Why were steroids... (read thread)

[TheGreatA]

Stone Cold Steve Austin doesn't

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To be fair, I think that was in reference to being asked if Benoit murdering his family was a result of CTE. So Austin tried to downplay the responsibility of CTE and pro wrestling instead of Benoit's own decisions, including his reckless style, that resulted in more concussions than usual.

The people making these documentaries are experts at taking bits and pieces of people's words that make them look like complete idiots. I mean, it's a dumb thing to say but he also probably got a bit emotional about the Benoit thing and didn't want to just give the guy a pass for murdering his wife and children because of concussions.

 

[Cartiac]

In regards to your first bullet point, I can offer a reasonable answer. You are definitely way off in your understanding of the usage and timeline, likely influenced by the irrational hatred of Jon Jones you constantly read here. There was an extreme inflection point Jan 2015 when UFC partnered with USADA. That was an extreme change because they went from basically unlimited usage to pretty strict Olympic level testing protocols and politics, but was not centered around and has nothing to do with Jon Jones at all.

If you were to define a height of blatant steroid usage in MMA, I think you would have to look heavily at the 2000-2006 years when Pride FC was huge. It has been made clearly by multiple fighters that Pride highlighted in their contracts that they did not drug test and they would even provide it to them if needed.

Your second point as to why UFC made such a drastic change in 2015 bringing in USADA, I can't offer any reasonable explanation. As I understand, it was done against all advice from other sports and entertainment owners. There was no major breaking point event that would have forced UFC into such an extreme over reaction, certainly nothing close to the MLB steroid circus.

 

[mixmastermo]

Stone Cold Steve Austin doesn't

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He's lucky he didn't need to get his head re-attached after this...

 

[chinarice]

To be fair, I think that was in reference to being asked if Benoit murdering his family was a result of CTE. So Austin tried to downplay the responsibility of CTE and pro wrestling instead of Benoit's own decisions, including his reckless style, that resulted in more concussions than usual.

The people making these documentaries are experts at taking bits and pieces of people's words that make them look like complete idiots. I mean, it's a dumb thing to say but he also probably got a bit emotional about the Benoit thing and didn't want to just give the guy a pass for murdering his wife and children because of concussions.

Definitely not how it's worded at all and I don't think editing can change that.

He said he "doesn't believe in CTE". If he doesn't believe cte was the cause of the Benoit murder suicide, he definitely should have worded what he said differently

 

[chinarice]

He's lucky he didn't need to get his head re-attached after this...

He mentioned getting a concussion and they showed this clip but I don't know if he was actually referring to this sequence where he got one. He sure did get a broken frickin neck from this though.

 

[nhbfan8080]

..........

Your second point as to why UFC made such a drastic change in 2015 bringing in USADA, I can't offer any reasonable explanation. As I understand, it was done against all advice from other sports and entertainment owners. There was no major breaking point event that would have forced UFC into such an extreme over reaction, certainly nothing close to the MLB steroid circus.

Zuffa wanted to clean things up to sell the business to WME, which it did in the following year 2016 for $5 billion. Another reason is that UFC was doing its hodge podge steroid testing and got drawn into the 2014 Cung Le positive steroid test controversy. UFC wanted to avoid such problems in future by getting a proper lab to do the testing and the gold standard was USADA which conducts testing done on olympic athletes. The previous argument made by the Fertitta's/Dana that it was too expensive just vanished.

 

[orca]

Imagine watching some of the 1st UFCs and thinking none of those guys were on steroids.

That's cute.

Fun fact hes the only natural clean fighter
shoulders bigger than his head
muscles everywhere with a very low bodyfat percentage
truly superhuman genes
dude retired in drug testing era then exposed peds is rampant
the only natural fighter in the history

 

[Clark Rogers]

Imagine watching some of the 1st UFCs and thinking none of those guys were on steroids.

That's cute.

Wait til bro hears about this place called Pride!

 

[El Panteron]

Why do the advertizers care? ... Why do the consumers care? ...


Just completing the line of inquiry.

Polls and studies show the public, particularly the American public, appreciate when companies advertise themselves as having values.
Same reason they do rainbow packaging in june essentially.

