Report: Brent Musburger talks steroids

AP ^ | October 7, 2010

[ConservativeStatement]

Brent Musburger, the play-by-play man for some of college football's biggest games, told a group of college journalism students that professional athletes under a doctor's supervision could potentially use steroids to improve performance.

Musburger, on the lead announcing team for ABC and ESPN, told students at the University of Montana that steroids have no place in high school athletics, but they could be used in the pros under the proper care and doctor's advice.

"Here's the truth about steroids: They work," he said in a story reported by The Missoulian.

"I've had somebody say that, you know, steroids should be banned because they're not healthy for you," he told the students Tuesday. "Let's go find out. What do the doctors actually think about anabolic steroids and the use by athletes? Don't have a preconceived notion that this is right or this is wrong."

[dfwgator]

What’s the average life expectancy of an NFL player, again?

[Frantzie]

Ask Tiger Woods.

[ConservativeStatement]

Musburger’s rant, a couple of years ago, about hippies and tree-huggers at Cal-Berkeley was priceless.

[comebacknewt]

If he is talking about short-term use to help recovery from a specific injury, then MAYBE he has a point.

If he is talking long-term use, even under doctor supervision, then he is a loon.

[outinyellowdogcountry]

I have to agree with him on not trusting journolists with the truth about anything. They do seem to come to the table with pre-conceived ideas and run with them. But, don’t know about the steroids...maybe under doctor’s care...

[Perdogg]

It’s about 70 if you did not play for the Steelers in late 70s early 80s. If you did, it is about 55.

[stainlessbanner]

Steroids have a place for healing the body as a medical treatment, so Brent's correct from that perspective.
There are downsides/side effects to different steroids though...especially in long-term use and/or abuse

[T bench]

I believe there is a lot of anecdotal evidence disparaging steroids, but not any scientific studies on whether they are safe if used in sports under a doctors care. They are performance enhancers, but so is protein powder with creatine. I believe steroids should be evaluated fairly and then let athletes decide if they want to use them. athletes are already superior genetically (coupled with a psychological component for performance), so adding enhancing athletic performance chemically is not going to do anything other than give our society more fodder for its insatiable appetite for violence.

[suthener]

Steroids do work. I’ve known people who have been on anabolic steroids and/or human growth hormone for the better part of years. I wish I was in the state of health they are in. One football player dies of a brain tumor and it’s because he took steroids. A wrestler goes crazy and kills his familty and it’s because he took steroids. BS. So everybody who uses steroids goes crazy or gets brain tumors, or no one who doesn’t take steroids goes crazy or gets brain tumors? As I said on the other thread; an adult should be able to make a decision to use steroids and walk into a pharmacy and buy them. Professional sports regulating bodies can set their own rules.

[woodbutcher1963]

They worked for my daughters asthma.

[gura]

We’re all on steroids right now, even women. Steroids are just testosterone or derivatives thereof.

Anabolic steroids are safer than many OTC medicines available today, and much safer than invasive plastic surgery.

Legalize them.

[gura]

She's taking corticosteroids, derivatives of cortisol or aldosterone. Completely different from anabolic steroids.

Long-term corticosteroids use has several severe side effects as for example: hyperglycemia,[9] insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus,[9] osteoporosis, anxiety,[9] depression, colitis, hypertension, ictus, erectile dysfunction, hypogonadism, hypothyroidism, amenorrhoea, and retinopathy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corticosteroid

Some health risks can be produced by long-term use or excessive doses of anabolic steroids. These effects include harmful changes in cholesterol levels (increased low-density lipoprotein and decreased high-density lipoprotein), acne, high blood pressure, liver damage (mainly with oral steroids), and dangerous changes in the structure of the left ventricle of the heart. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabolic_steroid

Too much or too long a use of almost anything has a deleterious effect on the body.

[comebacknewt]

Would it matter if I were a doctor?