The Icarus Syndrome
Much has been written regarding the dangers of
performance-enhancing substances. Perhaps an act of Congress will succeed in
eliminating these abuses in sports. Several survey results revealed the
majority of our nation’s youth would take steroids if it helped them in
becoming professional athletes, even though long-term health would be
adversely affected or their lifespan shortened.
To deal with this problem it must begin at the youth
level. American Youth Football requires a mandatory substance abuse
presentation at each league. Perhaps the Greeks, 3,000 years ago provided
the perfect metaphor. Daedalus fashioned wings of feathers and wax for he
and his son Icarus to escape the Labyrinth in Crete.
“Do not fly too low or too high,” he warned his son.
“Flying too low would allow the sea to wet the feathers and flying too close
to the sun would cause the wax in the wings to melt.” But Icarus was
overwhelmed by the thrill of flight. In his youthful exuberance he flew high
into the warm rays of the sun. Icarus paid for the thrill of the moment with
his life.
As a star athlete, one can have it all; college
scholarship offers, after college a pro contract, as a pro hanging out with
movie stars. It’s all good. The sun shines warm. I have heard some athletes
brag, “my watch is worth more than your car, my car is worth more than your
house, and my house is worth more than your whole ‘hood.” It must be quite a
thrill to reach that level both financially and socially. It is written
“fame has a sting and also a wing.”
Making more money than a doctor, lawyer, or CEO may
not last more than a few years. That is the aim of many, but less than one
percent ever become pros. Most fall so short that their “wings become wet.”
All great sports stories detail the hours of practice
it takes to reach a goal. The legendary Army Coach Earl Blake’s book title
was, You Have to Pay The Price. One of Blake’s assistants, Vince Lombardi,
said “the harder we work the luckier we get.”
A popular Chinese proverb, “Success is a journey, not
a destination.” If you could bypass the hard work and inject something into
your body that made you stronger than Popeye on spinach, wouldn’t it be
worth it? Who wouldn’t like to physically dominate the playing fields? If
you can hit harder, run faster, and jump higher, you can be a star.
Why not? From my experience in professional sports the
answer is simply, at what cost? Much has been documented regarding the
physical toll of chemical enhancement on the human body. Severe muscle
tears, tendon damage, and stimulating tumor growth are more commonplace. I
have witnessed some shocking injuries with suspicious origins.
Lets’ us look at the overlooked in all the reports:
the emotional upheaval caused by foreign substances. Aggressive behavior,
domestic violence, and severe paranoia have become commonplace in the sports
world. The price to pay for not naturally progressing through the stages of
developing strength and agility is equally disturbing to the psychological
well-being of the athlete. Every headline of a pro player breaking the law
can serve as an example. Erratic behavior is usually a result of an
imbalance of some kind. We were all born to succeed naturally. The
intoxicating side effects of enhancement substances often cause an athlete
to lose his perspective and fly too close to the sun, all the tomorrows
traded for today. It is not worth it.
What can young athletes do to improve their health and
performance?
1) Eat breakfast. 2) Eat often. 3) Stay active. 4)
Drink plenty of water. 5) Snack on fruits and honey. 6) Get lots of sleep.
Remember, there is no worthwhile magic, shortcut, or
secret for success.
If you take supplements it must: Have a United States
Pharmacopoeia label; be produced by a nationally known food and drug
manufacturers. Always read the label for side effects.
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