Death, dumb, and blind. (Here Below).
Is THERE ANYTHING more tragic than an athlete in the prime of his life throwing it all away on a massive piece of stupidity like overdosing on a weight-reducing pill, driving under the influence, or practicing in torrid heat without anti-stroke safeguards.How do such awful things happen? It is always staggering. O.K., call the athletes dumb or irresponsible, but where are the doctors? The coaches? The administrators? The rules-makers?
Is enough attention being paid? We wonder. Nearly every time you read about a calamitous death, you discover an horrendous piece of ignorance.
The athlete had never been thoroughly examined. He had been taking an unprescribed pill. No doctor or trainer had been present. No emergency procedure and been available. The school had no medical records.
The most recent casualty was a 23-year-old overweight big-league pitcher who stupidly showed up in training camp about 35 pounds overweight. His idea of preparation was taking a reducing pill with ephedra in it.
Ephedra? Wasn't that a banned substance? Yes, by the NFL, NBA, and the Olympics--but not Major League Baseball.
And why not baseball? Because the commissioner 's office refused to confront the players union. The inference was inescapable: Too many players were using ephedra pills as weight-reducer or pick-me ups.
It was both sad and depressing.
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| Title Annotation: | Athletes' drug abuse |
|---|---|
| Author: | Masin, Herman L. |
| Publication: | Coach and Athletic Director |
| Article Type: | Brief Article |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | May 1, 2003 |
| Words: | 216 |
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