Tuesday
Sep202011
“It is not WADA’s intention to target smokers, rather to monitor the effects nicotine can have on performance when taken in oral tobacco products such as snus."
Alex Miceli reports that the World Anti-Doping Agency has taken the first steps toward classifying nicotine as a performance-enhancing drug.
“If WADA put nicotine on its anti-doping list, the PGA Tour would review the addition and determine if it warranted inclusion on the current PGA Tour banned list,” said Ty Votaw, the Tour’s executive vice president of communications and international affairs. “However, we do not believe that such a change in imminent.”
Miceli talks to some of the tour's dippers and smokers, Lucas Glover among them.
“If you’re going to do that, you might as well outlaw drinking, too,” he said. “Alcohol is a drug, as is nicotine. I mean, if you really wanted to get down to it, caffeine is a stimulant, too.”
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Reader Comments (33)
Interesting ... In "Arnie + Jack", there is a large section talking to Arnie's giving up the smoke. I recall a part where Arnie was talking about smoking heavily during (I think ... Not sure) the 1971 Masters. This was after he had quit smoking, but he got himself into conention and just had to light up.
-LK
Will the tour stop taking money from companies that produce performance enhancing drugs say........Cialis
As it's a relaxant and a stimulant, surely one should be open to the idea that it could be enhancing?
If the research ends up showing it has a positive effect on one's golf game, it would make sense to ban it like any other drug. Of course, most people addicted to cigarettes will defend this blindly in the face of any facts.
Interesting to also not that so many golfers smoke cigarettes too.
This whole thing is silly
Or sideline reporters?
Would the WADA ban Erin Andrews?
Say it isn't so.
Interesting. Did his weight gain start about that time?
Kelly BM: Amen to your entire post. The anti-doping agencies passed "ridiculous" years ago. By the way, I'm not certain that Lincecum is necessarily ingesting snuff. There's a reason he was the poster boy for the Prop 19 supporters last year. Let Timmy Smoke!
Focusing on smoking as giving a bad example to children is lazy rubbish - there's a lot more to life than whether you smoke or not.
There are numerous enhancers, e.g., food, water, adequate sleep, psychologic attitude, that can improve or assure performance level.
The question is, where does one draw the line? Some, including me, feel the nicotine in a cigarette or the caffiene in a soft drink is over the line. Apparently, WADA does not.
WADA is not a for profit organization. I imagine their sources of funding can affect the line of research of WADA.
Another reason that adding golf to the olympics was a stupid idea...oh great! Now there are even MORE rules to follow in a game of hit-a-ball-into-a-hole-with-a-stick.
If you do spike your drinking bottle, are you breaking any rules? Does the tour have a policy against alcohol during competition?
http://deadspin.com/5842474/what-if-hgh-could-cure-peyton-manning