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Jon Benninger

Jon Benninger is the vice president of business development for the Health & Nutrition Network at VIRGO. He works on new products, international efforts, industry outreach and advocacy, content development, partnerships and collaborations, and strategic planning. Jon volunteers for many industry associations, committees and initiatives, is a frequent speaker and moderator at industry events, and assists VIRGO clients with solutions and strategies.. He joined VIRGO in 1995 and has served as editor, publisher, and group publisher prior to his current position. He earned a degree in journalism at Arizona State University.

Pro Sports Make Athletes Juice

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The common excuse for athletes caught with banned substances in their system is that it must have been from an adulterated dietary supplement. In fact, the banned substances are probably there because of what has become an adulterated sports culture that encourages success at any cost, cheating and juicing included. Need evidence? Check out yesterday's USA Today story on former pro baseball player Len Dykstra. Dykstra not only admits using steroids, but says he did it in order to compete, keep his job, and for the money. Think about it. If you had a job that was only available to about 30 people, and it paid millions of dollars, and you could help ensure your future by using steroids, would you do it? We either need to accept that steroids are a part of pro sports, foster a sports culture that does not encourage steroid use (good luck), or create a system that punishes steroid use so severely that no one does it. But can we please stop pretending that the athletes are innocent and the supplements are the problem?
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