Last week congress provided ample entertainment by summoning some of baseball’s biggest stars and leaders into a hearing. Was this move warranted? Probably not. But was there any better way to bring attention to congressional proceedings, probably not.
The real issue at hand, aside from showing a typically uninterested general public that congress actually does do some “real” work, is to get to the source of steroid use and try to prevent its continued growth. Some argued by starting at the top, or major league level, the elimination of steroid use would trickle down to college and high-school athletes eventually. Will that be the case? Time will tell. But clearly the greatest danger in the use of steroids lies not at the professional level, but in the thousands of young athletes trying to make the cut to be a professional athlete.
Their chances in succeeding are slim. An interesting page here from the NCAA outlines some statistical chances of making it to the pros in several top men’s and women’s sports.
It would seem here lays the greatest motivation, or temptation, to cheat what nature gave you, in terms of the ability to build strength, speed, muscle mass etc., with the help of performance enhancing drugs. Do whatever it takes to make the cut, then deal with the consequences later.
This stage of athletic development, the high-school and college years, encompasses a far greater number of athletes at a much more vulnerable stage of their life. Dreamers, striving for the nearly unattainable dream of professionals sports, living an existence where each day is tempered with detailed stats on every performance they make along the way. A stage in life where even the slightest of sideffects such as mood swings, aggression and depression could trigger a quick downward spiral. There are enough logs on this fire as is, and not a place where we need to be throwing gas.
So how to keep performance enhancing drugs out of the mix. I like the idea of mandatory education for all coaches at the high-school and collegiate level. I favor the move towards standardized testing at the professional level and the college level. I agree that the widely un regulated supplement market needs some governing. And the marketing of such products should be tightly watched. There are too many backroom chemists out there mixing up the next great potion. These companies don’t have the funding to adequately test for harmful sideffects. And, the lure of quick profit and lack of regulation prevents many of them from ever doing so. I think its clear that these types of supplement lay as the precursor to stronger more illicit forms of chemical enhancement.
Should our professionals be left alone. I don’t think so. I think its clear that there has been something going on. As, hall of fame pitcher and senator Jim Bunning put it, you didn’t used to see people hitting more homeruns in their late 30’s than late 20’s. Or people packing on pounds and pounds of muscle late in their careers.
Should we expect the sports top performers to come clean with allegations of their steroid use? I suppose we can hope. But until immunity is granted for their cooperation, I suspect they will remain as tight lipped as possible to avoid possible legal ramifications, public scorn and everything else that comes with it. What would be more important than simply admitting to steroid use, would be to offer any personal experience with sideffects from use that may have permanently changed their lives. We can expect a simple “don’t do what I did, it’s not worth it” from a major league record holder to provide much of a deterrent. It’s like saying, “Yes I hit more homeruns than anybody with the help of steroids, but they aren’t worth it.” Clearly they worked then huh?
