Posted on 12/10/2004 10:02:38 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees took steroids. So did Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, though he claims not to have known what they were.
Ho-hum. These revelations are of interest only to fans who deify athletes and to politicians who use any excuse to increase their power. Like Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), in this case.
Steroids have long been used by gym rats to create bulging muscles and professional wrestlers to build bulk. It was long assumed, obviously with good reason, that other sporting pros, particularly baseball and football players, often sought artificial aid in adding muscle.
Real scandal typically comes only when top athletes violate competition rules to gain an advantage. Olympic champions Ben Johnson and Marion Jones were disgraced by revelations that they used steroids to improve their performance. Blood doping and injecting human growth hormones are similarly forbidden by many sporting organizations as artificial enhancements.
Nevertheless, observes Charlie Francis, who aided Johnson: "Steroids are so ubiquitous, so omnipresent in sport; they have been for decades." Thus, he adds, "There is a level playing field out there. It just isn't the playing field you thought it was."
That's probably not good. But it hardly constitutes a national crisis.
Steroids can hurt the taker. That's a particular concern when the users are young. Thus the need for more parental involvement, improved educational efforts, and better rules enforcement.
Reliance on steroids also undercuts the perceived fairness of sports competitions. Cheating begets cheating, as athletes are loath to fall behind their peers. The most important enforcers here are associations and leagues which fear losing support, both fan and financial.
But in many cases the best response is neglect.
DOES IT MATTER, FOR instance, if professional wrestlers take steroids? Hardly. Where adult athletes are willing to risk their health, fans don't care if their role models have feet of clay, and athletic integrity is irrelevant to the sport, why should anyone care?
In none of these cases should Washington be concerned. But apparently Sen. McCain is.
After the revelations involving Giambi and Bonds, from leaked testimony before a grand jury, Sen. McCain declared that he was "dismayed though not surprised." Major League Baseball had better set up "a minimum standard of drug testing," or, he threatened, he would introduce legislation to do so. If MLB does not act, "clearly we have to act legislatively, which we don't want to do."
Obviously he wants Congress to act.
Why? "Major League Baseball and its players insist on turning a blind eye to the misconduct that threatens to undermine the legitimacy of their sport," said Sen. McCain. "There are many fans disturbed," he added.
But that's not obviously true. A lot of fans might believe that Barry Bonds has hit a couple extra home runs because he used steroids. Surely no one thinks that the Boston Red Sox dramatically dispatched the New York Yankees because players used steroids.
Anyway, the legitimacy of MLB is MLB's problem. Congress is already doing a horrible job trying to do far too much.
Social Security is heading towards insolvency. Federal laws and regulations have helped create an expensive, inefficient "cost-plus" medical system.
Tens of millions of people use illicit drugs even though millions are imprisoned for drug offenses. The war in Iraq has become an interminable guerrilla imbroglio.
Federal welfare programs have encouraged family and community break-up. Washington has wasted untold billions on failed development and training programs.
Corporate welfare pervades the budget. Government efforts to "manage" the economy have invariably backfired.
So now Uncle Sam will protect the integrity of baseball?
SENATOR McCAIN ALSO announced: "I don't care about Mr. Bonds or Mr. Sheffield or anybody else. What I care about are high school athletes who are tempted to use steroids because they think that's the only way they can make it to the major leagues." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made much the same claim: MLB officials "have a responsibility, not only to the sport, but to the children of America who look up to these players."
Whether or not there's a MLB testing program, some kids are likely to look for any competitive advantage to get there. But who can best combat that temptation? Parents, teachers, and counselors or legislators?
Moreover, this argument proves far too much. Some athletes drink. Some smoke. Some drive fast cars.
Should the federal government ban all of these activities lest some young person somewhere foolishly follow their example? Washington should not treat responsible adults as irresponsible children in the name of protecting children.
Washington already has foolishly criminalized steroids use. Now Sen. McCain proposes creating a federal testing regime.
