Cricketing quackery
Posted at 22:20:53
on Fri, June 06th 2008 by graham
in:
bad science
cricket
england cricket team
james anderson
quackery
stuart broad
stupidity
From Thaindian News (via Willow and Leather), comes this piece of stupidity:
A small fabric bracelet is England cricketers' latest secret weapon that has boosted their performance levels.
The Trion-Z 'magic' bands are being tried by the team after cricketers James Anderson and Stuart Broad said they were huge fans of the bracelet.
Using incredibly high-powered magnets, the bracelets are medically proven to increase blood flow around the body, improving concentration levels and rates of cell-regeneration.
Now, you and I, dear reader, both know that the chances of these bracelets having actually been tested using real science - controlled double-blind tests, wide-ranging studies, peer review, etc. - are about the same as the chances of the Flying Spaghetti Monster visiting me in the middle of the night and telling me to spread pastafarian peace amongst all the people of Lancaster.
The story, however, goes on:
England bowler James Anderson said: I have found great benefit during recent tests. These bands made me feel energised and I was able to cope better with the long training sessions.
Now, I know that the media is given to quoting people without actually waiting for them to actually say anything, so I'm perfectly willing to believe that he didn't say this.
At the same time, though, it made me wonder: Shouldn't professional sportsmen and sportswomen be banned from promoting this kind of quackery? They are highly-paid, in the public eye and, ostensibly, are supposed to be role models for a whole generation of youngsters. That means that they shouldn't behave like whinging little kids on the field of play, they shouldn't take drugs and they shouldn't promote expensive rubbish that purports to do something that it almost certainly doesn't.
Answers in a comment or by email to blog <AT> grahambinns <DOT> com if you please.
Ah, but there may be an explanation:
The Trion-Z bracelets, which cost around 18 pounds, use medical grade magnets to maximise blood flow and are up to 100 times stronger than other magnetic bands, The Sun reported.
The Sun reported. So perhaps - and there's a good chance of this - this is just patent bollocks cooked up by the Sun. Would anyone be surprised? I wouldn't.
