2053 Op PED

It's kind of sad when you hear about all the famous sports figures getting into trouble because they used performance enhancing drugs. I suppose it's a reflection of our society as a whole, and how often we'd much rather take a pill or an injection than find a natural or exercise based alternative. 

Not that the sports figures didn't exercise. It was the combination of drugs and exercise that changed their Bruce Banners into Incredible Hulks. One could say they exercised everything except judgment.

But it's hard to be too hard on them. When everyone is using drugs to enhance their performance, it's pretty hard not to yield to the temptation to do so yourself. If only to make it a level playing field. And the playing field is what it's about. When the whole playing field is filled with quicker, stronger, and tougher drugged players, who can resist? Do you want to be a high paid pro or a poor farm team wannabe for the rest of your healthy livered life?

Interesting that the word PEDs, meaning Performance Enhancing Drugs, has emerged to describe the drug usage too. I guess because one of them, human growth hormone, can't really be called a steroid.

And possibly because 'roids, the slang for steroids, also sounded like players were somehow benefiting from hemorrhoids. That's a 'roid rage I can understand. Talk about running around like your pants are on fire. 

But it came to me the other day that Alex Roid-riquez could make a good defense of his use of all those performance enhancing drugs. The pressure of his peers. The culture of expected high performance. Even the traffic signs were part of the overwhelming temptation. 

I saw one just recently. It said: "Yield to Peds"

America, ya gotta love it.