Steroids epidemic believed to be less prevelant among collegiate athletes, By: Andrew Bohardt
August 23, 2007.
San Francisco Giants’ leftfielder Barry Bonds recently broke the most hallowed record in all of sports by belting his 756th career home run. In the eyes of some, however, the prodigious accomplishment will be tainted as long as Bonds holds the mark.
From baseball to cycling to professional wrestling, steroids are seemingly an epidemic, destroying the integrity of several athletic events and records. At the collegiate level, however, most athletes don’t believe there is a problem.
“Today’s athletes are getting bigger and bigger every year, but I don’t think [there is a problem in college],” said Jameson Hartke, a starting defensive linemen for the Ohio University football team. “From my experiences, I don’t think [steroids] are very big in college sports at all.”
The numbers support Hartke’s statement.
The NCAA’s championship testing program collected only two positive tests between 2003 and 2005. The inception of random testing has been one of the keys in controlling steroid use, according to officials.
“Because the NCAA conducts testing all year long, and student-athletes are only provided a one-day notice prior to reporting for testing, there is no ‘safe window’ in which to cycle steroids,” said Mary Wilfert, the NCAA’s Drug Testing Program Administrator.
The NCAA also is taking a firmer stance against sports with a history of steroid problems.
“The NCAA tests more often in sports that are considered at higher risk of performance-enhancing drug use, as indicated by research data and history,” Wilfert said.
Overall, the NCAA conducts approximately 12,000 drug tests throughout the year and an additional 2,000 tests during the championship seasons. If an athlete tests positive, they face extraordinarily stiff penalties, Wilfert said.
“A student-athlete who tests positive through an NCAA drug test loses one year of eligibility and is withheld from competition for 365 days from the date of the test,” she added.
The punishments handed out by Major League Baseball and the National Football League pale in comparison to the NCAA’s policy. Baseball players receive a 10-game suspension for one positive test while football players garner a four-game benching for the same offense.
“Maybe the major league players have more of an access to the drug or something,” Hartke said. “But I think that guys in college are looking to make it to the next level, so they’re being smart and taking the right things and making sure they’re giving themselves a chance to make it to the next level.”
