[Concrete TG]

the interviews

"In a letter to Office of National Drug Control Policy Director John P. Walters, Chairman Waxman summarizes results of the Committee’s investigation into steroid use in professional wrestling and requests that ONDCP examine the widespread steroid abuse and systemic deficiencies in testing policies and practices."

This was sent to me and I haven't read it all yet, so if you have a day or so....

[Lucky]

I've only glossed but as I understand it the highlight are:

- Vince is insane and a complete prick. He lies and contradicts himself constantly. He flipped out when they asked him obvious questions. He's completely insane and the exact guy you see on TV.
- His lawyer does it too and actually comes off like a heel wrestling manager.
- Steph is a little stupid but much more forth coming than her father.
- Neither Steph nor Vince recall any wrestler coughHHHcough ever making fun of steroid weight loss on tv.
- When asked who the target audience is for TNA's merchandise such as action figures Dixie Carter comically referenced The 40 Year Old Virgin as the target.
- In a page right out of WWE's playbook she compares TNA to Shakespeare.


Oh, and the overall point of Waxman's statements is that both companies are jokes when it comes to steroids and drugs and that the problem is rampant to a well over 50% level in both companies.

[Riot Act]

I've only skimmed them myself, so can anyone tell me if the health issues surrounding steroid use were actually discussed or was it pretty much all "steroids are dangerous and inherently evil and we'd like you to admit that your employees use them"? I admit that I'd take these proceedings much more seriously if someone (specifically someone on the government end) said "Listen, we all know that steroids are illegal but are they actually doing any real harm other than shrinking Hunter's nuts?"

[ALL CAPS]

Maybe they didn't talk about it in the same way that they don't talk about whether or not killing people is bad in a murder case. They entered into the situation with the premise "steroids are illegal" and therefore are bad. Whether or not you agree with that premise has nothing to do with what their goals were. It wasn't the time or place to bring up the "issue" of the dangers of steroids. Your suggestion reminds me of the SNL skit where Will Farrell keeps bringing up Oasis during a meeting of British Parliament. It's not what they were there to discuss.

[Riot Act]

I suppose I agree with you to a certain extent, but it seems to me as good a time as any, specifically with government officials present, for someone to say "Yes, anabolic steroids are illegal, but why are they illegal?"

Some of the interviews seem to be a little casual in the topics discussed, so why not bring it up?

[ALL CAPS]

Because it isn't a political issue exclusively. It's a social and medical issue as well. Government officials aren't gonna be able to cover everything that needs to be covered in a sit-down with Vinny Mac.

[Fire-Babe]

Jan 7, 2009 11:35:58 GMT -5 Riot Act said:

I suppose I agree with you to a certain extent, but it seems to me as good a time as any, specifically with government officials present, for someone to say "Yes, anabolic steroids are illegal, but why are they illegal?"

Some of the interviews seem to be a little casual in the topics discussed, so why not bring it up?

because the point of the hearings isn't about whether they should or should not be illegal, or whether or not there is medical evidence that they are safe or not safe. it's about whether or not wrestlers in the organizations are breaking the law and whether each organization is complicit in that law breaking. And yeah, the conversation meanders around a bit, but it always does in these things.

[ALL CAPS]

Exactly what I was saying.

[thealf]

I read thru VKM's testimony yesterday. I have time. The government didn't appear to have much of a direction in questioning him.

They wanted him to relate what the long term effects of steroid are. They wanted him to explain the testing procedure. They wanted him to explain statistics used in news articles.

Vince isn't a doctor. He couldn't answer the questions. I don't understand what they were expecting him to say. It seemed pointless.

VKM responded like someone who'd previously been the target of a government investigation. I could understand his frustration. And he raised some reasonable points - the idea that Marion Jones passed every drug test the Olympics administered up to the point she admitted using steroids.

He might be crazy but he was well prepared.

[Attitude Adjuster]

How is it that 16 files that are roughly 18.5 MB in size a "summary"?