Baseball Can Keep the ‘Roids
February 17th, 2009
STEROIDS!!!!!! DID A-ROD TAKE STEROIDS?! DID BARRY BONDS TAKE STEROIDS?! OMG OMG…. yes they took steroids. I cannot understand why this is so unbelievably outrageous to so many people. There are two reasons why I’m not outraged at all.
I see professional sports as an exercise in opportunity costs. Most athletes spend years working on their craft. Hours are spent in the gym every day trying to improve themselves in small increments. They could certainly be doing other things with their time. Yet it is their dedication and willingness to sacrifice that makes them truly great. Steroid use is, in some sense, the extreme example of sacrifice for success. People say it is cheating, but I see it as an athlete’s willingness to risk his/her body for fame. All athletes give up something to be great.
Secondly, it would be unbelievably wrong to restrict what someone can do to their own body based on my own beliefs. I certainly do not advocate steroid use. I would never use something so dangerous (I barely drink coffee, let alone steroids). Yet no other person should be forced to live their lives in accordance with my values. If they deem steroid use to be beneficial enough to overcome the risk of death, then by all means, go nuts.
Ultimately we should not be restricting the use of steroids, but promoting the spread of information about steroid use. All choices are associated with costs, and steroid use comes with a tremendous cost. However, it is not my place to tell an athlete that he/she cannot make sacrifices or decide that the benefits do not outweigh the cost for him or her.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Alright, you have to take this a little further because I have a hard time with this issue.
Your Premise: Liberty is good and necessary. (I agree)
My Premise: Employees may have to give up some liberties as a function of their employment. Professional Athletes may have to give up the right to use performance enhancers.
In my own personal experience in politics this has been the case, and I agree with it. I worked for a US Senator and therefore had to pay attention to what I wrote, said, and did outside of the office. To me this is the same as an athlete doing something to their body which is the tool that they use to do their job.
That and on a personal level, heroes are supposed to be held to higher standards.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Your premise: they are doing something wrong.
If it wasn’t deemed “wrong” they wouldn’t be told to give it up.
I think that is where the disagreement stems from. It isn’t so much that people should be allowed to do things that are wrong, because they are entitled to liberty. What I asserted was that it wasn’t wrong in the first place. Yes liberty plays a role here. However, I’m not justifying their actions through their right to liberty. I’m saying that there should be no values assigned to their actions to begin with, since each person has their own values. In that sense, they are not harming the overall organization.
Like many things in life, this all comes down to definitions and semantics. It is how we define loaded words like ‘liberty’, ‘values,’ and ‘wrong’ that dictate our stance on such issues.
As I wrote the paragraph about opportunity costs, I thought about Percy Harvin, the Florida back that played in the championship game, even though he was coming off of a serious injury. There is no doubt in my mind that the medical staff shot him up with drugs to mask the pain. He put his career and his body on the line that night and won a championship. Would most people do something so reckless? Probably not. I sure wouldn’t. Yet how can I judge him for what he did?
February 17th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
I am bored, so I am going at it again.
“Your premise: they are doing something wrong. ”
Nope. The baseball league, the players association, and even the players have said it is wrong. I don’t care. My premise, again, is that as an employee you give up liberties by contract.
“I’m saying that there should be no values assigned to their actions to begin with, since each person has their own values.”
I agree, if they were not employed. The values assigned to the drugs aren’t theirs or mine, they are and should be the leagues, and, in case you decide to go union on me, the players union agrees has this value as well.
Again, I believe that as a term of employment, or by “contract” liberties can be given up.
So, while I understand your point about steroid users as individuals and have agreed several times, in reference to sports I think it is an abomination to the sport by the person for breaking his contract and the sport for letting it happen.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:57 am
advocating for less liberty?… this is going on SAUER WATCH.
but, I agree. If a player enters a contract at will they should be punished for breaking the terms of the contract.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
You both miss the point. At the time contracts were signed, many of these substances weren’t illegal or banned by the league. They had no contractual obligation to obey. Yet there is still outrage, that’s what I’ve been talking about. I certainly agree that they must obey contracts
February 20th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
well I didn’t miss the point because I didn’t know that players can’t be punished for using banned substances prior to 2004– if you had pointed this out in your original post there wouldnt have been confusion about your point.
