Drugs Are Bad, Okay?

I should probably have an opinion about this current AFL scandal. I should probably have a stance on drugs in sport. I should probably feel a reaction of some kind. But I don’t.

Here’s what history has shown us: If we can do it, we will. It’s just a matter of when; the law and our acceptance catches up after the fact. The line of morality in science and whatever else is constantly shifting. Birth control was once not only immoral but illegal. Same with alcohol.

The usual lines being toted by AFL clubs, including Geelong, talk about being on the cutting edge of sports science, about pushing up to the line but not going past it, about searching for any “legal” edge they can.

We want our players to run all day, to put on 10kgs in the off-season, to stay on the park every week. We want them to be aggressive, to be courageous and to fight to the death. We also want them to stay off the piss, to stay in the media spotlight and to be role models at the age of 22. We want them to care as much as we do, but do more than we ever would, be better than we ever were. It’s bullshit, it’s unreasonable and it’s largely irrelevant.

All the steroids in the world wouldn’t have made Henry Playfair kick straight or Kent Kingsley chase. A fairly substantial amphetamine problem didn’t prevent Ben Cousins from being an elite midfielder. A few years ago the AFL banned intravenous rehydration. Shane Warne missed a year of his prime for taking a diet drug. Ray Lewis returned from a 6 month injury in 10 weeks. Max Rooke flew to Germany for Rooster stem cell injections. Lance Armstrong avoided a single positive drug test. Ben Johnson is still one of the most remarkable athletes I’ve ever seen.

The goalposts are forever shifting. I just want to watch the games (and I’m glad they don’t drug test at my work).