Instead, the government should leave adults free to do as they wish. Craig Masback, chief of USA Track and Field, complains that "Giving up is not an option," but leaving education and enforcement to private bodies is not giving up. Not everything that is bad should be illegal.
A free society is inevitably a messy place. Some people do things that others don't like. Some people make mistakes.
So it is when athletes take steroids.
They may be making bad decisions. But it is far more important to preserve a free society than to stop athletes from making bad decisions.
Could Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Larry Walker all have been on the juice during the '04 season?
Sorry... but: I reserve the right to refuse to take seriously any pundit claiming that Story ABCD "is only of interest to" some negligible, statistically-insignificant minority of readers... and then promptly snorts out a full-length column on that very same subject, himself. :)
No, Senator McCain. The problem is that high school athletes, often egged on by their parents and idiotic school coaches, seriously WANT to "make it to the major leagues". Take away steroids, and you'd still have all these kids ruining their futures by ignoring academics and community/church/family involvement, because they're so focused on this unrealistic and undesirable fantasy.
You'll never stop kids from having silly fantasies, but they tend to get very serious about this particular type because of all the encouragement from parents and other adults. Much of this adult support is fueled by our insane system of giving college scholarships based on athletic performance -- THAT would be a worthwhile target for federal legislation: make any college that does this ineligible for any federal funding, including federal financial aid to individual students.
The interest is to all the readers who want to retain unfettered access to these products for legitimate health reasons. Not giving a hoot about the stupid athletes doesn't mean not giving a hoot about our own freedoms.
Amen!
I guess time will tell. Why mention Larry Walker instead of Jim Edmonds (I'm thinking of the MV3)? The real question remains, what happened after the NLCS?! ;O)
At any rate, I can only hope none of them are dopers. McCain and his ilk should keep their disjointed noses out of it. But, I dearly want MLB to put a stop to it.
I think all sports should work extremely hard to test for steriods and prohibit their use. However, in my opinion, that is a problem for the sports organizations and not John McCain or Congress. McCain should work to ensure that all members of Congress are tested and found drug free, and that they don't bounce checks or commit criminal offenses.
While he is at it, he should work to reduce our bloated budget deficit and protect our borders. John, I think you have your work cut out for you and it doesn't involve sports.
Do steriods make you choke in the League Championship series? If so then they must have been taking them by the gallon.
Congress should concentrate on cleaning up their own criminal messes. McCain could start by talking about all the POW information he and Kerry swept under the rug years ago.
That said, legal alcohol and legal sugar have created more health problems than steroids ever dreamed of. Steroids causes health problems in what..... .00001% of the population?
Remember Sen McCarthy?
"and then promptly snorts out a full-length column on that very same subject, himself. :)"
He is interested in preserving freedom in the United States, not whither or not so and so is taking steroids. Pay attention!
Further proof McCain is a moron. (As if any further proof were needed.)
That said, I am real glad I didn't touch roids - particulary at 19/20 when I was hitting the gym almost every day. If I saw any results from it, I would have been hooked.
Attention already "paid," thank you. Argument remains specious, unconvincing. Oh, well.
What is not of interest to us is subject X. What is of interest are efforts to federally regulate X. Do you see the difference?
Whoa! What planet did the author beam in from?
McCain, the corrupt Keating political parasite, can bite me. I'm so sick of this big-government busybody getting on TV every damn day to blow his wind! For a couple of years now, I've been rooting for The Lump to rid us of this bozo since there seems to be no other way to escape his assaults on liberty - one attack after another. He just won't stop; instead of being in prison for his own corruption, he invents mythical new tasks for Big Stupid Government. To him, every damn aspect of everybody's life is his business.
Go Lump!
MLB has whimped out. They should have instuted a 3-strike rule. First offense - 30 day suspension and $1M fine. Second offense - 90 day suspension and $2M fine and mandatory drug treatment program for the 90 day period. Third offense - BANNED from Baseball. Any player who tests positive gives up the right to have his name on any records that year.
They need to send a message to the players that this is unacceptable.
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