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tk13 · 03-27-2005, 02:08 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/11239926.htm

No 'roid rage in football?

In tainted sports scene, baseball stance hypocritical

JASON WHITLOCK

So now we're supposed to believe that American sports — and American society — lost their innocence because baseball players used steroids to hit home runs.

Repeat after me, please, and say it loud: American sports have never been innocent, and America's capitalistic society has a built-in set of checks and balances because we know unfettered competition for money breeds corruption.

So, Sports Illustrated, spare me the whining about the congressional hearings on steroids and baseball. Spare me the whining about the lost summer of '98 and what to do with your scrapbook.

I was a college football player at the same time as Tony Mandarich, the man Sports Illustrated lauded in April of 1989 as the “best offensive line prospect ever.” The magazine plastered a shirtless Mandarich across its cover and called the 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle “The Incredible Bulk.”

“Roidhead” is what we called him, the guy was so obviously juiced. But no one cared then. SI certainly didn't. It had a magazine to sell and a football player to promote.

I don't get the hypocrisy. Steroids (or performance-enhancing drugs) and football go together like peanut butter and jelly. But there's no outrage. New Orleans Saints coach Jim Haslett, an NFL linebacker in the 1980s, said last week that he juiced while he was a player, and he claimed the Steelers' dynasty was built on steroids.

I'd bet 15 percent to 20 percent of the NFL Hall of Fame players during the 1970s and 1980s used steroids at some time in their careers.

No one cares. I guarantee you there are more high school football players juicing than baseball players. No one cares. The government and Barry Bonds' alleged disgruntled mistress are cooking up a criminal case to send Bonds to jail before he surpasses Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

But the governor of Bonds' home state, California, wouldn't be governor without the benefits of steroids. Arnold Schwarzenegger, an admitted steroid user as a bodybuilder and another SI cover boy, became a celebrity in the 1980s thanks to steroids. It wasn't until he became a political figure that he strongly spoke against steroids.

Why the hypocrisy? Why the double standard?

It's all about a stupid record and the man who was about to break it. We can't hold a legitimate conversation about steroids and performance-enhancing drugs because America doesn't want to see Barry Bonds surpass Babe Ruth (and Hank Aaron).

That's it. It doesn't have anything to do with kids killing themselves or damaging their bodies with steroids. Kids, particularly football-playing kids, have been doing that for more than two decades. The steroid users on my college teams didn't hide it. There was no reason to. Heck, you could end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the best prospect ever if you used steroids correctly.

We were fine with Mark McGwire overtaking Roger Maris for the single-season record. McGwire looked the part. He was the boy-next-door type. No grandstanding reporter confronted McGwire in front of his locker and asked him to fill up a urine cup. The Andro bottle in his locker didn't stop the celebration either.

Had McGwire stayed in the game and kept hitting home runs at a record rate, if he were around today to battle Bonds for Ruth's record (and, yes, I said Ruth's), I'm not sure we'd be talking about steroids today. We would be calling Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti liars. We would be ignoring the steroid issue the way we have in football, basketball, hockey and most other sports.

We wouldn't be debating the stiffness of major-league baseball's steroid penalties. We'd accept them and believe the game is moving past its problems, the same way the NFL did.

But the home-run record seems to have a special significance. Nothing's really changed. America was none too happy when Aaron surpassed Ruth. Aaron, a black man like Bonds, didn't look the part. I'm sorry. I know it makes people uncomfortable. But race is a component of the hysteria surrounding steroids now. We conveniently ignored the issue for years when we were more comfortable with the abusers.

We're uncomfortable with Bonds because he's surly, unrepentant and black. He's being chased from the game. I'm probably foolish, but I don't expect Bonds to play again. He'll hide behind injuries and try to duck out of the game … if he's smart.

03-27-2005, 02:08 AM	Topic Starter
tk13 ... tk13's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2001	Whitlock: No roid rage in football? http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/11239926.htm No 'roid rage in football? In tainted sports scene, baseball stance hypocritical JASON WHITLOCK So now we're supposed to believe that American sports — and American society — lost their innocence because baseball players used steroids to hit home runs. Repeat after me, please, and say it loud: American sports have never been innocent, and America's capitalistic society has a built-in set of checks and balances because we know unfettered competition for money breeds corruption. So, Sports Illustrated, spare me the whining about the congressional hearings on steroids and baseball. Spare me the whining about the lost summer of '98 and what to do with your scrapbook. I was a college football player at the same time as Tony Mandarich, the man Sports Illustrated lauded in April of 1989 as the “best offensive line prospect ever.” The magazine plastered a shirtless Mandarich across its cover and called the 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle “The Incredible Bulk.” “Roidhead” is what we called him, the guy was so obviously juiced. But no one cared then. SI certainly didn't. It had a magazine to sell and a football player to promote. I don't get the hypocrisy. Steroids (or performance-enhancing drugs) and football go together like peanut butter and jelly. But there's no outrage. New Orleans Saints coach Jim Haslett, an NFL linebacker in the 1980s, said last week that he juiced while he was a player, and he claimed the Steelers' dynasty was built on steroids. I'd bet 15 percent to 20 percent of the NFL Hall of Fame players during the 1970s and 1980s used steroids at some time in their careers. No one cares. I guarantee you there are more high school football players juicing than baseball players. No one cares. The government and Barry Bonds' alleged disgruntled mistress are cooking up a criminal case to send Bonds to jail before he surpasses Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. But the governor of Bonds' home state, California, wouldn't be governor without the benefits of steroids. Arnold Schwarzenegger, an admitted steroid user as a bodybuilder and another SI cover boy, became a celebrity in the 1980s thanks to steroids. It wasn't until he became a political figure that he strongly spoke against steroids. Why the hypocrisy? Why the double standard? It's all about a stupid record and the man who was about to break it. We can't hold a legitimate conversation about steroids and performance-enhancing drugs because America doesn't want to see Barry Bonds surpass Babe Ruth (and Hank Aaron). That's it. It doesn't have anything to do with kids killing themselves or damaging their bodies with steroids. Kids, particularly football-playing kids, have been doing that for more than two decades. The steroid users on my college teams didn't hide it. There was no reason to. Heck, you could end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the best prospect ever if you used steroids correctly. We were fine with Mark McGwire overtaking Roger Maris for the single-season record. McGwire looked the part. He was the boy-next-door type. No grandstanding reporter confronted McGwire in front of his locker and asked him to fill up a urine cup. The Andro bottle in his locker didn't stop the celebration either. Had McGwire stayed in the game and kept hitting home runs at a record rate, if he were around today to battle Bonds for Ruth's record (and, yes, I said Ruth's), I'm not sure we'd be talking about steroids today. We would be calling Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti liars. We would be ignoring the steroid issue the way we have in football, basketball, hockey and most other sports. We wouldn't be debating the stiffness of major-league baseball's steroid penalties. We'd accept them and believe the game is moving past its problems, the same way the NFL did. But the home-run record seems to have a special significance. Nothing's really changed. America was none too happy when Aaron surpassed Ruth. Aaron, a black man like Bonds, didn't look the part. I'm sorry. I know it makes people uncomfortable. But race is a component of the hysteria surrounding steroids now. We conveniently ignored the issue for years when we were more comfortable with the abusers. We're uncomfortable with Bonds because he's surly, unrepentant and black. He's being chased from the game. I'm probably foolish, but I don't expect Bonds to play again. He'll hide behind injuries and try to duck out of the game … if he's smart.
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