Why People Cheat

[Guest]

Check out the latest San Jose Mercury link on the THG story from this morning and find a story on "why" that includes this goodie:

<<In 1995 a Chicago physician, Bob Goldman, asked 198 Olympic-level U.S. athletes whether they would be willing to take a banned substance if they were guaranteed to win and not get caught; 195 said yes. More than half said they would take the drug if it would enable them to win every competition for five years but then kill them.>>

Real athletes ain't like you and me.

[Guest]

Re: Why People Cheat

>Real athletes ain't like you and me.<

Oh, I'm not so sure, at least about the answer to the first question. If you asked 198 people at random if they would cheat on their tax returns if they knew they wouldn't be caught, what do you think the answer would be?

[Asterix]

Re: Why People Cheat

<<In 1995 a
>Chicago physician, Bob Goldman, asked 198
>Olympic-level U.S. athletes whether they would be
>willing to take a banned substance if they were
>guaranteed to win and not get caught; 195 said
>yes. More than half said they would take the drug
>if it would enable them to win every competition
>for five years but then kill them.>>

While there seems to be some real substance to this quote, there also appears to be a bit of an Urban Legend effect going on.

From: http://www.youcanbefit.com/ster.html
"Author Dr. Bob Goldman cited a survey in which he asked 198 world class athletes if they would take a magic drug that would guarantee victory in any competition but would kill them five years after they took it. 103 of those athletes said yes! (Goldman, 1984)"

The book cite is Goldman, B.: Death in the Locker Room: South Bend, IN: Icarus Press, 1984, long before 1995.

However, from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/ ... e_la5.html
"Every two years since 1982, Bob Goldman has conducted an informal questionnaire among Olympic-level U.S. athletes, asking: If you were offered an illegal substance that guaranteed you would win and not be caught, would you take it? In 1995, the answer from 195 of 198 athletes was yes. Asked if they would take a banned substance that would enable them to win every competition for five years but then kill them, more than half the athletes said yes."

Is it just coincidence he surveyed 198 athletes in the 1984 cite as well as in 1995? Interesting that almost the exact same conclusion wording is used for those who would take the 5 year death pills.

Then, from http://www.houstontexans.com/photos/tra ... 010703.pdf
"Dr. Bob Goldman, in his book, Death In The Locker Room, refers to a questionnaire he administered to a group of Olympic athletes. One of the questions asked was, “Would you be willing to take a pill that would eventually kill you, if it guaranteed you would win a gold medal?” More than fifty percent of the athletes responded, “Yes.”"

So I guess my nit-picky question is, are the numbers cited in the original post from a survey he conducted in 1995, or just a quote from Dr. Goldman in 1995 about a survey conducted over a decade earlier?

Given how much more steroids and other banned substances have been in the public eye since 1984, how valid are those original opinions?

[michael lewis]

Re: Why People Cheat

"Given how much more steroids and other banned substances have been in the public eye since 1984, how valid are those original opinions?"

Easy way to find out would be to do a valid survey.

[Guest]

Re: Why People Cheat

The real question is whether Dr. Bob Goldman is related to Dr. Brian Goldman.