Steroids killed sports. Human growth hormones have been the death of
sports at all levels, by putting a black cloud of disappointment above
one of the few ways people can escape their every day lives. I just want
to clarify that I have and will never support any form of steroids. The
impact they have had on society is unimaginable, changing how people
view sports.
Imagine it is New York in the summer of 1961. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle are both making a run for the single season homerun record, and the only form of scandal is that they will have 8 more games than Babe Ruth did when he originally set the record. Fast forward to either 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa took a run at Maris's record of 61 or 2001 when Barry Bonds crushed the 3 year old record with 73, and still there isn't too much public conspiracy surrounding them. The key word there is public. It seems like now, everyone except the judges know what was going on in the locker rooms. These men don't belong in the Hall of Fame, nor do they deserve to play the game we call our national pastime. Steroids have ruined the spirit of baseball and now, it isn't uncommon for a player having a strong year to be questioned over his integrity. Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and Palmeiro are only some of the ones thought to have been caught. There are others out there, and though I would like to give players like Mike Piazza, Ken Griffey Jr, and Jeff Bagwell the benefit, of the doubt, I simply can't. 1987-2005 were the darkest years in baseball, when players felt the need to put a foreign substance in their body to play better. If they thought they were fooling anyone, they were the ones duped. Goose Gossage gave one of the best interviews I have ever heard this past week, and though I may be an eternal Yankee hater, I agree with him 100%. They are cheaters and don't deserve to be enshrined with greats like Christy Mathewson, Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, and Willie Mays.
Baseball isn't the only sport affected by PEDs. The much under appreciated sport of cycling has been tarnished with an unimaginable number of champions being stripped of their medals. The most known scandal is Lance Armstrong. Armstrong stood as role model for millions of people worldwide, including myself, with his inspiring story, collection of championships, and for all the work he has done for cancer through his Livestrong campaign. The disappointment I felt when his doping came public left me to take off my Livestrong bracelet for good. Armstrong may have helped fight cancer, but after it came out that he cheated, I no longer admired him, as I realized that you really can't believe in anyone anymore.
Football has been forever ruined in a more serious way. They have endangered lives. In the 1970's and '80s, lineman weren't 250 pounds and didn't run a 4.8. Though the league may have exterminated steroids, the style of play has changed, as those guys injecting themselves in the locker room became monsters, leading other clean or upcoming players to feel the need to match their strength. Now, the injury rate has risen and the game simply isn't safe anymore. One big example is Junior Seau. Though he was never diagnosed with a concussion, Seau, who committed suicide last May, may have experienced trauma, and now his brain his being examined by scientists. I don't know if Seau ever used steroids, but the main issue is the game has simply gotten too big. Fans may enjoy the spine wrenching hits, but the next time you see J.J. Watt take a running back's ankles out from underneath him, remember why Watt is able do that, and why football has become a Greek myth with Minotaurs and Cyclopes lined up in a 3-4 package.
Imagine it is New York in the summer of 1961. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle are both making a run for the single season homerun record, and the only form of scandal is that they will have 8 more games than Babe Ruth did when he originally set the record. Fast forward to either 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa took a run at Maris's record of 61 or 2001 when Barry Bonds crushed the 3 year old record with 73, and still there isn't too much public conspiracy surrounding them. The key word there is public. It seems like now, everyone except the judges know what was going on in the locker rooms. These men don't belong in the Hall of Fame, nor do they deserve to play the game we call our national pastime. Steroids have ruined the spirit of baseball and now, it isn't uncommon for a player having a strong year to be questioned over his integrity. Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and Palmeiro are only some of the ones thought to have been caught. There are others out there, and though I would like to give players like Mike Piazza, Ken Griffey Jr, and Jeff Bagwell the benefit, of the doubt, I simply can't. 1987-2005 were the darkest years in baseball, when players felt the need to put a foreign substance in their body to play better. If they thought they were fooling anyone, they were the ones duped. Goose Gossage gave one of the best interviews I have ever heard this past week, and though I may be an eternal Yankee hater, I agree with him 100%. They are cheaters and don't deserve to be enshrined with greats like Christy Mathewson, Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, and Willie Mays.
Baseball isn't the only sport affected by PEDs. The much under appreciated sport of cycling has been tarnished with an unimaginable number of champions being stripped of their medals. The most known scandal is Lance Armstrong. Armstrong stood as role model for millions of people worldwide, including myself, with his inspiring story, collection of championships, and for all the work he has done for cancer through his Livestrong campaign. The disappointment I felt when his doping came public left me to take off my Livestrong bracelet for good. Armstrong may have helped fight cancer, but after it came out that he cheated, I no longer admired him, as I realized that you really can't believe in anyone anymore.
Football has been forever ruined in a more serious way. They have endangered lives. In the 1970's and '80s, lineman weren't 250 pounds and didn't run a 4.8. Though the league may have exterminated steroids, the style of play has changed, as those guys injecting themselves in the locker room became monsters, leading other clean or upcoming players to feel the need to match their strength. Now, the injury rate has risen and the game simply isn't safe anymore. One big example is Junior Seau. Though he was never diagnosed with a concussion, Seau, who committed suicide last May, may have experienced trauma, and now his brain his being examined by scientists. I don't know if Seau ever used steroids, but the main issue is the game has simply gotten too big. Fans may enjoy the spine wrenching hits, but the next time you see J.J. Watt take a running back's ankles out from underneath him, remember why Watt is able do that, and why football has become a Greek myth with Minotaurs and Cyclopes lined up in a 3-4 package.
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