Brendan Lyons and the Albany Times-Union have received a lot of praise and acclaim for their “investigative journalism” in the coverage of the Signature Pharmacy steroid distribution scandal. Admittedly, they do a throrough job of covering the Albany-based investigation initiated by District Attorney David Soares. But the reporting is anything but well-balanced serving as little […]
Cyclist Tammy Thomas Awaits Jury Verdict
The jury in cyclist Tammy Thomas’ doping perjury trial did not reach a verdict after the first day of deliberations (“Thomas jury deliberations to continue,” April 3). Thomas, whose case is the first to go to trial in the five-and-a-half-year Balco investigation, was charged with making false statements to a grand jury in 2003 about […]
“Stupidity and Mistakes of the Anti-Doping Crusade”
Velo Vortmax blasts WADA for its resistance to change in the face of additional new evidence that the testosterone:epitestosterone ratio test is flawed (“Genetic variations in enzyme UGT2B17: Implications,” April 3). WADA refuses to worry about trivial genetic factors. WADA is loath to do longitudinal tests of athletes. WADA might find a variable that might […]
Serious Crime of Steroid Use in Sports
The 1984 Olympic cycling gold medalist Alexi Grewal wrote an essay that has created quite a stir in the world of professional cycling. Grewal essentially implies that practically all the elite U.S. cyclists in the 1980s “stepped over the line” and doped in some fashion; this would implicate American cycling greats like Greg Lemond, Andy […]
New Book on History of Anabolic Steroids and Doping in Sports
Daniel Rosen of the Rant Your Head Off blog has written a new book on the history of anabolic steroids and doping in sports. The book Dope: A History of Performance Enhancement in Sports from the Nineteenth Century to Today is scheduled to be released on June 30, 2008. Rosen tells us more about it in […]
WADA Testing for Growth Hormone Within Weeks
According to the New York Times, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has purchased thousands of doping kits that will be used to screen blood for exogenous human growth hormone (HGH). The top-secret HGH test has been available for some time but WADA only recently found a secret European-based manufacturer capable of producing significant quantities of […]
History of Anabolic Steroids in Sports Courtesy of Sports Illustrated
The Sports Illustrated version of the history of anabolic steroids in sports is now available online in its entirety with the launch of SI Vault. Sports Illustrated on March 20 plans to unveil SI Vault, a new section within SI.com that will feature digitized archives of the magazine’s complete collection of content throughout its 54-year […]
Missouri Baseball and Football Stadiums Threatened by Steroid Use
State Representative Jeff Roorda has introduced legislation to coerce professional sports in the State of Missouri to change their rules by increasing penalties for anabolic steroid use in their respective sports. Roorda, a Democrat from Jefferson County, filed a bill today that would bar state tax credits from going to professional sports teams in a league […]
Jose Canseco Promotes Steroid Book on David Letterman
Jose Canseco appeared on the David Letterman show last night to promote his new book Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball. I’m not sure why Canseco suggests that he is battling to save baseball; perhaps it has something to do with his defense of Roger Clemens from steroid allegations by […]
Swimmers Must Compete Naked, Swimsuits Give Unfair Advantage
Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your preference) we have not reached the level of absurdity where everything that may offer an unfair advantage is banned in sports competition. The latest culprit in offering an unfair advantage is not any type of designer anabolic steroid created by a rogue chemist in a secret underground lab. It […]