A Sport With Steroids On The Mind
Posted by RB, 02 Aug 2007
The MMA media blitz over the recent spate of failed drug tests has probably reached the point of exhausting its own interest for many fans, but it has been the sport's major topic of interest in recent weeks and has produced masses of charged discourse between fans, media, and promotions. As such it is probably worth a few more words.
Much of the steroid coverage has verged on the dramatic, from open letters to Dana White to proclamations that the sport is on the verge of losing everything it has gained in recent years. Partly this drama can be justified; for the most part, it can be put down to the sport's current self-infatuation.
On the brink of being adopted by giants of the sporting world such as ESPN and HBO, this is seen as not only an exciting time for the sport but a fragile one. The notion perhaps is that while in the process of great change, the slightest wind could blow the sport off course and prevent its uptake into the mainstream of popular sports in coming years.
As such, anything that can be imagined to threaten MMA's current place as the darling of up-and-coming sports receives an enormous amount of heat. A handful of urine tests come back positive and suddenly there is a scandal that could stop the sport dead in its tracks.
Don't get me wrong -- such media reaction will probably do the sport good. It has quickly brought steroid use to the forefront of people's minds, and a sport more aware of steroids is a sport better prepared to handle them. Already, actions have been taken: the UFC will start withholding bonuses pending drug test results, the IFL will be starting their own testing in 2008, which Kurt Otto has promised will be 'pretty much zero tolerance', and Strikeforce's Mike Afromowitz has acknowledged that 'there needs to be actions taken' towards reversing the recent trend.
Let's take a look at what caused all the kerfuffle:
Royce Gracie kicked things off when he tested positive for nandralone following his June K1 rematch against Sakuraba. Of course Royce Gracie was the first household name in mixed martial arts, personifying for many the very concept that in MMA brains can be shown to prevail over brawn. Back in 'The Beginning' Royce was consistently putting much bigger men to sleep using a pure jiu jitsu technique versus strong man paradigm. It is no wonder that the levels of nandralone found in his blood (which were off the charts) provoked such a strong reaction -- a mixture of surprise and disgust. The nickname 'Hoids Disgracie' has been popular on forums since.
The next notable test failure came following the Showtime/Elite XC Baroni vs Shamrock card, with Phil Baroni testing positive for anabolic steroids after losing to Frank Shamrock in the main event. Fans have been throwing flippant accusations towards Hammer House fighters regarding steroids for years, aimed in particular at the muscle-clad trinity of Coleman, Randleman and Baroni -- who all possess the kind of physiques that lead many to quick conclusions. Randleman's license to fight in Nevada was revoked last year when he presented fake urine for a test following his loss to Shogun, which did little to prove nay-sayers wrong. Now with Baroni testing positive, the longstanding suspicions of fans towards the Hammer House camp will be based on facts. Unlike Gracie, few fans were surprised when Baroni tested positive. But the fact that it was from another main event bout, so soon after Gracie/Sakuraba II, made it a significant story.
With two main eventers coming back positive within weeks of each other, the camel was waiting for the last straw to break its back. One more failed drug test of note was all that was required to open the media floodgates and reports of steroid 'scandals' and 'epidemics' to come pouring in... especially if it came from the UFC.
It was shortly afterwards that Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca provided just that, with poetic sense of timing, when they both came back positive for steroids following their UFC 73 Lightweight title fight. Not just a main event, this was a title fight, for the golden goose promotor of the sport -- the UFC! And both champion and challenger had came back positive!
Instantly the internet was flooded with steroid-focused stories and postings, and we have heard about little else since.
Barely a month goes by in MMA without a shake-up of one sort or another, and steroids will be the latest thing to influence the sport's short term changes. Already with the plans announced by the UFC and IFL, it is evident that the sport is listening intently to itself and making swift corrections where necessary.
The danger would be that if more high profile drug test failures occur it could begin to attract the attention of the wider, non-sporting press -- similar to what happened with the recent Tour de France steroid scandal. This could in turn tarnish the image of MMA in the eyes of the wider public, who are essentially the sport's potential future fan base. In the long term such coverage could be massively detrimental.
But fear not, fan anxious at the thought of their sport's popularity floundering and dying: no amount of failed tests is likely to threaten the sport's current and magnificent shape. At worst, it is the potential future growth of the sport that would be lessened. After all, something like this is not likely to drive many fans away who are already following and enjoying the sport. Rather, it may cause those with a mild curiosity to turn the other way, dismissing it as illegitimate.
What it's worth keeping in mind is that the recent steroid results probably do not reflect a recent uptake in steroids use, but simply a recent spate of fighters caught using them. Pride has existed in a state of completely drug test-free operations for the last decade, and there are still plenty of smaller organisations operating outside the jurisdiction of any athletic commissions or testing authorities.
With the sport moving towards wider and more uniform regulation, and a high number of fighters coming over from Japan, the subsequent increase in testing will mean an increase in failed tests. In the long term it will mean the opposite -- especially with a media so quick to jump on the topic as has been the recent case.
And after all, this is not the first time the UFC has seen its champions test positive -- both Josh Barnett and Tim Silvia tested positive as UFC Heavyweight Champions, and lost their titles because of it, several years ago. This was back when the sport wasn't analysing itself under a microscope for every possible twist and turn of its own fate.
So let's all take a deep breath and relax. MMA is safe for now -- until the day 'The Natural' publishes his memoirs entitled 'How I Fooled The NSAC All This Time', then is caught speeding on the way to Australia in a car full of Human Growth Hormone products, Dana White in the back seat sampling the merchandise.
Yes, that would be one of the darker days in the history of mixed martial arts. But for now we are safe.
