Good or Bad? Top 25 Questions Answered! The Enhanced Games Discussion | Cody Miller Podcast

If you’re young, and you have the support of your parents, and you don’t have to worry about finances, you’re probably going to say—absolutely not.

But as you get older, and you move out of your parents house, and you have to support yourself, and you’ve worked hard all your life for very little, then the answer could change.

Would I do it if I was a younger competitive swimmer? I may have.

At least in this particular instance, it’s all out in the open and everybody knows about it. So I’m not going to judge. in this instance, it’s not cheating.

However, I don’t think that it’s fair for the world record slot to be taken by an enhanced athlete. There should be two categories now. Enhanced and natural. And even though we know that some athletes slip in the performance hand drugs, and get away with it, we can’t prove it so that that’s that. There should be two categories. And this man should accept $1 million but the world record should stay with the natural athlete. I probably would have participated as a younger athlete if I was broke and had no other way to capitalize on my swimming talents. But there are side effects and they need to be discussed.

Great video.. I really enjoyed... Thaks a lot. 👋😎. Greetings from colombia.

I think it's easier to join the enhanced games when you know you reached your peak, like Kristian. The question is what will happen when young people just starting their careers opt to join the EGs. Imagine all the potential "clean" records lost. This for me is the biggest threat to "clean" sports.

The price? I ratter calling it as retribution.. ..a good one.... Be my guess.... 😊..it might help cience .. in other way thinking.. ... 👋😎

You better do it and win drug free! 😀😀

In the future do you think that there will be something like the ISL with clean athletes and athletes that are doping competing against each other as teams with a mix of both of them?

Love the videos Cody! You inspired me to start my own swimming channel, any tips to gain more subs? Currently racing my friend to 1k

as long as they keep the WORLD RECORD’S two different things

Honestly guys, I think this is way more than just sports we're talking about. I think this is Deus ex moment for humanity in general. If this enhanced games turn out to be a success, then it's only a matter of time before we see "enhanced paralympian games" where people will be competing with their missing parts replaced with cutting edge BioTech machinery...

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the enhanced games allowing athletes to reach their 'full potential' or reach humankind's full potential. If it has to have PEDs to get there, is it really part of the potential? To me it's more exciting to see the hard work and the arc of potential in a natural athlete like Katie Ledecky or Summer McIntosh. The idea of enhanced games makes athletic achievement feel cheap/capitalistic. I agree natural athletes should be paid more, but not for shock value or deliberately increasing risk.

As a swimmer for two decades and competing since eighth grade I am against the idea of using drugs to enhance the performance of swimmers. As a swim lesson instructor aide and have a website to help swimmers learn and grow this is sending a wrong and dangerous message. I would like to see a swimming league of some sort for the sport. The sport has so many swimmers and we deserve a league but not one that uses drugs to enhance the performance.

how do you think the young athletes could be directed with the enhanced game?

A "fair" advantage has always been recognized in the sense that if blistering hard work alone could create a Michael Phelps then there would have been many thousands of him. Genetic gifts are determinant in many ways in all walks of life. What is your view of the "enhanced games" if several of the great swimmers who have retired over the last five years or so joined this venture and gave it a whirl? My own -- only somewhat facetious -- view is that it's not the Jastremskis or Schollanders or Spitzes or Hansens or Phelpses or Millers who need PEDs but people like me who might bridge the genetic gap. OK, yeah, right. Still, almost certainly Lance Armstrong was correct that a "fair" playing field in cycling at the time only existed with doping because it was an "enhanced" sport. Is this a bottle, genie conundrum? For example, as a medical matter our high technology society is on the verge of genetic manipulation. Would genetic embryonic enhancement of certain athletic-related genes be "doping?" And, yeah, how scared or optimistic should we be?

I can believe you actually responded to my comment! Best birthday ever! I’ve been a fan of you since I was nine ( I turned 14 today)

I mean honestly if they are adults and they don’t dope in other competitions, just these enhanced games why is it our place to judge

Golemov?!

I feel like the marketing for the Enhanced Games is pretty lame. Specifically how they call them super humans like they are better than other swimmers for taking steroids. To me they’ve taken the human element out of the sport to some degree.

I also think its wrong when they say they’re “breaking world records” or comparing juiced vs clean times side by side. Its apples to oranges between clean and juiced athletes, so dont market those times as the same thing.

