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Anything for a Win

San Jose Mercury News
November 2003

Sport physician, Bob Goldman, asked 198 Olympic level U.S. athletes whether they would be willing to take a banned substance if they were guaranteed to win and not get caught; 195 said yes. More than half said they would take the drug if it would enable them to win every competition for five years but then kill them. If that sounds farfetched, Steven Ungerleider, an Oregon sports psychologist who has consulted with U.S. Olympic athletes, said other studies have found similar results. "There is a mentality among competitive athletes that they will do anything to win," he said.