Impressive, but completely irrelevant to the PED discussion.

EDIT: I'm not saying that Barca or Real definitely do PEDs. Just challenging the assertion that records are falling in other sports, but not in soccer.

Again, I'm merely defending against people who believe 99%+ athletes are using. No one is dumb enough in this day and age to believe no one is using.

Painkiller abuse is huge in the NHL. That's one of the ones that came out with Boogard. Which relates to my earlier post. We've had people do tell alls about sexual abuse, street drugs and sexual abuse in hockey. Surely PEDs aren't more taboo then those? I'm not saying no one uses, just surprised people can come out and say they abuse painkillers, were sexually abused, but no one can come out and say they used to use PEDs.

And as I said, teammates/opponents know who uses. Not to 100% accuracy, but there are a few you can be sure that players talk about to themselves/in the locker rooms that they know x uses. How does this never leak? How are people around the teams in the media too dumb/scared to ask/know?

As well with UEFA using WADA blood testing and next year FIFA will have biological passports. They may still be behind the game, but if it uncovers widespread systematic doping I will eat any words I have posted here today.

[img]http://blog.******.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/timsylvia.gif[/img]

Tim Sylvia, caught PED user



Royce Gracie, confirmed PED user





Josh Barnett, 3 or 4 time PED test failer



Kirill Sidelnikov, also a user

At least in MMA, it's often the least in-shape looking guys who end up pissing hot.

if Vijay [censored] Singh is using deer antler spray, then i think a huge majority of athletes are probably using stuff that isn't allowed*

yes hockey, soccer, and every other sport included

* - there's a different argument that i'm totally ignorant about wrt what should and shouldn't be allowed

Well, it seems with stuff like deer antler spray, someone goes up to athletes and says its hard to detect, works like HGH etc and they use it. But the science on a lot of these drugs that are "just ahead of the testing curve" is dubious. Some people will take any edge, but you're putting a lot of potentially terrible stuff in your body that really no one knows enough about. The best case for/against steroids is just waiting a generation and seeing what happens to these guys in their mid-late 50s and on.

Everyone knows Spaniards are paragons of PED purity

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news....ec06/dec08news

spanish clubs dope

If anything them all being homegrown might just mean they that barca's development skills are partially a function of having the best drugs.

Victor, the link you posted does not mean what you think it does. Although I'm weary of any doctor coming out, the one from this month and not 6-7 years ago is interesting of course.

and/or they're scouting and buying the best players from a very young age

(plus great coaching, infrastructure, etc)

Which would mean at the point in which their senior teams were performing terribly, they were basically supercharging kids with drugs to create a talent surge on par with Holland in the 70s, Brazil at various times etcetc. Doesn't sound like doping 13 year olds while failing at your billion dollar senior team is that great of a strategy, but maybe.

I agree with this. I was just saying if anything everyone coming from their youth system is reason to be more suspicious not less.

There may be liability issues here.

I don't agree. If you're scouting and signing the best children under 13, it's different from say a college scouting and signing the best 17 year olds. I really don't know how you can dope to a kid who hasn't gone through puberty, but I would think that it isn't very effective or even plausible. If I'm wrong here, feel free to correct me.

I was reading an article about US Soccer last week and I'm pretty sure they said players in La Masia (Barcas youth setup) train 780 hours a year. This being like double what's seen most other places and like 200+ more hours then Italy/England in comparable places. In England, US and other places, the amount is usually capped by law much lower then this.

Yep, no incentive to dope when you're putting in double the hours of most teams.

Sure, we can all believe there is a lot of doping in professional sports. You're really going to think its now widespread among children under the age of 13 in academies of these teams? Have you seen how raw kids are at sports? When you have little idea if even 5% of them would make it at a top level, why would you spend tens of thousands of dollars on doping for them? When I was a kid I was playing 2-3 games a week and 2-3 practices a week. But obviously the teachers/facilities/production at La Masia is something neither I nor anyone I ever knew could dream of. (and games are almost useless at that age, training is way more important)

Ok, I found the article I read last week about La Masia/US Soccer etc.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/...d/1055?cc=5901

if someone came out and said they didn't care if athletes used PEDs that may be somewhat interesting

that was mostly drivel, tho calling out ray lewis was a bit entertaining

The Roger Clemens-Barry Bonds defense.

I'm strongly in the camp that does not give a **** that athletes use PEDs.

Ray Lewis using PEDs and playing in the super bowl >>>>>>>>>> him sitting out the playoffs with an easily fixable injury

Who won the eating competition?

From the pop culture maven himself: "It might be like that Guns N' Roses album that never came out"

It is not necessarly the fact that the kids use drugs.
But Barca's entire philosphy is based on tactical and technical ability. This approach benefits tremendously if you can make sure that your most talented prospects in these areas will always be able to compete physically at the highest level.

In any case, Iniesta is best friends with Contador.

They talked about it on the podcast, said who won, but 'wouldn't reveal' any more. And then didn't say what they were doing with it. Most likely going to go on youtube, but wtf, why are they waiting so long. Should have been cut and uploaded on saturday evening.

And wow, why am I so hot over a eating competition featuring people I don't even know.

Most interesting thing is that any sport without biological passports allows players to dope up to the limit. It would be stupid (multi-million dollar mistake) not to.

lmao