North Star Writers Group

Steroids have created quite the debacle in the world of sports. Aside from the court battles and the ridiculous stampede for enhancers that are either still legal or at least undetectable, an increasing percentage of professional athletes are professionally disagreeable. There is a darkness surrounding both steroids and the athletes who use them. Fewer and fewer athletes are anything close to good role models, and I wonder why?

Allow me to suggest something. It’s not the “juice”.

Steroids are like atomic energy. While their discovery had both pros and cons, since neither is on the precipice of extinction we must learn to cope. We’re doing a bit of a lousy job of it.

To save time, realize most would label my philosophies “extreme”. I think adults should be free to do whatever they want with their bodies, as long as they’re not directly affecting anyone else. While most usage of non-medically obtained drugs is probably foolish, this should not inevitably trigger legislation. It ought to trigger awareness. In my limited experience, I’ve discovered that when you give people a choice, they are more prone to use their brains. As Jennifer Aniston’s boss suggested in Office Space, “We encourage that.”

Concerning everyday life, I cannot understand how the government gets off relieving a person of his/her right to put stuff in their bodies. If you prefer rules for your own temple, by all means make ‘em. But leave mine alone.

However, sports are different. They are not government-run (aside from a few unfortunate crossovers). Owners of private companies can legislate however they want. Here’s the problem. The owners, like most people, think like this: “Steroids are unnatural, unhealthy and unfair for the clean athletes. You have to ban them.” But the situation is not so clear.

Steroids are not as unnatural as most think, especially when compared to other established sports techniques which have endured almost no scrutiny from the media.

Athletes who use steroids can exercise for longer without tiring. Steroids do not directly affect muscle growth. Unlike weight-loss pills that allow you to “lose weight while you sleep,” athletes who use steroids have to work harder in order to bulk up. Their muscles don’t inflate automatically. In reality, steroids are not quite as “unnatural” as many assume.

Patrick Hruby, an ESPN columnist, asks what makes steroids more unnatural than Lasik eye-surgery (like Tiger Woods), or Tommy John surgery? Tommy John surgery consists of replacing a ligament in the medial elbow with a tendon from somewhere else on the body, such as the forearm, hamstring, or foot. Pitchers who have undergone this surgery have consistently been able to throw the ball harder. An increasing number of pitchers are using the surgery, notable pitchers such as Cubs’ pitcher Kerry Wood and White Sox’ reliever Billy Koch. What about Barry Bonds’ padded arm protector which allows him to crowd the plate? What about tinted sunglasses? What about the pine tar players use on bats to improve their grip? One could hardly consider these tactics “natural”.

At the very least, there appears to be severe inconsistency in the realm of sports legislation.

“Cleaning up the sport” does not require more effective testing. It will require a reconsideration of what is fair and what is unfair, what is natural and unnatural. Either way, I consider the said methods of gaining an edge on the competition as symptoms of a much greater evil than science and technology. Steroids are not the real problem, and quite frankly, they are not even the real eyesore. I could handle watching a bubble-headed creature crush a ball into McCovey Cove with my child. This is not the ultimate ugliness.

After having read excerpts from Game of Shadows, the upcoming book claiming the real story of Barry Bonds, one idea resounded the loudest – an idea which has grown more and more evident in the era of home runs and highlight reels. A desperate quest for personal glory is much uglier than the drugs that get you there.

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