February 20th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
We didn’t miss the point, we just aren’t making points up. However, you are.
What you are referring to is enforcement, which is still a joke.
February 20th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Not at all. The steroid issue is used as an umbrella issue for performance enhancing drugs, many of which were not illegal on the state or federal level, nor were they illegal within the league. However, there is still a stigma attached to use.
February 20th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
“Not at all”?????
I don’t get it, did you not read my comment? I proved your statement wrong. You said, “You both miss the point. At the time contracts were signed, many of these substances weren’t illegal or banned by the league. They had no contractual obligation to obey. Yet there is still outrage, that’s what I’ve been talking about. I certainly agree that they must obey contracts” Which is just factually untrue.
They did have contractual obligation to obey. Heck, they have had a factual obligation to obey since 1971 according to the SI quote. And that factual obligation was for the actual umbrella issue of performance enhancers and not just the modern poster child for performance enhancers “steroids”.
I still understand where you are coming from, because you believe that people should be responsible for themselves. However, you are so gung ho on trying to argue that point you haven’t been reading the rest.
I declare victory! You will now have to challenge in court.
~
February 20th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Perhaps I misread something, but it was my understanding that A-rod admitted to using drugs, because the drugs he used were not banned until after he had stopped using them, so he did not need to fear any punitive consequences. I’m not the biggest baseball fan (actually hate the sport) so I haven’t been keeping up with it too much, but is that not what happened? Maybe baseball would be more interesting if they mandated drug use… it would be a home run derby every game. Baseball scores would look like basketball scores
February 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Same link as above:
I think that pretty much covers it all. Unless, of course he was injecting himself with homeopathic drugs, but I highly doubt. Like using a fake id to get into a bar and then drinking O’Douls, if you are going to do something risky you better make it worthwhile.
February 20th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
That doesn’t even remotely cover it all. I used to bodybuild, and half the things I took legally were illegal for ncaa sports and i’m pretty sure were banned by major league sports. BB supplement science advances so rapidly that players begin taking them before anyone bans them or makes them illegal. however, the stigma of “performance enhancing drugs” remains.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Oh my. Hopefully, someday you will look back on this and see the ridiculousness of your argument. You have already used false facts (proven yet not admitted) and are now avoiding the most famous quote in the whole case.
He admits it. Are you going to claim that he was coerced by the evil MLB or maybe even the players administration? I don’t know where you can run anymore, but the point sticks… I win.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
where can I run? I asked you for clarification on the A-rod thing. I admitted I don’t follow baseball. If I used improper facts, it wasn’t done with any intent. What I had overheard on sports center led me to believe that the substances in question had not been banned at the time they were in use. I know that happened to a guy on the ravens this year and I think they had to cancel his planned suspension when he proved that to be the case. Anyway, I appreciate the attention you’ve paid to the blog. I enjoy ongoing discussions. Perhaps next time we can limit the insulting hyperbole (maybe I’ll run into a cave).
February 20th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Insulting hyperbole is the new black.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Also, didn’t HGH get banned in 2005 by the mlb. People were using it well before that. There is still a stigma associated with it even though it wasn’t banned then. Assuming I have the right date this time
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
To comment on the blog:
I don’t think that athletes should be rewarded for demolishing their bodies in hopes of momentary glory. With that normative statement said, I believe that if this was allowed to continue, we would experience a set of athletes not working their hearts out and trying to be the best THEY can be, but just a bunch of roided out d-bags fighting over a ball of certain color, shape, and density. I would hate to watch sports because the excitement of seeing two teams battle to the best of their abilities would be squandered. Wouldn’t it ruin the magic that surrounds Lebron Jif he was only a product of a mixture of HGH, estrogen blockers, and horse tranquilizer?
side notes: if so, he should be decalled up like a nascar race car.
To comment on this “e-fight”:
I know I’m 2 seconds too late but there is a big difference between 1. anabolic steriods and 2. hgh (human growth hormone).
Anabolic steriods (the ones banned in the 70s) help stimulate muscle growth by “injecting” pure testosterone into your body. These are the real dangerous ones and are the ones commonly refered to as “steriods.”
HGH (newly developed “supplement”) works by increasing a hormone that helps develop muscle mass, along with other things. Not much is known about the adverse affects.
