. . . On A Lighter Note

The Story Today

So I decided to take some time away from my normal topics today.  I realized that all I was ever writing about were the things that made me angry.  Don't worry though, I will be back to outraged disbelief before we know it.

This story comes from one of the more innovative sites of the last few years.  Bill Simmons' Grantland (www.grantland.com)  is a delightful mash-up of sports, pop culture, and general "hanging-out-with-the-guys" discussion.  With the big business that sports coverage has become in the last decade, even such tongue-in-cheek organizations as ESPN have become insufferably serious.  Grantland breaks out of this, offering an uncensored take on the sports world, complete with the off-the-wall conversations you might have at the local sports bar.

Among the discussions of Bill Simmons' childhood sports memories and Katie Baker's ruthless wedding pages coverage, you will come across some gems such as the article I have linked to.  If you happen to listen to sports radio, particularly ESPN radio (like I do), you will hear story after story of "[Player X] used [Substance Y] and it is the worst thing in the history of EVER!"  Charles P. Pierce seems to have a knack at stripping the self-importance out of the story.

The insistence that performance-enhancing drug (PED) use is "ruining" sports is rampant throughout the broadcast landscape.  Whether it is Lance Armstrong, cycling, and blood doping or Barry Bonds, asterisks, and steroids, we attach far too much importance to the drugs.

Pierce makes a fantastic point in the article, speaking of the two reasons for getting upset about performance-enhancing drugs.  The first, player health, is far and away the best reason to support these policies.  It is also the weaker of the two arguments.  It has been established that steroids are harmful, especially for young children and teenagers.  However, javelins are dangerous too, which is why you cannot have javelin as a high school event in many states.  This does not, however, mean that it is outlawed.  It is merely restricted to levels where enough caution and oversight is involved to make it relatively safe.  If javelin were treated like steroids, it would be universally illegal because young children might see someone throwing a javelin on TV and suddenly decide to do it themselves.

Other PEDs have been shown to have far fewer negative effects.  In fact, things like blood doping are entirely natural, often using the athlete's own blood cells.  Many other PEDs, such as Human Growth Hormone (HGH) are already common treatments for a number of illnesses.  Are there possible side effects? Yes, absolutely.  But there are also documented toxic side effects of taking excessive amounts of Vitamin C.  If these treatments and methods were taken out of the locker rooms and trainer's offices and allowed to be properly administered by physicians, the vast majority of these issues would be negated.

This brings us to the second, and far more nebulous, argument against PEDs.  Morality, ethics, and fair play. "Fairness" is a word that has come to have near-holy connotations in America.  We are obsessed with "fair."  I fail to see how there can be any unfairness involved at the Major League Baseball level.  Even the poorest of teams can afford to spend millions on fringe players and luxuries in the clubhouse.  There is absolutely nothing preventing them from providing these PEDs to their players.  As far as on-the-field, there is once again little validity.  These PEDs are no more game-changing than the scientifically balanced and exactingly prepared training diets, exercise routines, and hundred-thousand dollar personal trainers that are used today.  Add to that the space-age supplements and various "legal" medicines that are used every day, and I fail to see the distinction.  It is well known that many athletes, particularly in football, regularly receive cortisone injections to treat significant injuries such as sprains, pulls, and even shoulder separations.  I believe I could reasonably argue that any shot (which by the way happens to be a steroid) that allows you to continue playing at a high level despite injuries which would require hospital attention in civilians qualifies as a Performance Enhancing Drug.

Pierce's piece brings these elements out front masterfully.  When will we stop and look at the War on Sports Drugs and realize it has all the same failings as the War on (Real) Drugs.  It has been a sink of multiple millions of dollars, and hasn't accomplished a whole heck of a lot.  All that happens is that the drugs people are using get fancier and harder to spot.  On top of that, the witch-hunt culture that has sprung up around these Anti-PED/Anti-Drug campaigns has gotten out of hand.  Much like the potheads who are busted for possession and end up with longer sentences than rapists, you have Ryan Braun being threatened with a 50-game suspension for a first-offense PED violation.  In contrast, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto received a 7-game suspension.  The difference between the two is that Cueto didn't do something as heinous as use artificial testosterone.  All he did was repeatedly kick at an opponent's face with his baseball spikes.  Thank goodness Braun was going to be punished seven times as much, we can allow good-natured face-kicking, but god forbid someone tries to improve their on-field performance!

To make matters worse, Braun's suspension was overturned by an arbitrator.  "How can that be a bad thing?" you are probably asking.  It's bad for a number of reasons.  To begin with, it was overturned not because evidence showed that Braun did not take a banned substance, but rather because of improper procedure in the handling of his urine sample.  On top of that, Major League Baseball took umbrage with the ruling and is threatening to appeal in court.  Mind you, this is part of a collective bargaining agreement that MLB agreed to, and the would absolutely be chewing on the walls if a player had the temerity to challenge the arbitrator's ruling.  Finally, despite the suspension being overturned, Braun is now face with a huge number of fans who believe that he is guilty, and merely got away with it.

Did he do it?  I don't know, I'm inclined to believe he did.  But that doesn't matter.  His suspension was overturned.  More importantly, he was part of a fantastic story last year for the small-market Milwaukee Brewers, and his fantastic performance was a large part of a very entertaining season.  Let's all back off of the rhetoric and enjoy the show.  And once again, if you haven't checked out Grantland, you should, it's a great read.