I get the feeling NBA commissioner David Stern cringes every time Mark Cuban opens his mouth.
The Mavericks owner strikes me as a contrarian, a guy who pulls no punches and isn't all that interested in the political correctness that pervades virtually all American discourse these days.
As the public face of one of the country's major sports organizations, Stern lives by the PC doctrine, unable to deviate from accepted populist views for fear of losing valuable marketing partnerships.
As of 2009, Forbes Magazine listed Cuban's net worth at $2.3 billion. a tidy little nest egg even in this economy, so the Pittsburgh native isn't all that interested in placating other people's views.
"Steroids" is the dirtiest word in sports these days so I wasn't all that surprised when Cuban took on the issue when queried at a University of Pittsburgh forum on Tuesday.
Even though many performance-enhancing drugs have significant therapeutic value, the general public has been taught they are a pariah.
"We are caught in a moral myth," Matt Chaney, a former college football player and author of Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football, said. "If they (steroids) are used in a therapeutic fashion, they can be helpful. I am convinced we are in some sort of hysteria."
"It's the silver bullet theory," Chaney continued. "That if you take it once something horrible will happen. It's ridiculous. People get in trouble when they abuse them."
While no expert, Cuban echoed that sentiment when asked about Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis's 10-game PED suspension at the forum on Tuesday,
"I'm not an expert in the subject, but if we get to the point where there aren't long-term negative health impacts, why wouldn't you do it?" Cuban said. "We do performance-enhancing things all the time, just not steroids.
"If you administer them properly and fairly and set the rules strictly, as long as in doing so we recognize there are no negative long-term health-impact issues."
Lewis was suspended after testing positive for an elevated testosterone level, and claimed he took an over-the-counter supplement that included a banned substance.
"I'll get killed for saying this but I'm not so against steroids if they're administered under proper supervision and there is no long-term damage," Cuban added.
He also recognized just how that statement would be taken.
"If somebody thinks it's controversial, fine," Cuban said. "To me, it's just common sense. I'm sure I'll hear about it that 'Cuban is for steroids.' "
To me, Cuban is on the right track.
"There is a thought that we can do something about it. We can't," Chaney said. "We will never eradicate it. Sports should have a big disclaimer -- there are drugs here."
If that's true, instead of the current witch hunt that focuses purely on punishment and hasn't been all that effective, moderation and education may be a better approach to the problem.
Let's face it, enhancing one's performance is not necessarily a bad thing. If it were, we would have to ban all vitamins and supplements, not to mention weightlifting and eating right.
In a society that is caught in right vs. left and conservative vs. liberal, that view is may be a little too nuanced. A quick Google search confirmed that most mainstream media outlets are indeed playing up the 'Cuban is for steroids' angle.
And I'm sure Cuban could care less.
After all, the "Maverick" owner is right.
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