Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Miami Doping


Miami doping questions puts a damper on a bright team and shows that drugs are still very much a part of baseball.

By Kelvin Read

AP Photo/ Willfredo Lee
With new PED reports coming out in the past couple of weeks linking players from Alex Rodriguez to Gio Gonzalez to PEDs, college students have come away almost unscathed. One person being linked to drug use is Miami strength coach Jimmy Goins. Goins is currently under investigation by the MLB, but hasn’t been convicted of any illegal activity yet.

The University of Miami released a statement saying that none of their students had tested positive for steroids since 2005, when it started to release its test results, but that doesn’t mean that untested and illegal substances aren’t being used. There is no test for HGH, a commonly used drug for injured players. Additionally, we recently learned about Deer Antler Spray and its mischievous usage. Drugs like these are common in baseball and other sports. Oddly, though, there are no plans to implement more severe testing procedures in order to diminish the prevalence.

Miami is currently ranked 29th in the first week of college baseball. While this investigation is unlikely to impact the team’s season, a shadow has been cast on Miami’s success. More testing needs to be done. Drug use is rampant in junior college baseball, where players are striving to get picked up by more competitive teams. Players like Rodriguez are not the real problem. It’s young men that use drugs starting in their teens and twenties. It’s unfortunate that we must have such a watchful eye on the young men who are enjoying their prime years, but the Miami report means that oversight of their superiors is needed.

High school and college testing will have to become much more severe. College may be a time where you can make some mistakes in your life, but PED usage to gain an advantage should not be allowed.

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