Professional Sports True Enemy: Hipocrisy

There has been a lot of indignance over the recent release of evidence that shows the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in professional baseball. The overwhelming proof overshadows any denials presented by such late 90's players as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and the ageless wonder that was Roger Clemens. However, is the way these athletes are being mercilessly demoralized by a society hell bent on maintaining an image of fairness in competition, really justified?

After the strike of '94, which resulted in a year without a World Series for the first time since 1907, baseball was reeling. Fans had grown tired of a game that was seen largely sedentary next to the growing popularity of the NBA, thanks to Air Jordan's reign of supremacy at the time. Pressure was on owners and players to get more fans to the ballparks. Something needed to be changed. Then, POW! Home runs started being hit faster than internet companies were going global. The home run race of 1998 brought the nation's attention back to baseball, where Roger Maris' 37 year old record of 61 homers in a season was on pace to be demolished. 1961's historic home run race was attributed to a lengthened season as well as expansion teams creating a temporary competetive inbalance. 1998 did have two new teams introduced, however the Arizona Diamondbacks were the only new kids on the block in the National League, where the home run race was taking place. And they were one year away from a division title.

So where else could these home runs be coming from? Several people suggested smaller stadiums combined with intense muscle building programs by the players. But the nation, including its' sports media, completely ignored the fact that these men were three times their former size! No investigation was conducted, no questions were raised, and if the possibility of steroids was ever mentioned, everyone was quick to cite the hard working programs these players were on. The country closed its eyes and lived in a fantasy for a few years. And everyone made absurd amounts of money.

Now those same pundits, business owners, and "journalists" are feigning shock and outrage over the source of all this wealth. And the players are left helding the syringe. Sports columnists who spent the late '90's shamelessly blowing the homerun race for saving baseball (and their careers) now want to revoke awards given, records attained, and more or less send these individuals into exile. And the comissioner Bud Selig is discussing suspending players 6 years after they tested positive for steroids. Even those who admit to using Performance Enhancing Drugs are being roasted over the fire. Alex Rodriguez, all negative personal feelings aside, is not what's wrong with baseball or professional sports or society for that matter. What's wrong is Holier Than Thou loudmouths who jump on whatever bandwagon has the biggest piggy bank on it.

The question is asked, and forever will be asked, "What do we tell our children?" Well, for starters you impart in them that there is more to life than sports. As an avid baseball fan, my interests were not limited to the game by the time I reached high school. In fact, they were often outweighed by a fear of being drafted in four years for a war I saw as pointless at 14 and the entanglement I was about to enter with the opposite sex. Its not today's athlete's fault that kids are tempted to use steroids. It's a society who puts the athlete unjustly on a pedestal simply so they can knock him down whenever it feels like it. I don't support the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs, but is it worse than being a leech on the talents of others for the sake of money?

As for the purists who are actually concerned with such trivial things as statistics and records, consider this. Baseball always has been and will be compared through history based on eras. Babe Ruth was great because he hit more home runs than any other team, even though those teams had no black players. Joe DiMaggio isn't compared to Sammy Sosa, he's compared to Ted Williams. So, in the steroid era, Barry Bonds was the most prolific slugger, even if he is a jerk. Roger Clemens did win over 300 games, even if he is a glory whore. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa did save baseball, even if it weren't the way we would have liked it to be done, and even if they do look like sniveling liars now.

President Obama acknowledged within a week of appointing Tom Daschle to a cabinet post that he made a mistake and apologized. However, it has taken the sports entertainment world nearly ten years to recognize it's mistake, and instead of an apology, we get pompous fatheads. When was the last time you had more respect for a politician than for a journalist, however loosely that term may be applied? Performance Enhancing Drugs have been used. They will be used again, as well as any other way athletes can get an advantage. Just as how any era would have acted, had it the opportunity. Now let's please everyone dismount from their 17 foot steroid-injected horses and come back down to earth.