so on? Don’t other drugs help with recovery too, like pain medicines and antibiotics? Nobody wants to ban vicodin or amoxicillin. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/7 "2012-06-12T17:06:47Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Do steriods turn people into cyborgs or something supernatural? I don’t understand this phrase you’re using. > [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Don’t other things make people bigger and stronger too? Like various food supplements, weight machines, and so on? > > Don’t other drugs help with recovery too, like pain medicines and antibiotics? Nobody wants to ban vicodin or amoxicillin. Someone who lifts weights will reach a point where they can no longer gain mass and strength. Steroids let you go beyond those limits. Pain killers only mask the pain, recovery is not enhanced. the body is still damaged and in need of repair. Antibiotics only help cure an infection, they don’t leave you stronger than before. ---
**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 12, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/8 "2012-06-12T17:21:05Z")
So how do you feel about lasik eye surgery, runner pat? It allows you better vision than your body’s natural limits. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/9 "2012-06-12T17:26:39Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > First, I don’t think steroids are a good thing. I would not use them if I was an athlete. But why are they cheating? Because baseball says so. I don’t mean that to be flip; it’s my real answer. Why is it cheating to use sandpaper on the ball, but not to grip the ball in such a way as to cause it to travel deceptively when thrown? Why is it cheating to trip a runner going from first to second base? To climb into the stands and catch a home run while standing in Section 105L? To block first, second, or third base (but not to block home plate)? Because those are the rules. It’s completely arbitrary, but sports are nothing but a series of completely arbitrary rules that we collectively agree to follow. All other concerns aside, that’s why steroids are against the rules: because they are. I don’t think there’s really going to be a more convincing explanation than that, and I don’t think there needs to be - any more than we need a reason why there are three strikes and four balls. There just are. That’s baseball. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/10 "2012-06-12T17:29:46Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > So how do you feel about lasik eye surgery, runner pat? It allows you better vision than your body’s natural limits. That’s a repair of a defective eye. I’m pretty sure that you can’t operate on a normal eye and get enhanced vision. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/11 "2012-06-12T17:31:35Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > But steroids are legal drugs you can get by prescription. Some athletes get them from their doctors so no law is broken in those cases. I’d love to see a cite for that. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/12 "2012-06-12T17:35:36Z")
But don’t pain killers and antibiotics help you recover faster? Ibuprofen actually reduces inflamation, as do other drugs. It does not just mask pain. Same is true for other NSAIDs. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/13 "2012-06-12T17:35:37Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > Because baseball says so. > > I don’t mean that to be flip; it’s my real answer. > > Why is it cheating to use sandpaper on the ball, but not to grip the ball in such a way as to cause it to travel deceptively when thrown? Why is it cheating to trip a runner going from first to second base? To climb into the stands and catch a home run while standing in Section 105L? To block first, second, or third base (but not to block home plate)? > > Because those are the rules. It’s completely arbitrary, but sports are nothing but a series of completely arbitrary rules that we collectively agree to follow. All other concerns aside, that’s why steroids are against the rules: because they are. I don’t think there’s really going to be a more convincing explanation than that, and I don’t think there needs to be - any more than we need a reason why there are three strikes and four balls. There just are. That’s baseball. Throwing with a particular grip to achieve movement on the ball requires skill, just see how some pitchers cannot master a specific pitch. The purpose of altering the ball is to either make up for a lack of skill or to increase the movement of the ball without added arm strain. No base can be blocked with out having possession of the ball. No fielder can climb in the stands to catch a ball. They can reach over the fence as long as the body is still in the field when the ball is caught. They call fall into the stands after the catch. ---
**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 12, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/14 "2012-06-12T17:40:04Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > That’s a repair of a defective eye. I’m pretty sure that you can’t operate on a normal eye and get enhanced vision. Well sure. But for eligible people, their pre-lasik condition was their natural limit. Are you saying that there doesn’t exist a non-steroid using person with the power and/or speed of what steroids easily allows? And how “unnatural” are the results of steroids - how do you determine that? Clearly these people are all still human beings, right? I know that sounds like a totally absurd argument, but it’s not like steroids are changing their DNA and mutating them into supernatural beings. On a fundamental, the effects of steroids are still _natural_. [QUOTE=kidchameleon] I’d love to see a cite for that. [/QUOTE] > **[Growth hormone therapy | Medical uses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone_treatment#Medical_uses)** > > Growth hormone deficiency is treated by replacing growth hormone. > Lonapegsomatropin was approved for medical use in the United States in August 2021. > The Endocrine Society has recommended that adult patients diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHd) be administered an individualized GH treatment regimen. With respect to diagnosis, their guidelines state that "adults patients with structural hypothalamic/pituitary disease, surgery or irradiation in these areas, head trauma, or evidence of ... > [@](#): > > As of 2004, GH has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of other conditions: ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/15 "2012-06-12T17:40:40Z")
I’m not too sure steroids do allow you to go beyond natural limits but they are certainly a shortcut to overcoming those limits. If someone wants another 10lbs of muscle it is the quickest way of getting there but not the only way. Banning steroids do not in any way stop their usage, all a person has to do is stop using them long enough to pass the blood test that can detect them, its a timing thing. I am intimate in the MMA world, I think 30-40% of todays MMA fighters may use steroids in a limited way. A few misjudge the timing and are banned for a short time but never eliminated completely from competing. The ones that get caught are soon taught how to use them and get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/16 "2012-06-12T17:40:48Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Throwing with a particular grip to achieve movement on the ball requires skill, just see how some pitchers cannot master a specific pitch. The purpose of altering the ball is to either make up for a lack of skill or to increase the movement of the ball without added arm strain. > > No base can be blocked with out having possession of the ball. > > No fielder can climb in the stands to catch a ball. They can reach over the fence as long as the body is still in the field when the ball is caught. They call fall into the stands after the catch. Right. All of these things are true. But _why?_ Same reason that steroids are not allowed. Just 'cause. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/17 "2012-06-12T17:47:09Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > I’d love to see a cite for that. Why do you think pharmaceutical companies make them, if not for making them available to people with prescriptions from their doctors? Have you not seen all the “Low T” commercials? ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/18 "2012-06-12T17:48:59Z")
I think in general the idea is that consistent use of forbidden products (like steroids) is detrimental to your health. So you don’t want athletes to put their health in jeopardy, just to improve their competitiveness. Whether this is actually the case for all banned products, is an other question. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/19 "2012-06-12T17:51:59Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > That’s a repair of a defective eye. I’m pretty sure that you can’t operate on a normal eye and get enhanced vision. You can certainly end up with better than 20/20 vision, but that’s an arbitrary value to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/20 "2012-06-12T18:17:57Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Why do you think pharmaceutical companies make them, if not for making them available to people with prescriptions from their doctors? Doctors aren’t allowed to prescribe them “just because”. They have to be prescribed for an approved use and I haven’t heard of the FDA approving them to assist athletes in getting better. Just like doctors can’t prescribe Vicodin to people just because they want some. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929.md?page=2)