The Heat and the Shine

Dana White wishes that there were no performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in UFC.  It is a scandal he doesn't want.  They cost him money that could be used for other things.  Fights cancel that fans want to see. The problem is that performance enhancing drugs aren't going away.  Professional athletes are as paranoid as they are competitive.  Many fighters use.  Most fighters believe that other fighters are using.  Some fighters just want an edge and don't care.  Whatever the case, they're here to stay. History has taught us that anti-doping measures are an endless cat-and-mouse game.  The 1988 Olympic 100 meter final was called the dirtiest sporting event of all time in an ESPN documentary.  When analyzed years after the race, every sprinter's urine sample was found to contain some type of PED.  The 2012 Olympic 100 meter final saw nobody test positive, but would anyone be surprised if a test done ten years from now found those samples dirty? The status quo is

The Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and the people celebrated.  The people who put on the fights, cover the fights and watch the fights all reacted in unison.  "Yay!  A win for fair play." It is a win for fair play.  As MMA fan/anti-drug advocate Lance Storm liked to say, TRT doesn't level the playing field, it levels the player.  The egalitarian ideal is that each sportsman trains and studies and uses his natural talent to compete under the agreed upon rules.  People born with a disability must compete with that disability.  Being born with low testosterone would be treated no differently than being born with a poor work ethic.  Some will succeed, but most will never join the elite. The Nevada Commission's ruling is also a win for the public perception of MMA.  The scolds have been held at bay.  The loudest online fans and the most muckraking journalists will have to wait another day to complain. Some complainers