Sports N Health

The use of steroids by a Major League baseball slugger may result in considerable improvements in the count of home run along with modest improvements in bat-and-ball speed and muscle mass, as per a study by Roger Tobin, Tufts University physicist.

From News-Medical.Net:

“A change of only a few percent in the average speed of the batted ball, which can reasonably be expected from steroid use, is enough to increase home run production by at least 50 percent,” he says. This disproportionate effect arises because home runs are relatively rare events that occur on the “tail of the range distribution” of batted balls.

“In most any statistical distribution — of people’s heights, SAT scores, or how far baseballs are hit — there’s a large bump where most of the values fall, with the graph falling rapidly as you move away from that region in either direction toward the rarer values,” explains Tobin. “It’s a well-known statistical property of such distributions that a relatively small shift in the center point of the distribution can produce a much larger proportional change in the number of values well above or below the center. Because the distribution’s ‘tail’ is particularly sensitive to small changes in the peak and/or width, home run records can be more strongly affected by steroid use than other athletic accomplishments.”

It was quickly acknowledged by Tobin that modern-day athletes seem to achieve more than athletes of the past but that does not, in any way, suggest that they are cheating with steroids. He remarked that Physics is unable to provide any evidence whether or not a particular home run is assisted by steroids but a combination of Physics and Physiology may prove effective in establishing a relationship between the use of steroids and improved home run production.

The findings of this study are expected to be of importance as the game of baseball has been troubled by accusation of steroids in the recent past.

According to a study by Roger Tobin, Tufts University physicist, the use of steroids by a Major League baseball slugger can easily result in significant improvements in terms of home run production along with modest enhancements in the bat-and-ball speed and muscle mass. It was remarked that the production of home runs can be enhanced by as much as 50 percent or more with the use of steroids.

From News-Medical.Net:

“A change of only a few percent in the average speed of the batted ball, which can reasonably be expected from steroid use, is enough to increase home run production by at least 50 percent,” he says. This disproportionate effect arises because home runs are relatively rare events that occur on the “tail of the range distribution” of batted balls.

“In most any statistical distribution — of people’s heights, SAT scores, or how far baseballs are hit — there’s a large bump where most of the values fall, with the graph falling rapidly as you move away from that region in either direction toward the rarer values,” explains Tobin. “It’s a well-known statistical property of such distributions that a relatively small shift in the center point of the distribution can produce a much larger proportional change in the number of values well above or below the center. Because the distribution’s ‘tail’ is particularly sensitive to small changes in the peak and/or width, home run records can be more strongly affected by steroid use than other athletic accomplishments.”

Tobin was quick to acknowledge the fact that modern-day athletes achieve more than athletes of the past but this improved trend cannot be only due to cheating. He further remarked that Physics is unable to determine whether or not a specific home run is assisted by steroid nor can it indicate if an extraordinary performance is all about the use of steroids. But Physics and Physiology can reveal some untold truths about the use of steroids and improved home run production.

The findings of this study are expected to be of utmost importance as the game of baseball has often been troubled by accusation of steroids.

The WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) has suspended Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio for a period of 30 days, starting from September 2, 2009. The suspension was the result of a violation of WWE’s wellness policy.

It has been speculated that steroid use can be the reason behind Mysterio’s suspension. However, the speculations relating to drug testing by WWE on Mysterio has been turned down by some sources.

From US.WWE.COM:

In accordance with WWE’s Wellness Program, effective Wednesday, September 2, Oscar Gutierrez (Rey Mysterio) is suspended for 30 days for a violation of the company’s policy.

Rey Mysterio, whose real name is Oscar Guiterrez, has however denied using steroids to gain an advantage in the fierce competition. However, the fact that he was identified as a customer of the tainted Dr. Phil Astin III has led to beliefs that he may be tried for using steroids in the WWE. It is noteworthy to note here that Mysterio’s name was also highlighted in a SI report in 2007 when he was accused of allegedly receiving steroid prescriptions for Nandrolone and Stanozolol.

The suspension can ruin the career of Rey, if the WWE decides to strip him off his intercontinental championship belt. Ray is expected to defend his title against Dolph Ziggler at Breaking Point pay-per-view in next month. But if the current events are to be considered then he may end up giving it to Ziggler.

Mysterio’s fans are just hoping that their favorite hero does not add to the list of professional wrestlers who used anabolic steroids or performance enhancing drugs for staying ahead in the competition.

With the passing time, more and more sportsmen are using steroids to gain an advantage and stay ahead of their peers. Term it as reluctance to change or the will to remain invincible, steroids and sports have get well in such a way that they have almost become inseparable in today’s sporting world.

The previously unfeasible and impossible targets and records are now crumbling and audience is getting more interested in seeing the “best side of sportsmen” with sheer enthusiasm.

Despite so much to offer, steroids have often being termed as harmful to general health by some people who find cheap publicity a reason big enough to live and have a laugh. What they probably laugh is at the fact that technologies at their times were not ‘potent’ enough to caught their doping acts.

From Huffingpost.com:

Does anyone really care if someone damaged his or her health by working too many hours? It happens every day. So why are we worried about what millionaire athletes do?

Steroids can be used responsibly if prescribed by a doctor. Maybe that’s why the AMA was AGAINST making them a controlled substance. And here’s something to think about: If there were a drug with marginal side effects that would make you smarter, would you take it? And what if it enabled you to excel to the point where you could double your earnings? What if not using them meant failure?

The cat is out of the bag and he isn’t going back in. These drugs do amazing things and they will continue to be used. They come with a risk however. I’d rather see that risk controlled than have the users sneak around and support a black market in order to engage in what should be their inalienable right of free choice as long as the consequences don’t endanger anyone else. As far as I’m concerned, if I want to juggle a couple of flaming chainsaws in the privacy of my own home, that’s my option. It’s funny to see the people who scream the loudest about civil liberties leading the march against others should and shouldn’t do.

I’m not advocating or endorsing steroid use, but it’s here to stay. And the biggest irony of it all is that most fans don’t care. They’d rather see their favorite players playing, instead of penalized. What is the more egregious crime is the price of the tickets. And for that kind of money, I want to see a great performance, however it’s achieved. And although I’m not a fan of the Hall of Fame in that it’s not a museum as much as an elite club determined by committee, there should be an asterisk next to McQuire, Bonds, et al stating: “Post enhancement era.” Would that be so hard?

Just as these drugs will add a few years to the career of a great pitcher by replacing that lost mile or two an hour on his fastball, they can extend youth and vitality for aging baby boomers. If used properly.

From the above statements, it can be easily made out that steroids are not bad for health unless one starts abusing them for quick gains. So, what’s the point in blaming them for new records or audience getting attracted to the game? One thing that does emerge from these facts is that there is nothing that can come between steroids and sports.