by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright September 1, 1998
All Rights Reserved.

roving that modern heroes aren’t found in Washington, St. Louis Cardinal’s slugger Mark McGwire launched himself into baseball history, shattering Roger Marris’ 37 year old record with another routine crack of the bat. Slugging his record-breaking 62nd home run, McGwire personifies the next American hero: Honest, hard-working, generous, proud, considerate, humble, and, above all else, human. Churning in the backwater of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, McGwire’s individual accomplishment helps heal our national shame and humiliation. He’s a new and welcomed source of national pride. And it’s long overdue! We’re celebrating again as Americans--not liberals or conservatives, Democrats or Republicans, Blacks or Whites — just Americans. True to his character, Mark McGwire graciously shares his achievement, showing great sensitivity to the Marris family, whose immortality has now been replaced by baseball’s new home run king. Our reigning hero has no shortage of class.

       While sports’ historians debate the magnitude of McGwire’s accomplishment, a growing consensus heralds this achievement as perhaps the most coveted record in all of sports. But as much as this debate makes the headlines, a malignant undercurrent of suspicion threatens to rob Mark McGwire of his deserving place in sports history. Suggesting that McGwire’s performance was enhanced by his use of a banned substance, androstendione — a nutritional supplement converted by the adrenals into testosterone — a rising tide of voices are questioning the legitimacy of his record. Banned by the NCAA, U.S. and international Olympic committees, NFL and NHL — but not major league baseball — androstendione is readily available over-the-counter in most health food stores in the United States and abroad.

       As with all nutritional supplements, adrostendione is supposed to enhance health and optimize performance by boosting testosterone levels. While the nutritional industry enjoys unprecedented growth and prestige and while mainstream medicine begins incorporating its products into wellness programs, many people haven’t caught up with the times. It’s been over 30 years since Nobel prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling discovered that Vitamin C was the best antioxidant known to man and a cure for the common cold. Should nutrition-conscious athletes who take large doses of Vitamin C be penalized for having improved immunity to the common cold? Is this an 'unfair' advantage, because there are still athletes who don’t make use of current advances in nutritional science?

       In Babe Ruth’s day, eating steak, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol were part of a normal health routine — today, it’s almost regarded as suicidal. We’ve come a long way ‘baby’ — or have we? Only recently, the hazards of abusing tobacco — whether smoked or chewed — were dismissed as propaganda by the tobacco establishment. And yet, despite today’s information superhighway, many ball players are still riding off-road, chewing tobacco for the stimulating, and, yes, performance-enhancing effects of nicotine.

       Other athletes prefer to douse themselves with caffeine, believing that the added stimulant also enhances their performance. While abusing caffeine and nicotine are legal in most venues, using nutritional products which temporarily boost hormone levels or affect blood chemistry are regarded as unacceptable. Where’s the level playing field? Allowing all athletes to abuse known substances or allowing them to make the best use of modern nutritional science? Why is it OK to exploit the well-documented performance enhancing effects of caffeine or nicotine but it’s not OK to use nutritional supplements which might improve performance or optimize health? Prescription or non-prescription anabolic steroids are one thing, but suggesting that Mark McGwire gained an ‘unfair’ advantage in the home run derby by using harmless nutritional supplements is quite a stretch. No nutritional product can make these claims.

       Athletes who gain a physical edge by regulating their diets and disciplining themselves with high-tech fitness routines, shouldn’t be criticized by others living on bacon and eggs. Performance-enhancing nutritional and exercise programs are available to all: The playing field has been level for some time. It’s a well known fact that diet affects hormone levels and blood chemistry — so do sleep and stress. If an athlete eats yogurt and granola bars and chooses to use nutritional supplements, it’s to his or her credit, not an attempt to gain an 'unfair' advantage. Suggesting that McGwire’s home run totals are correlated with his use of nutritional products is like blaming gyrations in the stock market on the price of tea in China. No, McGwire’s unprecedented feat is attributable to his talent, certainly not some scientifically concocted bromide.

       Surely we’ve evolved far enough to recognize that mind and body play a role in the performance equation. Should athletes making use of sports psychologists — utilizing sophisticated hypnotic techniques, guided imagery, positive thinking or any other type of behavior modification, also be suspect for gaining an 'unfair' advantage? I don’t think so. Since the '60s revolution, experimenting with alternative lifestyles, exercise, nutrition and consciousness-raising activities have been incorporated into the American way of life. Anything less — at this stage of the game — would be irresponsible. How can we fault anyone for taking advantage of any product which enhances optimal health and performance? That’s the American way. Whether Mark McGwire gets a short-lived boost from androstendione is anyone’s guess. It’s performance enhancing effects are far less predictable than using tobacco or coffee. One thing remains certain: He’s the greatest single-season home run hitter to ever play the game. Beyond that, judging by the way he’s handling his remarkable success, he’s truly an American hero.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is director of a West Los Angeles think tank specializing in human behavior, health care and political research and media consultation. He’s a seminar trainer, columnist and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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