In terms of the “contractual” agreement you guys were talking about, HGH (the one a-rod used) was banned in the 70′s by the IOC & NCAA, but not enforcable until the 2000′s. Now, I don’t know how this fits with MLB’s contracts, but if they are their own entity, I would have to agree that A-Rod is being falsely crucified for his ADMITTED (which i think is classy when faced with canseco, mcgwire, and sosa) use.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Who cares!!! Yes bonds took steriods, so did half of mlb including picheres, who cares, have you ever been to an acual baseball game? i have and one of the best parts is seeing these huge athletes playing the game that i love. im yet to see the side effect of steriods besides greatness, look at arod, making millions and him apoligizing to baseball for using, though i dont believe it, it doesnt matter hes still rich as hell because of it
March 5th, 2009 at 10:35 am
i eat steroids for breakfast, if any idiot thinks that steriod use is okay should watch the man who arms blew up, that lady who just had 8 kids on top of the 6 she had put her body at risk for fame, do you think thats ok?
lots of people cant be left to make there own choices, why do you think youthanasia is illigal
March 5th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I’m hoping the euthanasia thing was a reference to Ali G.
March 5th, 2009 at 10:50 am
hyperbole insert:
following your reasoning: “rich as hell because of it”, i should sell crack and i shouldn’t be held accountable for the negative side effects it gives my market because i can be “rich as hell.”
pablo escobar was wrongfully accussed!
ps d-bag-
side effects:
as quoted by the genius robin williams: “if you see a guy step up to the plate with a mardi gras head and raisinettes (for juevos), you’re out!”
March 5th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Well I was reading a Muscle and Fitness a couple of weeks ago, and found an add with an homepage adress http://www.mailorderanabolics.com. This led me to a homepage selling “legal steroids” (well I havent heard about legal D-Bol anywhere).
This was in the March 2009 Issue page 348
And I´ve found ads from steroid suppliers in other sport magazines aswell. Well, it isnt that important what magazine it was, but if the magazines show pictures of pro athletes on one page, and have advertisments for steroids on the other, steroids will never get away from the sports industry.
The human body has limits. It doesnt matter if there is a god or not. There is some world records that cant be broken without steroids, therefor they sell, therefore the sports industry is lying to everyone.
The greed to see something bigger, someone faster than ever before is the reason why doping exists.
The same thing goes for tv, vhs, dvd, blue ray… more and more and more.
Its because we have instincts, that we dont use in a natural way any more.
March 6th, 2009 at 11:23 am
ok steroids r stupid period!!! hav yall not heard abt all the side effects…? i mean yea their illegal for sports but their legal outside of sports… and its stupid to risk ur bod just to hav money and fame!! i would rather live a healthy good life…and accomplish all i can without hurting myself
March 7th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
I really find the pic of arnold during his prime and now to be shocking. All that work and now nothing. Where did it all go?
March 15th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
steroids in any kind of sports is most definetly cheating! if one person is using steroids its unfair to everyone else, why should everyone put harmful chemicals in their body just to keep up with everyone else. also its a horrible example on younger children and teens if their idols are taking harmful substances in their body, why shouldnt they use em, or even use drugs.
hey steriods shouldnt be mandated if someone isnt a professional athlete i agree there. but once your getting paid, its unfair to the competion. those who work so hard would have to work even harder to keep up with the people on steriods,. eventually it would come down to who can get the best steriods.
March 24th, 2009 at 3:34 am
i agree with you
March 31st, 2009 at 2:45 am
So wtf??? If arnold and rest take steroids!!!That ther life not ours.they injected theyself not me or anybody elseArnold is a old 60-years!People thinks that arnolds has a eternyty long life like in a movies.EVERBODY GET OLD AND EVERBODY MUST DIE!!!End 1 more another thing.There will bee no man to be born like ARNOLD and do the thing what Arnold DID! My english suck!
May 18th, 2009 at 11:04 am
I think that it’s totally crazy for people to be on steroids!!!!! They know the long-term effects that can leave a trail of nastiness behind! My honey wants to be on steroids because he is a boxer, but I am so afraid he will become addicted and go too far. When he finally stops the use of steroids, he will look flabby and UN-muscular! I mean, look at Arnold! But, if it’s what people want, then I guess, LET EM” HAVE EM’! They’re still the same person they were before they got on them, so wth??