Video game tournaments to start drug testing players

Video game competitors might be checking their inhalers at the door because drug testing is coming to e-sports.

The Electronic Sports League said Thursday it will begin randomly drug testing players at its competitive video game tournaments. The e-sports organization plans to work with the World Anti-Doping Agency to curb the scourge of PEDs in its ranks.

The announcement came after a competitive video game player said in a YouTube video posted last week that he and his team used the drug Adderall during a tournament in March where players competed for $250,000 in prize money. Adderall is a prescribed amphetamine that is used to treat ADHD.

The random tests will begin at a tournament in August.

Previously, ESL prohibited the use of drugs, alcohol and other performance enhancers but didn’t test for doping. Other e-sports organizations, such as Major League Gaming, have similarly prohibited but not tested for doping.

The ESL was founded in 1997 and is the largest e-sports league with more than 5 million registered players. Over the past 10 years, e-sports has evolved from a niche genre of gaming to a lucrative sport that draws tens of millions of spectators both online and in person.

And I thought in this world, roid-rage usually meant hemorrhoids.

Brandon Marshall says NFL players use Viagra to get edge on field

Brandon Marshall knows the lengths NFL players will go to get an edge on the field but on Wednesday —  after the Chicago Bears wide receiver was asked about the rash of Adderall-related suspensions in the league this season — he said he's heard plenty of rumors about which supplements some players take to boost their performances during game time.  Some of which are of the little blue variety.

"I don't know too much about Aderall," Marshall told reporters yesterday.  "I know guys, it is such a competitive league, guys try anything just to get an edge.  I'm fortunate enough to be blessed with size and some smarts to give me an edge.  I've heard of some guys, they'll do whatever they can do to get an edge.  I've heard of some crazy stories .  I've heard (of) guys using like Viagra, seriously.  Because the blood is supposedly thin, some crazy stuff.  So, you know, it's kind of scary with some of these chemicals that are in some of these things, so you have to be careful."

Marshall managed to keep a somewhat straight face while using the double entendre of his "blessed with size" remark, but did not say if using the little blue pill came with a stiff penalty from the NFL.

Experts aren't so sure about the effects of Viagra (sildenafil citrate) on athletic performance on the football field or even if the results could be proven otherwise. The only thing they can confirm is that pro athletes are always looking for an advantage against their opponents.

A 2008 study — funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency — tested several members of a Marywood University lacrosse team and concluded that the drug increased blood flow to certain parts of the body but found insufficient evidence that it worked on muscles used on the gridiron.

Hmmm... taking Viagra to increase performance on the field.  Let's ask the real experts — the players' wives and girlfriends.