An Alternative view on HGH and Sports Athletes @ 9 June 2008 03:48 PM

America will not win the crusade against performance-enhancing drugs in athletics.

So let's stop dragging this out and call this what it is: a loss.

Dry your eyes and prepare your mind for high-definition athletes -- did you really think only televisions got upgraded?

It pains me even to write this, but my editor shared with me a simple solution: legalize performance-enhancing drugs in the areas of its highest concentration, that being track and field.

There is no need to be indignant about the matter. It is just reality.

We will not catch all cheaters. They are shrewd and always one step ahead.

And it has not and will not stop because the government busted Victor Conte, Marion Jones or because Trevor Graham was finally found a liar and drug dealer in court two weeks ago.

There are 20 more Contes in Europe, the mecca for track athletes seeking their next fix.

And each fix is always more sophisticated and transparent than the last.

There is a product on the market called an HGH releaser. It is a chemical compound that stimulates the body to produce heightened levels of the hormone for a temporary period.

If this releaser actually works, then it would be difficult to detect because the body is "naturally" producing the hormone.

Add to the equation that performance-enhancers and steroid drug tests generally require prior notification and that gives athletes ample time to make necessary adjustments.

Fred Finke, a USA Track and Field long-distance running chairman, said he knew of situations where testing would be announced prior to a meet and athletes would just drop out. Often times, the athlete would cite injuries.

"The idea that we're going to catch all of them is impossible," Finke said.

Let me be clear: I am not advocating drug use. I am advocating truth in advertising.

After all, isn't it the deception that bothers us more than the act of cheating itself?

It's the same type of deception a woman feels when hair magazines advertise celebrities using product A for "long, silky tresses" only to later discover it was a hair weave all along.

Fans deserve to know what is in the product they are supporting, be it HGH, THG or something we have not yet discovered.

And rather than tying up our federal government in lengthy investigations and spending tax dollars to support poorly administered high school steroids tests, let's just eliminate the chase.

Give athletes of legal adult age the choice to juice or inject as they so please. Require those athletes to go public and make them wear an asterisk next to their Nike, Reebok or adidas running gear.

Then, etch the asterisk into their gold medals. Heck, make those athletes run in "juiced" competitions.

That way if fans want to pay money to watch an enhanced product, we can finally put this ugly mess out in the open and hold those individuals accountable.

Some athletes make choices to shortchange their life span or quality of life and the integrity of competition for the adulation and, quite frankly, the money.

Don't punish athletes for allowing themselves to be sacrificial lambs in their tortured pursuit of happiness. Let them and their supporters stand boldly before the world for their decisions.

You and I know there are people in the world that have little regard for fair competition.

Let those people do what they will and let the other clean athletes, for once in the last decade, enjoy the recognition and respect they deserve.

Shannon J. Owens can be reached at sjowens@orlandosentinel.com.