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Peter Thiel backs 'Olympics on steroids' event that allows athletes to dope
- codr7 3y agoIf you ask me, the last thing we need is for people like Peter Thiel to live longer than absolutely necessary.
- pfdietz 3y agoWhat is the point of this?
- ggm 3y agoBelief that steroid and other drugs would push human endurance and strength to new records. Oh, and money. It's always money.
- anigbrowl 3y agoOf Thiel's idea, or posting an article about him? On the former, some people just want to see how far people can take it with PEDs. The Economist has advocated for this for years.
- pfdietz 3y agoThe former, and in general any public competition that encourages too much self-destruction. I mean, a dyed in the wool libertarian might be for it, but even they might have qualms. Maybe it's a deliberate reductio ad absurdum of the Olympics?
- rhizome 3y agoNot only is Thiel a dyed in the wool libertarian, but he also owns the dye factory and patents. I think it's probably just his version of yanking the chain, but if anybody wants to submit to the experiment I'm sure he'll be happy to sit back and watch.
- chiefalchemist 3y agoI presume it's about seeing what the body (and mind) are capable of if you super-charged it?
- pfdietz 3y agoIs that like seeing what colors someone can make if you set them on fire?
- chiefalchemist 3y agoNope. If you wanted to make a semi sensible comparison it's similar to the Nazis, as they subjected their prisioners to a vast array of physical extremes. Mind you the Olympics on Steroids would be voluntary so it's not quite to same, sans the absurdity. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_human_experimentation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_human_experimentation
- jayknight 3y agoIt would be kinda fun to watch.
- pfdietz 3y agoI would not find it fun to watch a biological demolition derby.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> would not find it fun to watch a biological demolition derby I guess I'm having trouble differentiating this from e.g. the NFL.
- sebastianz 3y agoThe difference is that the nfl is somewhat regulated. So this would be significantly worse for the humans involved.
- pfdietz 3y agoI don't watch football (or boxing) either, for the same reason. It's not fun watching men gradually destroying their brains.
- stop50 3y agoMy guess the "sport" aspect is just a front. The people are testsubjects for their greed.
- melling 3y agoLevel playing field. How many times have we heard athletes deny they were using PEDs, only for them to eventually be caught.
- NotGMan 3y agoLongevity research is the primary driver. >> The venture — aimed at aiding research into nutritional supplements and biohacks that push the boundaries of human performance >> He said that the events are open to any athletes — current and former professionals and amateurs — and that allowing them to enhance their performance with substances will enable researchers to get a better idea of what technologies are out there that can boost longevity and “healthy aging.” >> He said that the data would be “very useful to determining compounds and therapies to extending human life.”
- Kon-Peki 3y agoIf improving longevity is the goal, then all prizes should be cash paid 30 years after winning the competition (but only if you are alive).
- Terr_ 3y agoOr a tontine--last person standing gets the loot--except for how those sometimes figure in murder mysteries.
- duskwuff 3y agoIt seems fairly well established at this point that many performance-enhancing drugs are not conducive to longevity. Quite the opposite, really.
- lkdfjlkdfjlg 3y agoSame as the point of disallowing it? They're both arbitrary, because the competition is pointless.
- Barrin92 3y agothe point of disallowing it is to level the playing field so the athletic competition becomes a test of human effort and will. Allowing it has the exact opposite effect, the athlete herself is worthless and it becomes a competition of who has the better drug cocktail or is more willing to sacrifice their health. There's nothing arbitrary about this, it destroys the very essence of what athleticism is about. It's as if we allowed chess engines at chess tournaments. The actual point of this has of course nothing to do with sports: "He said that the data would be “very useful to determining compounds and therapies to extending human life.”" It's yet another typical Thiel supervillain-esque attempt to turn himself into Leto II.
- tacheiordache 3y agoWhy not create a subcategory in Olympics for doped sportsman. They compete against eachother and not against the 'natural' athletes. Scores of doped up athletes should not compare to regular athletes.
- wutwutwat 3y agoPhysical aspects still very much play a role in the competition regardless of any drugs that help them. You can make a race Honda and a race Lamborghini and the Honda will still have a lot of catching up to do even if you put better parts on it. The starting point matters, when building race cars and when two people compete. All the steroids in the world won’t help someone who’s already at a disadvantage against a more fit and/or skilled opponent, who’s also on steroids.
- jerlam 3y agoI'm sure that's the desired intention, but the reality is that many elite level athletes are probably illegally doping (we don't test enough), most assuredly taking all legal enhancements (drugs or not), and the line between illegal and legal enhancements is arbitrary and dynamic.
- JojoFatsani 3y agoTechbro machismo
- JeremyHerrman 3y agoRequisite link to SNL's 1988 skit "All Drug Olympics" https://youtu.be/jAdG-iTilWU https://youtu.be/jAdG-iTilWU
- Havoc 3y agoGiven the dangers inherent in going all out in this it seems like a rather irresponsible thing to support actively
- jacquesm 3y agoResponsibility and the PayPal mafia are not exactly best friends.
- cyanydeez 3y agoso pretty much this guys cuppa
- TheLoafOfBread 3y agoNo worries. Rich will have their roided gladiators, while state (society) will take care of their worn out bodies when their carrier is over.
- neighbour 3y agoI like the idea. Current professional sports are a game of cat and mouse between team doctors and the doping agencies anyways so this should eliminate some of that shadow play.
- retrac 3y agoAren't steroids (criminally) illegal in many countries?