As a swimming fan, the whole thing feels like marketing sleeze / fast food…instant satisfaction but ultimately empty calories.

I was a competitive swimmer for 10 years growing up. The Enhanced Games aren’t going to take off or become mainstream. It’s all about money, not about showcasing the peak of human performance but what it could look like with enhancements. It’s still cheating, and that’s exactly why anti-doping is such a major part of competitive sports. It’ll be interesting to follow and see if the event even happens. It’s like comparing strongman competitions to olympic lifting, totally unregulated and you're gambling with your life.

My biggest problem is seeing people who are pro enhanced games saying finaly its fair because everyone is doping at the olympics and getting away with it and that makes me extremely angry blaiming clean sports for being unfair also brett hawke said that and i was a big fan of the sprint revolution - now i am just disappointed and angry about the hate from their side towards the greatest competition - the olympics

I think if you compare this to body building, it is the opposite to this. During Arnold era to even now, the most popular body builders are on steroids and there is no way to compete with them without being unnatural. The money incentive does complicate young atheletes' motivation but with that aside I think it validates the current records that stand.
Growing up, I was told that most top athletes cheat and there was no way to tell (Lance Armstrong doping scandal being an example) which disheartened me and discouraged me to compete. Seeing the world record being broken within less than a year encourages me to get back in the pool and find my natural potential. Health is something I value and I would not take performance enhancing drugs but watching the documentary has inspired me to get back in the pool.

I have an idea- start a franchise league competition (like AFL down under, IPL in India, all the soccer leagues around EU ); one that includes all 6 disciplines of aquatics. Money sorted, athlete recognition sorted, chance to increase the sport's popularity and hype (more viewership, more money) and all without PEDs (people's concern about health and bad influence). Essentially a refined version of the then-ISL. @CodyMillerAdventures , would you endorse such an idea?

Do you have concerns this will make cheating more prevelant in lower level competitions, where drug testing is not carried out eg high school, sectional and masters meets? Will amateur swimmers be more incentivized to take drugs to make time cuts if they are more readily available and promoted?

Adding to the "kids perception" part. The danger is multiplied when you take into account countries with lesser means and education. Where coaches and athletes will do whatever it takes to go faster and even encourage them to cheat where testing isn't a regular thing in local competitions (like Egypt). I think this could be very dangerous for the future of sport but I understand why kristian and other athletes would opt for this. Who knows, maybe this will be the change we need to get top athletes paid well in clean sports.

From what I see, it’s for athletes who think that they have gotten the most they can out of the sport who are at the age where they potentially couldn’t get better for example 40+ years old

It’s understandable that swimmers deserve to be paid.The premise of these games is based on what’s your price and what would you do for it. Are you willing to give up the standards you lived your athletic career by. I understand both sides but premise is mental torture!

I'm torn, I personally don't like it but it's the world we live in...I think the athletes need to have a bigger payout to support themselves and their families BUT the fact that it shows the youth of today that, basically its ok to bend the rules and if you bend the rules you get paid, you can make a living and support your family doing what you love. this is tough...and btw, leave the GAC alone...as a behind the scenes individual that has been in the sport for a while including the run of the ISL, I truly think this is so interesting and I hope the conversations continue in the right direction, to open some eyes to what the athletes endure, thank you for this discussion, good stuff!

no, this is great! Enhanced Games are not promoting drugs to childred, that is a stupid take.

do you think that the enhanced games will do events other then a 50 freestyle? or only the 50 free because that is what the PEDs are best for?

The great thing about these enhanced games is that it will expose who was already doped and who wasn' t. Why only swimmers and no track and field athletes? All these swimmers think they can outperform what they already did because of the new gear. But, track and field athletes know they cannot give better performances because they are already on the juice. BTW great video.

Golf players don't need enhancements to make millions... A good friend of mine (Navy SEAL) said : If you ever see me playing golf, just shoot me down.

China was doing this years ago, as was Russia. In the actual Olympic Games. Why get ripped by corrupt officials when everyone can just be juiced?

You have to understand who is watching this. Your opinion as an athlete is exponentially far from the opinion of someone trying to watch and exciting event.

Cody thank you for you and your wife’s thoughts! I wanted to ask if you think this can eliminate cheating at the Olympics: it can be telling if top athletes on all the juice with laser cut suits are posting similar times to olympic athletes who claim they are not cheating , thoughts ?

