# 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:** 2
**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, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/21 "2012-06-12T18:25:42Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > 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. Right - because that’d be the first time that the secondary effect of a prescription wasn’t the actual intended result. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/22 "2012-06-12T18:25:56Z")
I don’t think the “it’s unnatural” or “it lets you get too big” arguments are very helpful. That said, I do think that banning steroids is important. Here’s why: 1. Fairness in athletic competition requires that all of the competitors are playing with the same rules. That they have the same options available to improve their performance, etc. 2. Anabolic steroids (as well as some other PEDs) outside of carefully monitored medical uses are dangerous. Professional leagues have a responsibility to protect their players, and it’s better for society if steroid use is seen as shady, unethical, and unwise. These two factors combine to make banning steroids and enforcing rigorous testing the best course of action for entities like MLB, regardless of the actual effect steroids may or may not have on the game. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/23 "2012-06-12T18:29:45Z")
There are two issues, fairness and the health of players. > [@polar\_bear](#): > > 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. Exactly, steroid abuse can have very nasty [side effects](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steroid_abuse#Side_Effects_in_Men). If you allow steroids, you’re setting up a very nasty arms-race. People shouldn’t have to chose between their health and their ability to compete. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/24 "2012-06-12T18:54:33Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > 1. Anabolic steroids (as well as some other PEDs) outside of carefully monitored medical uses are dangerous. Professional leagues have a responsibility to protect their players… And I believe that it’s often the players themselves (through their professional association) that are the ones pushing for the steroid ban and testing. I believe (and someone please correct me if I’m wrong) that this is the case with the NFL. Professional sports is extremely competitive, and there’s not much difference between being good enough to make a good living playing the game and being not quite good enough and not making anything. Each player knows that if his competition is taking steroids then he’d damn well better be taking them too. So it’s to the player’s benefit if taking steroids is against the rules **and** being randomly and frequently tested for. Then his competition won’t be taking them and he doesn’t have to. ---
**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, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/25 "2012-06-12T19:03:40Z")
A Dr. can prescribe a legal Rx drug for any use. That’s called off label and it’s legal to do and it’s pretty common. It’s also true that drug companies cannot promote drugs for anything other than legal uses. If they are caught doing that they get heavy fines. > **[Off-label use](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-label_use)** > > Off-label use is the use of pharmaceutical drugs for an unapproved indication or in an unapproved age group, dosage, or route of administration. Both prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs (OTCs) can be used in off-label ways, although most studies of off-label use focus on prescription drugs. > Off-label use is very common and generally legal unless it violates ethical guidelines or safety regulations. The ability to prescribe drugs for uses beyond the officially approved indications is co... ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/26 "2012-06-12T19:12:57Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Right - because that’d be the first time that the secondary effect of a prescription wasn’t the actual intended result. I think what **kidchameleon** said he’d like to see a cite for is the implication made by Bijou Drains, in context of this discussion, that athletes go to their doctor to request (and are given) steroids, not because they are sick, but to perform better. I’d also like to see a cite for that. [QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] In the context of this thread, the above statement is meaningless. [QUOTE=Bijou Drains] Don’t other drugs help with recovery too, like pain medicines and antibiotics? Nobody wants to ban vicodin or amoxicillin. [/QUOTE] Using steroids to do things better in baseball is not recovering from an illness. [QUOTE=Bijou Drains] A Dr. can prescribe a legal Rx drug for any use. That’s called off label and it’s legal to do and it’s pretty common. [/QUOTE] But it is not legal for a doctor to prescribe steroids to a baseball player because the player wants to win the home run crown this year. With this line of argument, you’re implying that performing better in baseball is a legal reason to prescribe steroids. It is not. ---
