The Philadelphia Phillies just watched their franchise star hook himself up to a machine, send a third of his blood on a field trip, and post it on Instagram like it was a new cleat drop. Now everyone wants to know the same thing:
Did Bryce Harper wander into a blood-doping gray area?
What Harper Actually Did
Harper’s video shows him reclining in a chair with tubes running from his arm to a device he calls EBOO—Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation. In his caption, he breaks down the process: the machine draws about one-third of his blood, filters and ozonates it, then pumps it back into his body. He claims the treatment improves circulation, reduces inflammation, fights infections, supports the immune system, removes toxins, and boosts energy.
So he isn’t promoting a black-market endurance booster. He’s framing it as a legal “recovery hack.”
But EBOO sits in a controversial space. It belongs to the family of ozone therapies, which use ozone (O₃) gas on or in the body. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve ozone therapy for any medical use and warns that it “may do more harm than good.” Recent medical reports show patients suffering severe neurological issues—including ischemic strokes and long-term cognitive problems—after intravenous ozone treatments.
Harper isn’t tapping into cutting-edge, peer-reviewed science here. He’s entering a realm many regulators already view as unproven and potentially dangerous.
Is This Blood Doping?
Classic blood doping is much easier to define. Anti-doping agencies describe it as artificially increasing the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity. Athletes usually achieve that through transfusions of stored blood or drugs like EPO, which boost red blood cell production. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) bans all forms of blood doping at all times.
WADA’s Prohibited List also blocks any method that “artificially enhances the uptake, transport or delivery of oxygen.” It explicitly targets techniques in which blood leaves the body, undergoes manipulation, and returns—ozone-based and ultraviolet-light treatments included.
That language lands squarely on EBOO. Blood moves out, meets ozone, passes through filters, then flows back in. The marketing around EBOO leans hard on better circulation and higher energy—phrases that echo traditional doping claims.
So does EBOO count as blood doping? Technically, it doesn’t check the classic “store blood for later use” box. Even BroBible’s breakdown notes that EBOO doesn’t match standard blood-doping methods, though it also highlights that many doctors doubt the treatment’s effectiveness and warn about possible risks. Still, EBOO clearly resembles other banned manipulation techniques in the wider anti-doping world.
Where Does MLB Draw the Line?
Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program bans performance-enhancing substances and methods that give players an “unfair competitive advantage.” The league publicly stresses its commitment to preventing all prohibited manipulations.
But MLB’s documents don’t mention EBOO or ozone therapy by name, and nothing suggests Harper triggered a violation or failed any test.
Most pro leagues rely on banned lists, testing programs, and clear evidence before they act. EBOO lives in a strange space between “alternative therapy,” “unproven biohack,” and “method that looks suspiciously close to prohibited blood manipulation.”
That leaves three evident truths:
- Medically, EBOO remains unapproved, unproven, and risky.
- Under WADA-style rules, ozone-based blood manipulation qualifies as a banned method.
- Inside MLB, no public evidence shows Harper broke any rule.
So is he cheating? Right now, the situation looks more like a legal gray zone—and a PR headache. If Harper bounces back with an MVP-level season for a Phillies team that won 96 games last year, critics will connect the dots whether MLB agrees or not.
Unless MLB or the MLBPA addresses EBOO directly, Harper’s offseason science experiment will sit in the same bucket as many modern “performance” methods: not clearly illegal, not clearly effective, and ready to ignite a debate about where recovery ends and doping begins.
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