quote:
Originally posted by Quincy:
Steroid use in sports, particularly the Olympic Games, has been known and a problem since at least the 1950's.
MLB must have played dumb for over 40 years.
I agree 100%. The only ones to admit it are the ones that got caught or had their hand forced in some sort of way.
So many people seem to choose to believe that all the thousands of other players through the 90's and 00's that haven't been caught are somehow clean. Other than those that have confessed over the years, does everyone deep down, honestly, truely believe that all of the players, including our favorite players, idols, guys we worshipped, all-time greats, record holders, from the 60's to present were all clean? That none of them did amphetamines, cocaine, testosterone, steroids, HGH?
Amphetamines have been around since the 60's. Cocaine since the 70's. Steroids have been around since the 50's and were well-known and fairly widespread in gyms, amatuer sports, and professional sports by the 70's. To think baseball was somehow a beacon of morality would be extremely naive. Caminitti estimated more than 50% used PEDs, Canseco said 85% in the 90's and early 00's. The masses scoffed at that and everything else they had to say. Now it seems that every week they are continuously being validated. And most of us knew or it at least crossed our minds at the time, yet the media cheered them all on and we were right there with them - "break those records, how far can they hit it, how many can they strike out"! Like with addiction, we were all the enablers - the fans, the media, the baseball execs, the television execs. Now they are done, we don't need them anymore, so now in all our self-rightousness, we spit on them and toss them aside. The cover-up must make any politician worth his salt smile, while this public witch hunt would make the town folk of Salem proud.
We hold the past greats as gods, beyond reproach, as they continuously get on TV and self-rightously claim the moral high-ground. Maybe some of them didn't get caught up in this stuff, but most assuredly some of them did. Either way, this stuff was going on around them. From the 60's on they knew. They all knew, whether they participated in it or not. But they all feign ignorance, and they have no vested interest in stating anything to the contrary now. Why would they? Look at the scorn being heaped upon those getting caught. Besides, they wouldn't want to break the code, rat on their fraternity.
Remember the role and history of the media in sports. Up through the 70's, the media was, for the most part, the athletes friend - sometimes even dining with them, drinking with them, etc. They protected the athletes because it was in their best interest. This started to change in the 80's as technology evolved and the media grew to the where we are today. Investigative reporting, everyone trying to make a name for themselves, 24 hour news, the internet, blogs. If an athlete picks his nose in public, someone has the picture and we all see it on the internet or tv within 24 hours. Build 'em up and tear 'em down.
Very few people on this site have ever set foot on professional field or in a professional clubhouse (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, Olympics) as a professional player or coach. As the very word professional indicates, major league sports is a business - a very big business, a dog-eat-dog, cut-throat business. For the players it is their job, their life. For us to spew what we would do or what we would have done is egotistical at best and extremely self-rightous at worst. We all would hope and even think that we would make the right decisions, but we haven't walked in their shoes now have we. We do not know the whole story behind each individual player, and the industry itself, and never will. But be assured that the story is much bigger than what we do know or are likely to find out.
This is a site about our kids. I don't want my words misconstrued. Stay away from PEDs and illegal substances. You will be tempted in life, and if you go far enough in any sport you will be tempted there as well. Don't do it. It is not worth it for your body, mind, and soul. Do not betray yorself or the game. Work hard and see what happens. Know at the end of the day that you went as far as you could, however far that is, the right way. As others here have clearly stated, athletes are not role models. Your role models should be at the dinner table every night, and teaching you at your school every day.
As a fan, player, coach, instructor, and father, I love the game of baseball as much as anyone on this site. This is certainly a stain on the game, but the game will move on eventually as it always has. I feel that a lot of the scorn shown to these guys right now may come off as moralizing, but deep down is really personal. They let us down. They betrayed us. They were a fraud. But we were right there with them - pushing, encouraging, cheering. Remember? We were the enablers. So maybe, just maybe, we might want to open our eyes and take a good look at the landscape, then perhaps we won't be so quick to judge them so harshly.