The Sports Business Advisor

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way!”

Choosing which one of these path to take cuts to the heart of a leader’s role. In the world of sports, it seems the NFL has chosen to lead on the issue of discouraging athlete drug abuse. And, not a moment too soon.

A study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that what was once the problem of college and professional athletes, is now becoming a wide-spread problem in high school athletics as well. Back in 2005, according to the study, 6.1 percent of high school student-athletes admitted to having used steroids.

As part of their Youth Football Summit, in conjunction with the Center for Health Promotion Research at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the NFL gave a $1.2 million grant to ATLAS (Adolescents Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids) and ATHENA (Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise and Nutrition Alternatives).

According to the NFL, the grant is one of a series of improvements to policies and programs of the NFL and the NFL Players Association discouraging the use of anabolic steroids and related substances. The grant will make the ATLAS and ATHENA programs available to 40 high schools this year, including 20,000 high school athletes and 800 coaches.

The ATLAS program discourages adolescent male athletes’ use of anabolic steroids, alcohol and other drugs, while improving healthy nutrition and exercise practices. ATHENA encourages healthy eating practices, proper nutrition, and exercise, and discourages the use of body-shaping and other drugs among young female athletes.

The NFL understands that the teens of today will be the pros of tomorrow. And the more prevalent the problem now, the more extreme it will continue to become. The Barry Bonds and Marian Jones stories will be increasingly common, claiming headlines for decades to come…unless we do something about it.

Congratulations NFL, for recognizing this growing problem, and blitzing the source. Perhaps other leagues and prominent athletes will take notice and take a similar leadership position before sports reaches a point of no return.