Ryan Bridge: Enhanced Games just a bit of fun

Some guy won a million bucks for swimming 50m in a pool with a wetsuit on.

I know. Awesome, right? Should be stoked for the guy. He's Greek. He's an athlete. He broke a world record. 

Problem is, he was taking performance enhancing drugs and the wetsuit was not legit. You wouldn't get away with that at the Olympics. 

But what I can understand is the backlash, the tut-tutting, from the medical professionals and sporting bodies. 

They're upset for two reasons:

1. These athletes are potentially putting themselves at risk, medically. 

2. It undermines traditional non-doping sports. 

On the first point, isn't that a bit rich? 

Isn't it a bit hypocritical of the medical fraternity, who relies on medical trials of patients with sometimes unknown long-term consequences and risks. 

This Greek guy just made a million bucks. That's money he can use to feed his family and change his life. 

Are we really going to judge?

And as for the sport argument, name me a sport that doesn't result in long-term injuries or medical problems down the line - except for maybe competitive walking? 

Especially at professional level. Is boxing 100% safe? Can rugby claim no concussions? How many horse riders you know are in wheelchairs?

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with sport being dangerous. 

It's human nature - we love challenging ourselves and sometimes that challenge can lead to damage or death. We're thrill-seekers, essentially. 

The enhanced games are basically that on steroids, literally. 

If you don't like, don't watch, but don't judge a guy banking a million bucks just for going for a swim. 

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