If I’m a swimmer and I go to watch the enhanced game, am I not allowed to compete in world aquatics anymore? Apparently if you support the games, you won’t be able to participate in world aquatics anymore same thing kinda happened to the isl in 2018

is pan zhanle competing in it ?

A question i was hoping to hear is do you think this will reducing doping in the olympics?

Been watching for over 6 years. Just unsubscribed - this ain't it

Natty or not, it’s a spectrum

i'm a normie that never paid attention to swimming. I'm watching this video because I am VERY interested in the enhanced games. I wont watch the Olympics but I will definitely watch those games

I have 2 main concerns about the Enhanced Games.

Number 1 is the message it sends to the youth.
As Ali said, kids are young and impressionable, and if they idolize enhanced athletes who are faster than Olympians... It gets scary. I am 20 years old and I do powerlifting, I've spent my days at a local gym since I quit swimming at 17 and I know for a fact that it's not that hard to get PEDs, even as a minor. I know other kids my age and younger who are on juice at my local gym, and I've been offered roids more than once and always refused.
The possibility of 15, 16 or 17 year old kids on gear at age group meets is just sad.

My second concern is more directly related to the athletes and the regulations. I'm obviously not an expert on PEDs, not by a long shot, but I am not completely iliterate either. I know some substances are safer than others, and I know that the long term health issues highly depend on the doses you use and how long you use them for. But when it comes to doping, as far as I know, there is still a considerable gap between what is considered "optimal" for health and "optimal" for performance.
And that's my main concern. Will the Enhanced games limit the athletes to doses deemed "safe"? Or will they leave it to the athletes to decide? And if they leave it to the athletes, how will they ensure their safety? Because there are lots of people out there willing to risk their health for money and glory. So it seems to me there are 2 paths they can follow:

1- The Enhanced games control their athletes and make sure they are on doses and substances deemed safe, even if that leaves some performance on the table. This makes for a safer, but probably less spectacular competition.

2- They let the athletes and their teams handle their own PEDs, which carries the risk of the more reckless athletes ending up on top. Then, you'll have a more spectacular competition, but the athlete's safety might be compromised.

I'm curious to see which way they'll go, because there are arguments for both sides. You could say the athletes safety should be priority number 1, which I agree with, but you could also argue that they are adults and should have the freedom to abuse PEDs if they want to. So far it seems to be option 1, at least if we take Gkolomeev's example, but it's still a complicated question.

So overall, I must admit that I'm curious to see how this madness turns out. I mean, who wouldn't?
But I still think it's for the worse. The only true positive I can find in it is the money, and I'm genuinely happy for the athletes who'll make the switch because finally they'll earn what they deserve. And HOPEFULLY this will force natural federations and competitions to raise their checks too. But other than that... I think it's bad for sports in general, the implications of normalizing PEDs are just too heavy to ignore.

To the point made about "freedom" to make personal choices.....yes, agreed. Have the "games", like yet another Vegas circus show. Just don't call it a "world record", as if it relates at all to legitimate competition. I would consider this the WWE of swimming.....highly paid entertainers, nothing more.

That court rulling where they pay college athletes probably killed US swimming. This could save it.

I gotta a question for you. Why after all Gretchen Walsh have done this year I can’t find a video about her on your channel? What’s up with that?

Also if were going there...to the danger zone...I want the fastest 50 meter underwaters, the farthest underwaters, most laps in an hour or 8 hours or a day or something like that. Forget fina rules pop up whenever you want, I want unlimited dolpin kicks with breaststroke. Flipturns however you want in any event especially IM. Push the envelope lets see the sport evolve.

Oh one other thing, it would be very, very exciting if Shirley Babashoff weighed in here!

It’s similar to the super suits. It caught a lot of attention and people that never watched swim started to look into it. Everyone wants to see what the pinnacle of human performance, which is the goal of the Enhanced Games. Business and Science.

Here a big question do you think they well allow transgender into there games?

great video. and the message fron Kristian's wife is also great! lets see what the future brings to us

Continuing with your comment(s) about the use of the super suits - where do you think that we/the enhanced games should or will draw the line when it comes to the idea that the world record is being set by the swimmer themselves or the world record is being set by the juice/equipment? In other words, do you think it will ever come to a point where people will start using fins/paddles and claiming to be the "fastest in the world"

I don't play sports but I don't support people who cheat with steroids.