I was finishing up my run this afternoon. My thighs were clenching, still sore from yesterday’s workout. I started thinking about the latest product that Shaq endorses (the actual name of which escapes me at the moment): a combination ace bandage/heat wrap that you can cut to size.
So I was thinking: if a professional athlete were to use this product, would the intended result provide an in-game benefit? And if so, would that give said athlete a leg up (so to speak) over an opponent who didn’t use the wrap, thereby giving him a performance enhancing effect? Compression shorts and “under-armor” clothing provide a similar heat retention/ support benefit and they’re okay to use.
If David Ortiz’s claim that he used over-the-counter supplements without really knowing what was in them is true (and Lord knows that we’ve been duped too many times by such assertions), I’m willing to accept his explanation. How many of us take “stuff” — vitamins or supplements advertised in health or athletic publications — without really knowing what’s in them or how they work? And no disrespect intended, but I’m willing to go out on a limb and say the overwhelming majority of pro athletes weren’t science majors in school.
Joel Stein also addresses this issue in his current Time column.
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