Did A-Rod "Shame the Game"?

[CB_8]

Did A-Rod "Shame the Game"?

Yes, however, he was not alone

[MTR]

Did A-Rod "Shame the Game"?

Yes, however, he was not alone

My question is, why does anyone really care?

The pro game is a joke. The owners haven't the courage to run their own business properly or with any integrity; The player's union really doesn't give a damn about anything, but filling the pockets of their clients and themselves.

None of them deserve the time of day let alone any sympathy.

[almosthuman]

A-Rod shamed himself but why is the outrage exclusive to MLB? The NFL has more mutants than any sport and when a player tests positive for steroids (i.e., Shawne Merriman) they get suspended for a few games and the fans lament the defense is suffering. Isn't HGH still hard if not impossible to detect? I am certain the NFL has rampant use of HGH. No outrage about "performance enhancers" denigrating the intergrity of professional football. Lyle Alzado received sympathy, not scorn and outrage when it was learned he was dying of cancer and had used steroids.

Owners don't really care about the players health just as long as they are making them money. They used to pay them no better than the average working man and literally used them up physically. Professional sports is a business and the dollar is king. "Don't ask. Don't tell." and "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." seemed to be the mantra of MLB ownership the past twenty years. Attendance and revenue are up. I can't stand Bud Selig but he gets to take credit for that.

The real shame is taking the focus off the long-term harm it does to the player's body and that these players are role models to our youth. Records and "Integrity of the Game" are secondary.

[Fanof12]

Attendance and revenue are up. I can't stand Bud Selig but he gets to take credit for that.

I don't think Selig had anything to do with the increase in baseball popularity. Baseball and all sports have grown because the TV generation has come of age. Those kids who grew up watching sports on TV are now buying tickets.

I do agree with you about how other sports are using HGH etc and no one is saying anything. Look at the average NBA player today versus the say the 1980's. You can't tell me every player today is additcted to pumping iron.

How about our girls playing softball? Would a little extra umph get you that college scholarship?

[MTR]

Lyle Alzado received sympathy, not scorn and outrage when it was learned he was dying of cancer and had used steroids.

A perfect example of how susceptable the public is to chicken-little BS. From the specialists to his personal physician, all scoffed at the idea the two were related. It was used as a scare tactic that was a total lie, but people jumped at the opportunity to associate a death with sterioids.

Owners don't really care about the players health just as long as they are making them money. They used to pay them no better than the average working man and literally used them up physically.

And how many players care about the owners or the fans in their home town? How many place their wallets first, the sport and fans second. So, while I may not care that much for the owners, I have absolutely no sympathy for the players.

Professional sports is a business and the dollar is king. "Don't ask. Don't tell." and "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." seemed to be the mantra of MLB ownership the past twenty years. Attendance and revenue are up. I can't stand Bud Selig but he gets to take credit for that.

You are correct and it is a two-way street. You talk as if the owners are at fault. What type of investment IN THE TEAM, do the player's make? Yes, they offer their talents, but that is about it. If they have a bad year, they only ask for a 20% raise, a good year 40%. Where else does someone demand an increase in pay for a sub par year and if the don't get it, just go away and pout until they get what they want?

No, the only people you can blame for this is yourselves. Only when the fans stop attending the games, stop watching the games on TV (which many no longer do) and stop the ridiculous hero worship reflected in the sale of the over-priced, over-valued merchandise will the game come back to the fan.

The real shame is taking the focus off the long-term harm it does to the player's body and that these players are role models to our youth. Records and "Integrity of the Game" are secondary.

What does it say about the parents if their life is more influenced by a distant athlete than the nearby parent?

[Ace]

Steroids in Baseball anger people because of the stats. Baseball is driven by stats. More than any other sport, Baseball covets its records and has a way to measure any possible situation by statistics. No other sport offers its players "Arbitration" when the become free agents, so they can prove their worth based on stats. Now you juice up McGuire, (who hadnt been able to stay healthy for a full season in years) and Sosa, and CRUSH, records that have stood for decades. Makes people mad.

On the other hand, if your a kid drafted out of HS, you play in the minors for 4 years, get called up to play once a week and you are hitting .196, would YOU take something that could help you hit a few more homeruns? Throw harder? Run faster? Maybe be an everyday player? Or would you get cut and be a 25yo kid with no experience in the real world, and no college. The only thing you know is how to do is put bazooka joe bubles on some guys hat when he isnt looking, and how to spit sunflower seeds. Me, I juice. Matter of fact, I'm juiced now!

[wadeintothem]

Well I dont have a problem with steroid use by athletes and I think most of the negative press on steroids (done properly and properly managed) is hyped and bs mumbo jumbo; so no he didnt shame the game. Nor am I "protective" of past records. They are made to be broken. As with anything, steroids can be used improperly and there can be complications.

[GIMNEPIWO]

Steroids in Baseball anger people because of the stats. Baseball is driven by stats. More than any other sport, Baseball covets its records and has a way to measure any possible situation by statistics. No other sport offers its players "Arbitration" when the become free agents, so they can prove their worth based on stats. Now you juice up McGuire, (who hadnt been able to stay healthy for a full season in years) and Sosa, and CRUSH, records that have stood for decades. Makes people mad.

On the other hand, if your a kid drafted out of HS, you play in the minors for 4 years, get called up to play once a week and you are hitting .196, would YOU take something that could help you hit a few more homeruns? Throw harder? Run faster? Maybe be an everyday player? Or would you get cut and be a 25yo kid with no experience in the real world, and no college. The only thing you know is how to do is put bazooka joe bubles on some guys hat when he isnt looking, and how to spit sunflower seeds. Me, I juice. Matter of fact, I'm juiced now!

I agree that there is tremendous pressure to perform ... and if MANY other players are doing it and MLB is turning a blind eye ... and your choice is to JUICE or get the "steadily depressin' low down mind messin' workin' at the car wash blues" ( Croce )... WTF ? ... I'd like to think that I would hold myself to a higher standard but its doubtful ...

[jtat32]

MLB had a list of banned substances during the period in question. Steroids were not on that list, and it was not an oversight. Leaving the most obvious performance enhancing substance off that list was clearly tacit approval for it's use.

Yes, Selig is a scumbag for throwing players under the bus for this, but he's making $18M/yr to do be that scumbag. If the owners (and probably the players) didn't want this BS put forth, it wouldn't be.

[CheckWriter]

MLB had a list of banned substances during the period in question. Steroids were not on that list, and it was not an oversight. Leaving the most obvious performance enhancing substance off that list was clearly tacit approval for it's use.

It wasn't "against the rules", it was, however, illegal. But I guess MLB rules trump federal and state law.

Where else does someone demand an increase in pay for a sub par year

Wall Street? Washington DC?