Doping Policies in the Four Major Sports

The four major sports leagues in the US--Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Associate, the National Hockey League, and the National Football League--all have their own banned substance lists, punishments, and testing methods.  This post will summarize the important parts of each sport's policy and highlight important differences between them.

Major League Baseball

The MLB instituted its testing policy for steroids in 2002.  Today, a first positive test results in a 50 game suspension, a second means is a 100 game suspension, and a third leads to a lifetime ban from the game.  The MLB banned substance list includes 8 recreational drugs, 70 drugs it classifies as "steroids" (including testosterone, epitestosterone, etc.), and 55 stimulants.  EPO is not on the list, although baseball players don't do a whole lot of running or anything cardio related, so this is not entirely surprising.  The Player's Association only agreed to start testing for HGH and testosterone, two of the drugs baseball players would benefit most from, this year.

Jose Canseco: noted steroid user turned whistle-blower

The MLB uses urine tests to check for banned substance use (except in the case of HGH, which will be covered later).  All players are tested twice a year: once when they report for spring training and once, unannounced, at another randomly selected point in the season.  Additionally, the MLB will conduct a total of 1,400 other random tests during the year.  A small number (which changes year to year but is published in the Joint Drug Agreement) of these will be in the offseason.

Regarding HGH, each player is subjected to an unannounced blood test during spring training and that sample will be tested for HGH only (so go wild with the other drugs undetectable by urine but detectable by blood).  There is also unannounced, random blood testing for HGH during the offseason that will be conducted in tandem with the aforementioned offseason urine collections.

Failure of a test, in addition to the requisite suspension, results in increased testing (three tests) over the year following the positive test.

There does not appear to be any sort of backup sample or "B sample" to confirm a positive test.

The MLB Joint Drug Agreement can be found here (PDF).

The National Basketball Association

Similar to baseball, the NBA tests for recreational drugs, SPEDs (steroids, PEDs, masking agents, and diuretics), and marijuana (yes, marijuana has its own category in the NBA).  For our purposes, we are really only concerned about the SPEDs.  One failed test results in a 20 game suspension, a second is a 45 game punishment, and a third failure leads to "dismissal" from the league.  I could not find a banned substance list for the NBA, but it probably looks fairly similar to the MLB's.

O.J. Mayo was suspended in 2011 for DHEA use

The NBA tests on a random basis and a "reasonable cause" basis.  Reasonable cause testing occurs when, "the league or players association provides the program's independent expert with information about a player's use, possession or distribution of prohibited substances, and the expert believes that reasonable cause exists to order testing. If reasonable cause is found to exist, the player can be tested without notice up to four times in a six week period."  In terms of random testing, players are tested up to four times in the regular season and up to two times in the offseason.

There is no mention of what kind of testing is done, so I'll assume that it's a simple urine test.  The League and Player's Association are currently "convening a panel to determine whether there is a valid test for Human Growth Hormone (HGH), and if so, to recommend testing procedures. If a valid test exists, the league may commence HGH testing 60 days afterward, up to two times during each season, and once during each offseason."  We'll see what comes of it.

In the event of a failed test, the NBA allows for players to request their B sample to be tested at a different lab from where their A sample was tested. 

I do think it's rather funny how much the NBAPA fought to get marijuana legislated separately from everything else.

Information on the NBA doping policy can be found here.

The National Hockey League

As part of the new CBA in 2005, the NHL adopted an anti-doping policy for drugs on a banned substance list that they agreed to agree upon, noting that the list would be basically the same as that maintained by WADA.  One failure is a 20 game suspension, a second is 60 games, and a third is permanent suspension from the league with the option to apply for reinstatement after two years.

Testing (no mention of what kind; probably urine) occurs twice a year, any time in the year, at random.  One of those tests will occur on a team-wide basis.  Players can appeal a test result but there does not appear to be any mention of B samples.

There is no specific mention of HGH, but HGH is banned by WADA.  Blood testing would be needed though, and there is no mention of that.

The press release regarding the NHL's drug policy can be found here.

The National Football League

Shawne Merriman was suspended in 2006
for violating the NFL's steroid policy

The NFL began its testing program in 1987, many years before any of the other major sports started their testing.  Finding solid information on the League's drug policy is difficult, but a first positive test results in a four game suspension and a second leads to a six game ban.  Only two players have been caught twice, and they both retired.

NFLers can be tested up to six times during the year, regardless of time of the year.  Each player is tested at least once.  The NFL uses A and B samples.

The NFL seems to escape scrutiny for drug use.  Players take their four game suspensions and no one thinks twice when they return to the field.