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The report, the first time the exact numbers of off-season tests had been released, said that slightly more than 10 percent of baseball players had been tested for drugs in the 2010 off-season.
For some experts on the testing of athletes, the report’s numbers undercut Selig’s claims about the rigor and effectiveness of baseball’s drug policy. Off-season drug testing is one of the most critical components of a meaningful program, experts generally agree, because it is aimed at monitoring athletes during the time they are most likely to use steroids and other drugs as they recover and build muscle for the coming season.
And so to have tested such a modest percentage of athletes during that time frame is, they say, less than impressive.
The 138 off-season tests in 2010 cited in the report accounted for just 3 percent of all the tests conducted on players in the course of the year.
[...]
In the N.F.L., all players are tested at least once in the off-season, and half of the players are tested twice. The 4,000 off-season tests conducted by the N.F.L. accounted for 40 percent of the sport’s tests each year.
The N.F.L.’s program, however, is not without its potential weaknesses. A spokesman for the league acknowledged that many of its tests came at training camps. The fact that players know they will be tested at training camps eliminates the element of surprise, which antidoping experts believe is another essential component of any effective program. Nevertheless, far more football players are being tested than baseball players.
Read more: MLB Report Casts Doubt on Rigor of Drug Testing - New York Times
For some experts on the testing of athletes, the report’s numbers undercut Selig’s claims about the rigor and effectiveness of baseball’s drug policy. Off-season drug testing is one of the most critical components of a meaningful program, experts generally agree, because it is aimed at monitoring athletes during the time they are most likely to use steroids and other drugs as they recover and build muscle for the coming season.
And so to have tested such a modest percentage of athletes during that time frame is, they say, less than impressive.
The 138 off-season tests in 2010 cited in the report accounted for just 3 percent of all the tests conducted on players in the course of the year.
[...]
In the N.F.L., all players are tested at least once in the off-season, and half of the players are tested twice. The 4,000 off-season tests conducted by the N.F.L. accounted for 40 percent of the sport’s tests each year.
The N.F.L.’s program, however, is not without its potential weaknesses. A spokesman for the league acknowledged that many of its tests came at training camps. The fact that players know they will be tested at training camps eliminates the element of surprise, which antidoping experts believe is another essential component of any effective program. Nevertheless, far more football players are being tested than baseball players.
Read more: MLB Report Casts Doubt on Rigor of Drug Testing - New York Times
