Freakonomics Radio 662. If You’re Not Cheating, You’re Not Trying
23 snips
Feb 6, 2026 
Aron D'Souza, founder of the Enhanced Games advocating performance-enhancement acceptance. April Henning, sport management scholar who studies doping history and policy. Floyd Landis, former pro cyclist turned whistleblower and entrepreneur. They explore how rules around enhancement evolve, the history and mechanics of doping in cycling, and the controversial idea of competitions that permit human enhancement.
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How Cyclists Gamified Doping Tests
- Landis described tactical blood transfusions and EPO use timed to evade a six-to-eight-hour detection window.
- Riders used plasma dilution during race stress to mask added blood and game testing parameters.
Doping's Long History And Detection Challenges
- Performance enhancement is ancient and evolving, from stimulants to complex, hard-to-detect methods like blood transfusions and EPO.
- Anti-doping shifted to out-of-competition testing as substances' timing and secrecy made detection harder.
Assess Enhancers By Risk And Evidence
- Recognize performance enhancers range from benign stimulants like caffeine to risky compounds; evaluate risk contextually.
- Favor measured, evidence-based assessment over moral panic when judging substances' harms.
