Sorts of Sports

NBA Bans Parts

The NBA has decided to ban some shoes, claiming that they have some sort of performance enhancing parts. Like springs or something? So I wrote this article last November about other performance enhancing parts. Maybe other sports will ban those too?

From November 6, 2009:

Oscar Pistorius, a runner, a guy whom you've heard of in passing but forgot his name. If you saw him you'd know him though. His story was one of this past summer when the Olympic committee prohibited him from participating in qualifying events because he was a double-amputee running on prosthetic legs. The IOC claimed he was too fast wit his fake legs and thus it gave him an unfair advantage.

That was then and this is now. But I'm not discussing the olympics or something that pertains to just one athlete. In the Monday Night Football game the broadcasting trio discussed how mouthguards have given athletes the ability to jump higher, run faster, have a wider range of motion, and in a nutshell, perform better.

A mouth guard you ask? Yes, I looked up the information. Here is a quick look at how it works and it has been backed by doctors.

The Pure Power Mouth Guard® works by allowing the jaw, head neck and shoulders to maintain a balanced relaxed muscular position. Biting against the PPM® allows the athlete to develop more upper body strength, better balance and increased flexibility. In addition, by increasing upper airway space, it is easier to breathe freely allowing for improved oxygenation and better endurance.

Wow, so this small performance enhancing, man-made device, is drastically helping athletes, whether it helps them jump a few centimeters higher, run a few tenths faster, or contort their bodies in ways to help them make catches, avoid defenders, and ultimately score.

Now, bare with me here as I take an extremist side, but a legitimate argument in presenting my case. The PPM goes for $1600 and many are paying for it because of the results it has given them. But, I ask, is this cheating?

Case #1- Speedo developed a new Polyurethane bodysuit to help swimmers in competition better streamline and swim faster. Since February 2008 when the suit was released over 200 world swimming records have been broken. The swimsuit was worn by Michael Phelps in the 2008 Olympics as he swam to gold 6 times and set many records along the way. These suits run for $500 and are a must have if you want to compete in the pool. Last month the body governing the US swimmers banned this suit in competition and the world governing body is expected to decide on this in January. Technology helped these athletes perform better by tenths of seconds and seemingly was ruled unfair.

Case #2- Elbow guards in baseball became more of a fashion trend in the late 90s early part of the 2000s and the sizes became a thing of medieval times, looking more like armor than elbow pads. MLB ruled that this technology was too much to the benefit of the hitters and limited the size of pads on hitters in order to prevent them from owning the inside of the plate with no fear of being hit.

So that brings me back to these mouth guards. I'll take the extreme point and ask, how do these mouth guards vary from steroids or HGH? Let me first say that it is not different because 'everyone can wear the mouth guard and buy them legally' because last I checked, everyone can take steroids and HGH and get them legally. We are obviously progressing in sports and technology and scientists and doctors are finding ways to help athletes perform at higher levels. But at what point is it considered to be cheating the game? These mouth guards are designed specially and are not the cheap molded plastic ones that you can get at your local sports store. These are specially crafted and engineered specifically for the athlete.

You might doubt that they really do anything but its been proven that it works with drastic results. Then again so do steroids and HGH. You might say that mouth guards can prevent injury and concussions but then again HGH has been proven to have great medical benefits from quicker healing, to better sleeping, and the body's ability to break down fat.

Will someone please help me here and explain to me why these mouth guards should not be banned in sports? Just take a look at Brent Grimes on Monday night who leaped roughly 3-feet in the air to get the interception, by his fingertips.

We Shall see if this starts a wave of more banned parts