**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, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/27 "2012-06-12T19:12:58Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > A Dr. can prescribe a legal Rx drug for any use. That’s called off label and it’s legal to do and it’s pretty common. Then it should be pretty easy to cite a professional athlete receiving a prescription for anabolic steroids to boost performance. ---
**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, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/28 "2012-06-12T19:16:35Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Then it should be pretty easy to cite a professional athlete receiving a prescription for anabolic steroids to boost performance. Why do you think that would be easy? ---
**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, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/29 "2012-06-12T19:18:54Z")
I want to see the law that says a Dr. can’t give Rx to an athlete for any reason . It’s just like any other drug. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/30 "2012-06-12T19:19:35Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > If someone found a new type of apple that worked like steroids would that be banned? Dunno. But I have a new type of iPhone that works like crack. Not banned yet. ---
**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, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/31 "2012-06-12T19:20:25Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Why do you think that would be easy? It is supposedly pretty common. ---
**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, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/32 "2012-06-12T19:22:38Z")
Did not say steroids was common. I said off label Rx use is common. 2 very different things. kidchameleon did you know that a Doc can prescribe any drug for any reason? It looks like you had no idea that was true. ---
**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, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/33 "2012-06-12T19:27:59Z")
here you go [Index of /](http://blog.4wallspublishing.com/2009/02/27/book-excerpt-steroids-were-doctors-rx-for-football.aspx) ---
**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, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/34 "2012-06-12T19:32:46Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > It is supposedly pretty common. In addition to what Bijou Drains said, are you also under the impression that it’s common to access confidential medical files? Even if it happened every day, I’d think it’d be quite difficult to obtain evidence of a player acquiring a prescription. The additional reason I’d think it difficult would be because while there are clearly legal ways to acquire PEDs, that doesn’t exonerate that player in MLB’s eyes, since it’s against their rules. However, one of the biggest performance enhancements that has been in widespread use in MLB for decades (amphetamines) was banned\* in 2007. There had been (and still is) a therapeutic use exemption. In 2006 the number of players on that exemption was 28. A year later it leapt to 103. \*Performance enhancers had always been outlawed in MLB, they just hadn’t been enforced in any reasonable way to make use of the word “banned” to be anything other than comical. ---
**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 12, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/35 "2012-06-12T19:37:45Z")
The key factor is that steroid abuse is dangerous. Doing things like eating apples or working out aren’t. So sports organizations prohibit players from harming themselves in attempts to improve their playing. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/36 "2012-06-12T19:41:33Z")
> [@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. Reminds me of one of my favorite exchanges in _Major League_. Vaughn: “You put \*snot \*on the ball?” Harris: "I haven’t got an arm like you, kid. I have to put anything on it I can find. Someday you will too. " ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/37 "2012-06-12T19:45:49Z")
Steroids can be damaging, hence MLB (and other sports) discourage their use. To keep the spirit of fair competition, the rules apply to everyone. A Dr. who prescribes steroids, knowing the possibly dangerous side effects, strictly to enhance athletic performance would widely be viewed as unethical. ---
**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, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/38 "2012-06-12T19:47:40Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Did not say steroids was common. I said off label Rx use is common. 2 very different things. I still await your cite, one where anabolic steriods are prescribed to an athlete to improve performance. > [@](#): > > kidchameleon did you know that a Doc can prescribe any drug for any reason? It looks like you had no idea that was true. A doctor can prescribe anything, but it would be illegal to prescribe any medication not approved by the FDA. And while a doctor could escape federal prosecution for prescribing morphine for a hangnail, they are subject to losing their license for doing so. State laws very by state, of course. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/39 "2012-06-12T19:48:27Z")
Whether the drug can be legally prescribed by a doctor or not is beside the point, as storyteller0910 said it simply boils down to the rules of the individual sport…the Olympics bans a long list of steroids, stimulants, diuretics, beta blockers, etc., many of which I assume have valid medical uses (including psuedoephedrine, available OTC in cold medicines like Sudafed). ---
**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, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929/40 "2012-06-12T19:51:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > In addition to what Bijou Drains said, are you also under the impression that it’s common to access confidential medical files? Even if it happened every day, I’d think it’d be quite difficult to obtain evidence of a player acquiring a prescription. Yeah, which is why I doubt he can prove his assertion. Still, I don’t think the dope is a place to expect to get a pass on questionable statements because its difficult to prove. Its really silly to pretend that tossing around steroids like they are candy is an above-board process in the US. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-steroids-cheating/624929.md?page=3)