Steroids

I’ve stayed silent on the matter of steroids in sports for the most part, and I’m going to brief on the topic today. I think, in general, too much is made of Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa and the like for cheating. Sure, they got a competetive edge, but frankly, you still need to be immensely talented to get to the point where steroids can put you over the top. Look at Jason Grimsly.
Additionally, it would be hypocritical to look down upon those who use chemicals to elevate their performance. Countless musicians and artists wouldn’t be where they were without LSD, marijuana and others. Heck, I worked an overnight last night, and there would have been no chance of my making it through the night had I not had a healthy dose of caffeine.
No, the issue shouldn’t be the cheating. The issue should be that steroids are illegal. The Chris Benoit story should make it very clear that the issue is the resulting health issues, both physical and mental. Major League Baseball isn’t even the spor that should be at the forefront of this movement. The NFL should lead the way. It’s a league where it’s pretty much assumed that everyone is on some sort of drug, and it also throws the greatest number of violent nuts back into society.
Hopefully the Benoit tragedy will shift the focus away from the records Bonds is trying to break, and perhaps refocus the attention on players and the young fans who hope to emulate them. In the end, the health of these people is more important than a number