 

[NoSmilez]

Fun fact hes the only natural clean fighter
shoulders bigger than his head
muscles everywhere with a very low bodyfat percentage
truly superhuman genes
dude retired in drug testing era then exposed peds is rampant
the only natural fighter in the history
View attachment 1064581

You forgot about the natural gyno.

 

[r-harper-1]

Gsp was as clean as lance Armstrong

 

[joy2day]

Why do the advertizers care? ... Why do the consumers care? ...


Just completing the line of inquiry.

Those are pretty simple questions to answer. Reputation matters when you are a company trying to sell things. Those companies don't want to be associated with negative publicity.

As far as why consumers care, that's easy- just read Sherdog debates about roids. There are roid sympathizers here, but the majority don't think roids are good for the sport along fairness and safety lines. Whether they are right or wrong is entirely another question, but there is no question that roid controversies are not what companies want to be a part of as it could hurt their product sales.

 

[Iroh]

Polls and studies show the public, particularly the American public, appreciate when companies advertise themselves as having values.
Same reason they do rainbow packaging in june essentially.

Those are pretty simple questions to answer. Reputation matters when you are a company trying to sell things. Those companies don't want to be associated with negative publicity.

As far as why consumers care, that's easy- just read Sherdog debates about roids. There are roid sympathizers here, but the majority don't think roids are good for the sport along fairness and safety lines. Whether they are right or wrong is entirely another question, but there is no question that roid controversies are not what companies want to be a part of as it could hurt their product sales.

Like I said , I was just completing the line of inquiry untill the starting point was reached. I wasn't adking seriously.

Still, thanks for answering the questions.

 

[Yep]

Definitely not how it's worded at all and I don't think editing can change that.

He said he "doesn't believe in CTE". If he doesn't believe cte was the cause of the Benoit murder suicide, he definitely should have worded what he said differently

Maybe his difficulty is the result of his cte. Making fun of a guy with cte because he talks like a guy with cte is ironic.

 

[El Panteron]

Like I said , I was just completing the line of inquiry untill the starting point was reached. I wasn't adking seriously.

Still, thanks for answering the questions.

I mean it is stupid to want and expect for profit companies to have values objectively, but it is something people care about so there's that.

 

[CasualBot]

Well, but why did the bigger channels care for a more legitimate product?

They were looking at the savagery, and comparing the controversy from other sports that had steroid scandals dating back to the 1980's.

UFC popped up in the 90's as no holds barred and people grew up on that logic. It was basically illegal combat.

Most tv networks are owned by religious nutjobs.

To sway the average viewer, it needed more rules, judging, and sport testing.

Otherwise it was simply WWF/WWE.

Now, they merged with WWF/WWE.

Remember, it isn't a good look when fighters are calling out other fighters for using roids.
While guys like Diaz would (later) be banned for YEARS... over ... Smoking doobs.
Yet the same person was openly against cheaters and steroids.

As an outsider, testing for steroids brought legitimacy to the idea of it being a "sport".

 

[El Panteron]

Fun fact hes the only natural clean fighter
shoulders bigger than his head
muscles everywhere with a very low bodyfat percentage
truly superhuman genes
dude retired in drug testing era then exposed peds is rampant
the only natural fighter in the history
View attachment 1064581

Always find hilarious when somehow according to sherbros the only clean fighter is the one pale bloke that beats all the roided monsters. Everyone on steroids besides of course the best of them!

 

[Tweak896]

Funny how people cling on to narratives that Jones is the only guy who was cheating

 

[HunterAcosta]

Who doesn't believe in CTE?
Is there some flat earther like contingent of MMA fans that think CTE is a government conspiracy?

Yes unfortunately there is a movement . Some fighters too have publicly said it’s not real .

 

[TheNinja]

It was just going mainstream. Having more legitimacy helped them get the big TV deals they have today

This. Legitimacy and lawsuits. Can't have a dude all juiced up severly injure someone else.

Same with other sports too. Baseball used to be crazy with uppers and then steroids and nobody cared, they loved watching it, until old records starting getting demolished, then everyone freaked out over it.