On the Couch : By Dr. Richard Lustberg

An Analysis of Current Topics and Issues in Sport
February 25, 2003

Thoughts On The Death Of Steve Bechler And The Impact Of Ephedra

The death of Baltimore Orioles' pitcher Steve Bechler from the use of ephedra, while sad and certainly a tragic loss of life, should not have come as any surprise.

I believe we have lost sight of the fact that Bechler was only 23 years old. Current research suggests that the brain does not fully mature until a person is in their mid-20s. The research also suggests that males lag behind females in social skills and judgment.

Frankly, I am not surprised that there have not been more deaths.

Our youth are growing up in a society that has made great technological and medical gains. New discoveries are being announced every day with breakthroughs in the medical and physical sciences. We are achieving success in our understanding of the universe and are quickly unraveling the genetic codes that map human development.

Bechler and his generation have grown up in a time when it is natural to think, and expect, that there is a pill for every occasion and every problem.

Today, you can have your meals, clothes, cars, and home customized in a manner that was unthinkable just a decade ago. Today's drugs are customized much in the same manner and are being used by people of all ages, not just baseball players.

We are a country obsessed with looks and vanity, a society bombarded with products to improve one's eyelashes to toe nails, as well as one's abs to sexual organs. There is a pill or product for everything, even products that propose to improve focus and cognitive abilities, promising results well beyond our wildest imagination. And for those who can't resist, and there are many of us out there, the psychological allure is enormous.

But, we are really at the frontier of the use of performance enhancing drugs and altering genetics. The 21st century will challenge us socially, emotionally and psychologically. The question is whether our emotional intelligence is up to our intellectual capacities.

The maturity and intelligence of baseball players, or for that matter, 23 year olds in general, runs along the continuum of a bell curve just like everything else. That means half of the 23-year-old baseball players are well below average in terms of these abilities.

It also has to be kept in mind that Bechler was still just 23 years old and like any other person his age, was only capable of bringing that level of sophistication and experience to any situation.

At this developmental stage, people often are unable to psychologically and cognitively grasp such things as their own mortality, much less their place in society. It also requires some degree of emotional intelligence.

In speaking with many teens and young adults in my practice there is consistent belief of invincibility as they are naive in their lack of understanding that life can be taken away from us in a flash. It can't happen to me!

When viewed in this manner, it should not be surprising that an unsophisticated, insecure young baseball player, or for that matter a relatively sophisticated player, would be susceptible to taking either drugs or performance enhancing substances.

Clearly, in the world of sports, where a dog-eat-dog atmosphere pervades, those desperate to get ahead will go to any lengths to do so, much like the rest of our society where cheating, sneaking, lying and drug abuse appears too pervasive.

There is a long documented history in the entertainment industry that models, actors, producers, etc., have taken drugs and had cosmetic surgery to enhance their chances of success and compete with others in their profession.

Sport is entertainment, and it has a long history of drug usage. Also, history tells us that drug usage dates back thousands of years. It is a good bet that a certain percentage of players will continue to use the newest or, for that matter, the oldest drugs and supplements available, as will the rest of the population.

Athletes today are supposed to have the best medical care available to them, as their employers have often made a huge investment in them. The Oakland Raiders had to know about Barrett Robbins's condition, and it was reported that Bechler had an enlarged heart and an abnormal liver test result. One has to wonder how these problems got by the respective medical staffs of these organizations.

It is not enough for owners, managers, and coaches in sports to just educate or caution their players. They must create laws and rules to help guide their athletes on what is safe and what is not safe.

Laws and rules are passed to protect us all, and often to protect us from ourselves. To err is human, but it can be deadly in a competitive society and certainly in the highly competitive world of sports.

Bechler's problems were, and are, society's problems and are embedded in whom we are. Just as the problems are myriad, so are the solutions. We might start with putting human life above a dollar sign. Just ask Bechler's wife.