Conservative talking head and Senior Editor of The Atlantic David Frum made a bold suggestion that Serena Williams won her latest Wimbledon title because she is using steroids. Naturally, fans on social media shut down the nonsense along with a medical professional and trainer that said Frum’s claims are baseless based on sight alone.
The good folks over at Think Progress took note of Frum’s assertation based on a tweet he posted over the weekend linking to a New York Times piece about body image concerns among professional women tennis players. Writing “Steriods? Oh, no no no” in a tweet and adding body image issues in quotes, Frum essentially accused the world’s top tennis player in Williams of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Of course, Frum had his fair share of cosigns but there were some Twitter users who got back at him for his quip. But it was the comments from medical student and Daniel Koffler that really put a stop to Frum’s jab.
From Think Progress:
Frum expanded on his suspicions in a series of tweets he later deleted, claiming they were intended to be “a private Twitter conversation with a friend.” In his deleted tweets, Frum compared Serena to admitted dopers in other sports like Mark McGwire and Lance Armstrong.
Daniel Koffler, a medical student and competitive power lifter who has worked as a Certified Strength And Conditioning Specialist, says there’s no reason to suspect Williams based on her physical appearance. “Women can, and very frequently do, achieve levels of muscular size and strength not just equal to but greater than Serena Williams’ without using steroids,” Koffler told ThinkProgress.
Koffler said it impossible to tell with certainty whether someone has used steroids based on their physical appearance. But, according Koffler’s, Williams’ physique creates “no rational basis for heightened suspicion.”
Think Progress adds that Williams is one of the most routinely tested athletes in sports, with six competition-related tests and seven random tests conducted last year alone.
How’s that crow taste, Mr. Frum?
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