Saturday, July 05, 2008

Ambition

A scenario, from a 1995 poll of 198 sprinters, swimmers, powerlifters and other athletes, most of them U.S. Olympians or aspiring Olympians: You are offered a banned performance-enhancing substance, with two guarantees: (1) you will not be caught, and (2) you will win. Would you take the substance? 195 athletes said yes; 3 said no.
Scenario II: You are offered a banned performance-enhancing substance that comes with two guarantees: (1) you will not be caught, and (2) you will win every competition you enter for the next five years, and then you will die from the side effects of the substance. Would you take it? More than half the athletes said yes.
Sports Illustrated (April 14, 1997)

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