steroidsCongress Hearings on Steroid Use in Baseball, Feb. 13
Today was a day of accusations. A day examining who said, he said, he did, she did, he didn't. I felt while reading through the espn blog on baseball that it was a kindergarten class without a parent to say "let's move on and say you're sorry." Come on!
It's truly a disappointment that something deemed as entertainment has captured the attention of congress when their are countless other issues that they SHOULD be dealing with. And while I am truly annoyed by these congressional hearings isn't this baseball's issue? If something is illegal in baseball--why hasn't baseball figured out how to manage this? They've dealt with scandals in the past. When there's an argument on the field players get tossed. When there are major problems players have been fine and suspended. Why isn't this happening now?
Ultimately the problem should be solved (and should have already been solved) by the commissioner and owner's of baseball. They hold the strings--the hiring and firing as well as the purse strings. And ultimately that's what it all comes down to is the purse. Because with the rise of the supposed and likely use of steroids in baseball, home-runs have skyrocketed, pitchers keep pitching and money keeps rolling in. Sure the player's union has made it difficult, but have they made it impossible? What if someone had said no in the mid 90's and demanded that baseball be cleaned up? Eventually someone would have had to come around, because the players would have wanted to play and owners would have wanted their teams to play. However, it appears that the owner's and the commissioner let the dollar signs guide their decisions--not integrity and certainly not ethics.
The sad thing is that while these hearings might hurt Clemens--true fans will still want to listen and watch baseball come April. I can hear that "take me out to the ballgame theme now." And even if it hurts MLB attendance initially at some point folks will forget and come back--because it's the sport that gets to people. While the drama behind the scenes now is ugly the drama on the field every season cannot be scripted any more beautifully. It's something that fans can cheer for, connect with and embrace.
So I guess what does that say about us all? That we want to win at any cost? That we're willing to bend the rules a little for the sake of a game? Or that we expect that baseball should be able to manage their own game that fans support, pay for, sweat for and dream about.
Baseball--take a stand.
Today was a day of accusations. A day examining who said, he said, he did, she did, he didn't. I felt while reading through the espn blog on baseball that it was a kindergarten class without a parent to say "let's move on and say you're sorry." Come on!
It's truly a disappointment that something deemed as entertainment has captured the attention of congress when their are countless other issues that they SHOULD be dealing with. And while I am truly annoyed by these congressional hearings isn't this baseball's issue? If something is illegal in baseball--why hasn't baseball figured out how to manage this? They've dealt with scandals in the past. When there's an argument on the field players get tossed. When there are major problems players have been fine and suspended. Why isn't this happening now?
Ultimately the problem should be solved (and should have already been solved) by the commissioner and owner's of baseball. They hold the strings--the hiring and firing as well as the purse strings. And ultimately that's what it all comes down to is the purse. Because with the rise of the supposed and likely use of steroids in baseball, home-runs have skyrocketed, pitchers keep pitching and money keeps rolling in. Sure the player's union has made it difficult, but have they made it impossible? What if someone had said no in the mid 90's and demanded that baseball be cleaned up? Eventually someone would have had to come around, because the players would have wanted to play and owners would have wanted their teams to play. However, it appears that the owner's and the commissioner let the dollar signs guide their decisions--not integrity and certainly not ethics.
The sad thing is that while these hearings might hurt Clemens--true fans will still want to listen and watch baseball come April. I can hear that "take me out to the ballgame theme now." And even if it hurts MLB attendance initially at some point folks will forget and come back--because it's the sport that gets to people. While the drama behind the scenes now is ugly the drama on the field every season cannot be scripted any more beautifully. It's something that fans can cheer for, connect with and embrace.
So I guess what does that say about us all? That we want to win at any cost? That we're willing to bend the rules a little for the sake of a game? Or that we expect that baseball should be able to manage their own game that fans support, pay for, sweat for and dream about.
Baseball--take a stand.
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