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SI: 25 percent of surveyed PGA pros think Tiger used PEDs

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Double Down, Apr 29, 2010.

  1. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1985895,00.html?eref=sihp

    Maybe you think it doesn't matter whether he did or not -- and you can make the same arguments people made about baseball (It wasn't against the rules, so who cares? I can't help you putt, so it's totally irrelevant!!!) -- but either way, it's pretty interesting that at least a fourth of Tiger's peers no longer think he's Mr. Integrity on the course.
     
  2. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    Eh, as much fun as it is to watch Tiger tumble from his giant pedestal, this smacks a bit of kicking a guy when he's down. He's obviously a lot bigger than when he began his career, but a lot of people change from 21 to their mid-30s, and you can drastically change your physical shape (good or bad) without PEDs. Just my 2 cents. I eagerly await Sonner's defense. :)
     
  3. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    Judging by the responses to a couple of those other questions on the survey, I can't say I put much stock in the opinion of those 71 players. A similar number might also think Obama's a foreigner.

    The comments below the survey were of course filled with informative arguments. Such as, Tiger was skinny in college, he's not now, he took PEDS. Because no one gets bigger from college to their mid 30s, unless they're doing PEDs.

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    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  4. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    See, I'm not sure it's as much about "bigger" as it is the fact that he was clearly treated by a doctor who has been accused by the feds with supplying athletes with HgH. If Tiger worked with Victor Conte, but said it was "just for fitness and he never took human growth hormone" would we straight up believe him?

    I'm not sure I care even if he was using, but HATE the argument about "people get bigger." Did Lance Armstrong get bigger? Did Andy Pettite? It's never that simple.
     
  5. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    I got no defense. If he did, or if he didn't, I really don't care. Would I be surprised if he did? Of course not.

    What you said was dead-on, though. You don't need PEDs to go from skinny to buff in 10-15 years.

    You start throwing around accusations of Vick taking PEDs, we're gonna fight! :)
     
  6. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    It's not that simple, but it's not that simple with either argument. A lot of the people writing about it, I can remember Plaschke just off the top of my head, did use the "He's bigger, therefore there's something fishy" argument. Some skinny guys use PEDS, some buff guys don't. It's ridiculous to imply either way. Definitely the Galea link is what raises suspicions more. But the platelet therapy is a recognized thing - the Times touted it several months before writing about Galea and Woods - and there hasn't been anything yet that shows Galea gave HGH to the "high level" athletes he treated, although high-level was a stretch with some of the names he's been associated with. Certainly that could change, with any of them, including Tiger. But the opinion of 25 percent of 71 other guys on the PGA Tour doesn't really raise my eyebrows or make me think they have special insight.
     
  7. 21

    21 Well-Known Member

    So basically, 17 guys said they had suspicions. Is that really significant? I don't know, I'm asking. What would the percentage have been before the sex scandal?

    I guess if you wanted to frame the story differently, you'd go with '76% say Tiger is clean!' I doubt that percentage will ever be 100% again, for any athlete, in any sport.
     
  8. smsu_scribe

    smsu_scribe Guest

    Very interesting, that many players thinking he used. That's a significant number, especially coming from the guys inside the ropes. But I don't put much into this. Even among Tiger's shaky (non)answers during that Masters Monday press conference, his reasoning for the Galea connection seemed natural and, to me, understandable. I believed him.

    And this is completely my opinion, but I just don't see Tiger using PEDs. There's a definite advantage to using steroids in baseball. We've seen that. But golf? Too much coordination and touch required, and it's not like pure strength equals more distance or better ball striking. Tiger was ignorant about getting away with the affairs. I think he would be smarter about what he can do on a golf course.
     
  9. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    Sorry, but your reasoning for not thinking he has used PED's is ridiculous. They are used for more than just strength. Quick recovery for one. I don't know either way, wouldn't surprise me one bit with way is training regimen was. Tiger trained hard and PED's allow you to recover from that quickly.
     
  10. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Always enjoy those SI golf surveys, but players can use those to grind some axes too.
     
  11. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Looks more like Ray Romano with a new part to his hair.
     
  12. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    Obviously Woods and Mickelson have grown since their college days. But now Woods looks like Barry Bonds and Mickelson looks like Rod Beck (would look if he were alive). Big difference.
     
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