What the heck is going on in the minds of some athletes? Earlier in the week, Manny Ramirez was suspended by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a banned substance. Now Jeremy Mayfield, a crew member for the #39 Sprint Cup team and another for the #16 Nationwide team have also failed random drug tests.
Something that defies logic are the kinds of excuses offered. Manny Ramirez rationalized that he was prescribed his substance by a doctor so he thought it was okay. Well, what was his motivation for working with a doctor in Florida instead of one where he resides or the team’s physician? That just doesn’t pass the common sense test. Now Mayfield offers that, “I believe that the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine reacted together and resulted in a positive drug test. My doctor and I are working with both Dr. Black and NASCAR to resolve this matter."
Suppose we give Ramirez and Mayfield the benefit of the doubt. They were treated by private physicians who prescribed certain medications. If that’s the case, wouldn’t they report this to their sports’ appropriate authorities so that such treatment is on record?
Major league baseball provides for therapeutic exemptions if a medical treatment is necessary for specific conditions. On Mayfield’s contentions, one should never assume that just because something is sold over the counter, it’s okay. This would be especially true for NASCAR given allergy medicines like Benadryl, for instance, can cause drowsiness and impair judgment.
While ball sports athletes are more a danger to themselves than anyone else, the prospect of a race car driver handling equipment cranking out well over 700 horsepower is too terrifying to contemplate.
How these athletes can put their careers at stake and not be aware of everything they’re putting in their bodies defies logic. Are they so star struck or over confident in their own abilities they think they can slip through the testing procedure? Worse would be a figure who is so messed up on drugs, he can’t perceive reality for his craving for the drug has become so all consuming as would an alcoholic or heroin addict.
Although not everything involved in being a NACAR driver is the same as those playing ball sports, most figures in both sports are hyper aware of what they consume. Many athletes follow specially prescribed diets to maximize performance and keep them in the best of health. Surely some supplements are common for good health, regular vitamins and minerals, but then there are all kinds of goods sold at health food stores, nutrition centers, and some sporting goods outlets that are banned substances.
How can these guys gamble their careers over these things?
For Jeremy Mayfield, the consequences are especially severe. He is both the driver and team owner for his operation and is suspended in both capacities. For his ride to continue, someone else will have to assume ownership, but they are a team that must qualify weekly as they are a long way from the cut for being in the top 35, automatically in each race.
Fans, sponsors, and teams demand better. Parents of kids who adore their sports heroes have an especially strong grievance as kids will often do anything to emulate their heroes. While high school aged athletes often lack the judgment to know what they're doing to their bodies. just hearing a substance was something a pro used could be temptation enough to try a dangerous substance.
These are risks we cannot permit. With each passing episode, our capacity to feel sympathy for those testing positive wears thinner and thinner.
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