Steroids

Not sure how I stumbled on this article from 1983, but I thought it was pretty wild:

Thirteen male track and field athletes from the United States voluntarily flew home from the Pan American Games today, only hours before the start of competition in their sport.

Their departure came as four more weight lifters were disqualified by the Pan American Sports Organization for the use of banned drugs, an action that brought the total to 11 in the last two days. That total made the disqualifications the most sweeping of their kind in international sports history.

The group that left included eight of the 10 United States men in the throwing events, the ones in which athletes are most likely to use anabolic steroids, testosterone and other substances that are believed to be body-building but that are banned internationally.

Stiff drug testing?! Out!

Can all the folks out there who think Barry and Lance and the rest of pro athletes don't use steroids or other at least semi-illegal substances like HGH please raise your hands?

I guess I just want to be done with it. Plausible deniability being what it is, though, the haters (of truth) will deny it until their deaths.

Was also a little bit surprised that the USOC didn't do a little more dissembling on the part of our athletes. They have a solid history in that department - such as keeping secret the failed drug tests of Carl Lewis, Flo-Jo, and many others. Maybe the tradition wasn't as strong back in the day. If for no other reason, we should be honest - because drugging kills.