One of the stranger memos the Major League Baseball office has ever sent came to players this week. It warns of the suspension risk of taking over-the-counter sexual enhancement pills.
Say what? Yes, we’re talking about on-field performance. ESPN was the first to report about the memo, which says at least two players have failed a drug test; the illicit substance found in their urine, they both said, came from the same type of sexual enhancer you might see on a gas station counter.
The use of gas-station sexual-enhancement pills in baseball is so prevalent that MLB sent out a memo warning players that their use could lead to positive PED tests, as at least two players have claimed this year, sources tell ESPN. News: https://t.co/WD0gXgmXgs
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 21, 2019
Who knew?
Major League Baseball players are professional athletes who normally are very careful about what goes in their bodies. So it might come as a surprise that they often use these gas-station pills. But it’s also an industry full of men in their 20s and 30s constantly on the road. Many of them also are foreign born and might not understand the drug industry well.
Whatever the case, baseball is making it clear that these pills can include anabolic steroids and other drugs that could increase performance on the field, not just in the bedroom.
Instead, MLB suggested that players who have “erectile dysfunction or other legitimate issues related to sexual performance … speak to a licensed physician about the various prescription medications (e.g., Viagra, Cialis, Levitra) available to treat those conditions,” according to ESPN’s reporting of the memo.
Details on MLB Player Using So Much Sexual Enhancement Pills From Gas Station, MLB Had to Send Out a Memo to Get Them to Stop Because of Positive PEDS Tests; Read Full Memo Here https://t.co/GeyDLA75Bt via @BasketballguruD pic.twitter.com/KMETFCxR4B
— Robert Littal (@BSO) August 21, 2019
PEDs: Still an issue
Positive PED tests are a serious deal in baseball. They carry an 80-game suspension for the first offense and a full-season for the second. Because of privacy issues, the league also doesn’t release the exact reason for the suspension.
Consequently, players often are left to defend themselves against the stigma that follows them after a positive test.
