When you’ve lived with tigers, tattooed your face and bitten off a piece of another man’s ear in the boxing ring, it’s hard to shock anyone.

But Mike Tyson generated buzz during a recent appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast when he said he consumes mushrooms of the psychedelic variety while he’s training for his fight against Jake Paul on Nov. 15.

"It takes me to heaven, baby,” Tyson said.

The former heavyweight champion is not alone when it comes to the use of "magic” mushrooms during high-performance training.

According to athletes and those familiar with the practice, a number of professional hockey players, professional golfers and MMA fighters are using psilocybin, which is the naturally occurring psychedelic drug also known as “magic mushrooms," during training and in some cases during competition.

Heightened awareness and faster recovery are among reported benefits from “microdosing’’– taking a fraction of the regular dose of the drug and experiencing no psychoactive effect. (That does not appear to be the case with Tyson.)

“It makes you feel much more present,’’ said Ara Suppiah, a physician who has worked with Ryder Cup teams and estimated 4% to 5% of pro golfers are microdosing mushrooms. He declined to name the golfers but said they were not any he works with.

Pro golfer D.J. Trahan, who won PGA Tour events in 2006 and 2008, said the use of psychedelics starting in 2019 profoundly improved his well-being. He said his golf career has struggled despite microdosing off and on since 2021. But Trahan told USA TODAY Sports, " I know quite a few guys that are microdosing, and they have had tremendous success doing it, really. And I’m not at liberty to say anybody’s names, nor would I, because it’s not my place."

Riley Cote, a retired NHL player, said he knows at least a dozen active NHL players microdosing mushrooms. He declined to name the players. Known as an enforcer, Cote has said he suffered concussions during on-ice fights and started using psilocybin after his NHL career ended in 2010 for physical and mental health issues.“This is not even about just the hockey performance or sports […]

Mike Tyson says he uses psychedelics while training. You’d be surprised at how many do.