Athletes don't always know best

The myth has been that sports teaches sportsmanship, and that athletes treat their bodies like temples and never do anything to harm it.

That myth, unfortunately, was exploded long ago.

Bodybuilders not only do the legal supplements to help their muscles grow, but they also do illegal steroids, which take a toll on the heart (which is why Arnold Schwarzenegger had heart problems a while back), the temper (a couple of professional wrestlers have gone berserk and killed their spouse and then themselves) and then there's football players who are apparently taking everything from Adderal to Viagra to give themselves an edge on the playing field.

And they deserve every side-effect they get, the morons.

Too many kids, to segue to the point, are prescribed Adderal without it being needed. I always remember a Calvin cartoon. He got up and had 2 bowls of some sugary cereal, then hid the evidence so his mom wouldn't know. So when she got up she gave him another bowl of sugary cereal. Result - in school he couldn't sit still and was jumping around. One wonders if that's why most little kids- mostly boys - have problems sitting still in class. Not to mention the fact that girls mature earlier than boys so boys just don't normally have the capacity to sit still anyway, and add on to that the sugary cereal they have at home...

Although having said that...I don't think the government has the right to go into people's homes and say, "Don't feed your kid cereal. Here's a hundred dollars a month but you've got to buy oatmeal and this and that..." and on and on.

The "ideal" of the athlete is still one to strive for - someone who treats their body like a temple. By that I don't mean not eating any chocolate! - but not consuming alcohol or other drugs (marijuana, etc) that alter one's brain chemistry. The side-effects will come back to haunt you later in life.