'Roid Rage at Recess?

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Sep 5, 2006 5:40PM

We have long suspected that certain professional athletes were using artificial means to bulk up to boost on-field performance. But high school kids!?! How would they even know how to get their hands on the stuff? Yet studies show that use of performance-enhancing drugs has nearly doubled since 1991, and Illinois wants to consider testing high school athletes.

The plan is to "randomly test 500 athletes for about 80 banned substances ranging from amphetamines to steroids." With a $90,000 price tag for the 500 tests, that comes out to $180 a student. And by testing only 500 student-athletes from among the 750 IHSA member high schools, that means that fewer than a single student per school -- on average -- will be tested. Is that really much of a deterrent for an athlete looking for that leg up on that football scholarship? Would that really stop that wrestler who really wants to go to the state tournament? And how long before schools want to test members of the chess club and yearbook staff? We all know the kinds of risks high schoolers are willing to take, particularly when weighing short term vs. long term effects.

While we here in the Chicagoist sports offices are all for fair play on the field, we wonder whether this initiative is really worth the while. Schools and parents have much more control over their students/children than the owners and coaches of professional sports teams. What should be done is to educate parents, teachers and coaches on the signs of substance abuse and to stiffen penalties for those caught. Of course, there is the possibility that those same parents and/or coaches are the ones helping the student-athletes acquire the illicit substances, and that does create an issue. But if the state isn't prepared to test all, or at least most, athletes, then the proposed plan is likely a waste of taxpayer money.