Juiced
by Ivette Ricco, President of Femmefan.com
December 2003
Sports is always front-page news, and
not necessarily because of a thrilling victory or
inspirational accomplishment, but all too often because
of questionable off the field "incidents".
The big news in 2003 - THG.
I doubt fans are really surprised that professional
athletes are getting "juiced".
Pro sports is a moneymaking enterprise,
and every advantage, every possible edge an athlete
can get to stay at the top of the game and compete,
is almost a necessary evil.
THG was formally declared a drug after being sold
in the guise of a dietary supplement thereby calling
into question the integrity of sports and competition.
Isn't the playing field supposed to be level? Aren't
the professional athlete's skills a God-given gift
and not a product of the chemistry lab? Isn't the
reason we are in such awe of athletes due in large
measure to their physical abilities? Attributes and
skills that far surpass the average person's abilities
and therefore warrant "adulation"?
The NFL players who tested positive for THG, Romanowski,
Stubblefield, Robbins and Cooper, had their four-month-old
samples tested for the newly discovered designer drug.
The player's association is crying foul, how can
the NFL use a test for a drug that wasn't banned when
the samples were provided?
Sure players probably knew they were taking a performance-enhancing
steroid, but they probably were told it was undetectable.
Surprise.
The FDA's official designation of THG as illegal
puts manufacturers on notice, as well as athletes,
the government will crack down on anyone caught selling
it. How will the NFL, MLB, Olympics and other sports
enterprises handle this?
Anabolic steroids are risky; they can dangerous side
effects, heart disease, liver damage, rage, anger,
and anxiety.
U.S. drug authorities didn't discover this on their
own, they were made aware if THG by an unidentified
coach who gave them a syringe containing it.
Apparently THG was designed to be specifically undetectable
by the standard test given to athletes.
Now that a test is available, organizations are
trying to figure out what they should do next. Re-examination
and penalties seem to be the immediate course of action.
Four US track and field athletes have tested positive
for THG and Europe's top sprinter has admitted taking
nutritional supplements that he says were thought
to be allowed.
THG was apparently sneaked into the market as a
dietary supplement, but it is not a supplement it
is an unapproved drug.
But with the current system in place, there is always
going to be another designer steroid drug developed
that will circumvent the FDA ruling. There is money
to be made, and athletes with the money and the motivation
to get "juiced".
Anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of the male
hormone testosterone, some are approved by the FDA
for prescription only sale and to prevent certain
diseases, but athletes use them to bulk up muscle
and enhance performance.
THG is closely related to trenbolone a controlled
substance used to bulk up cattle.
The interesting side bar to this mad scientist episode
is that the individual being investigated for this
growing scandal is a self-taught chemist, musician-turned-nutritionist,
Victor Conte, 53, the owner of BALCO Laboratories
in Burlingame, California.
Back in September of 2000, during the Summer Olympics,
you might recall U.S. shot-putter C.J. Hunter trying
to explain why he had failed four drug tests. Among
those at the press conference was his nutritionist,
Victor Conte. Victor Conte blamed the results of the
drug tests on contaminated over the counter supplements.
"Some manufacturers don't properly clean their
equipment", "When they put on the next supplement,
the first few batches are contaminated."
Conte is not a trained scientist, Conte ran track
at Fresno City College but he was a musician who played
bass as a teenager. He later played with the 15 various
groups and toured with Herbie Hancock.
Conte and his then-wife Audrey opened a health food
store in 1980. In 1984 he started the Bay Area Laboratory
Co-Operative, or BALCO.
His focus was on the analysis of mineral content
in the blood. He tested for as many as 40 minerals
and then tailored vitamin regimens to address deficiencies.
Conte's business continued to grow as he provided
free analysis for athletes and his vitamin regimen
provided the desired results.
Conte had stumbled across the fact that zinc boosts
testosterone levels if taken before sleep, promoting
muscle growth and healing.
Conte's reputation grew fueled by the likes of Bill
Romanowski, who sent Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis,
John Elway, Shannon Sharpe and Neil Smith to him for
blood analysis and vitamin regimens.
But Conte's world started to unravel when the IRS
went after him.
So, what is Victor Conte guilty of?
Did he knowingly provide illegal substances to his
clients in his specially designed concoctions? Is
he just an enterprising businessman now caught in
the middle of poor business practices and tax problems?
The BALCO investigation should answer these questions,
as a parade of America's best-known athletes are questioned.
ESPN's Sports Nation conducted an on-line poll; these
are a summary of the results:
