ISP James

so MLB fan or not, everybody should have an opinion on this topic.

In light of the new MLB steroid policy, i am interested in knowing where people stand on the following:

MLB is said to have pushed this new policy through to avoid congressional legislation.

in your mind should congress be able to legislate steroid use in MLB - a non publicly run and owned business?

and if you think that it is okay, should they also be able to legislate drug testing in all business? (performance enhancers need not be the only ones considered, also marijuana, cocaine, and any other illegal and testable substance)

e3NiNe

Look at the major corperations. Without government based audits, Enron and World Coms would still be in operation. With all the scandal and wrong doings, they'd still be up and running ... posting fake figures and stealing money.

Look at the airlines. Without government aid, planes would be airborn bombs.

If the business operates within the US, then the US government should have some part in restricting illegal operations.

ISP James

so should they come into your workplace and run drug tests? i mean your place of work is within the US borders... :dunno:

e3NiNe

Drug tests are given by companies only because the substances used by the common employee doesn't enhance performance at the office. If I'm high on weed, floored on e, or seeing rainbows with acid ... that does nothing but hurt the company.

In the MLB, the drugs used are substances that actually attract an audience. Roids help players hit homeruns, homeruns puts asses in seats, asses in seats are dollars. In theory, there is no motivation to take roids out of the game because it's actually helping the company, rather than hurt it financailly.

At the end of the day, the MLB only cares about money ... records, HOF, those are all things that are side effects of being a player.

k3ifers

ive done some pretty good work while being high.. but beyond that. i just think congress should be doing other things.. the mlb can figure out what to do on their own

BonzoAPD

I think they are overstepping their bounds but are doing so to keep the image of baseball clean since many children view baseball players as role models and they wnat to set an example that steriods are bad.

ISP James

im more or less with you, i can think of ways i'd rather channel my tax dollars....

and no harm, no foul. if mlb doesnt want to take a proactive approach toward steroid use, i dont see how it is other peoples' problem. furthermore, if im a tax payer who couldnt give 2 shits about baseball - or any sport for that matter, how do i feel about my tax dollars going toward monitoring steroid usage in sports?

for that reason, id be interested in hearing what those HAN members who dont like baseball, or dont like sports have to say about congressional time and energy and federal tax dollars being contributed to these types of investigations.

e3NiNe

I just read it on espn.com yesterday, but the numbers are there to support that younger kids are now on steroids. It's actually an alarming number too. (*looking for it*)

If the MLB is glorifying cheaters and drug users, what kind of message does that send to the people who want to be in the pros? Bonds, Sosa, etc were all made heroes ... when it's fairly obvious that they were on illegal enhancers.

If I'm some kid trying to make it ... one guy is on roids and he has an advantage, why the hell would I stay clean? I won't make it in the pros, I won't get that contract, I won't have anything else to do in life. There is no motivation to keep me from steroids.

The fact is, the MLB wasn't proactive. The NFL was proactive. They got their act together and have been the benchmark towards substance abuse. The MLB let it slide for all these years because they knew they'd lose revenue. They knew that if they started to test right away, half their players would turn positive.

The MLB fought it for a year and gave players a way to clean up with notice. They didn't want to admit it, but that's what happened.

and this is true.

Think outside of the sports world ... what kind of effect does this have on the younger generation knowing that cheating doesn't work anymore? will this save lives? moral impact?

ISP James

what about hollywood? if my 10 year old son is watching Jason Giambi go yard game after game after game, he just sees an amazing baseball player, not some guy that juiced up.

when he see's that Chris Farley, Jimi Hendrix, John Belushi all died from drug use, there is no hiding it.

so my point being, to adults and other players its plainly obvious that these guys are on drugs. but for young kids that look at sluggers as role models, they dont see that, they see heros.

dont get me wrong, i dont think steroids are good for baseball, football, hockey, hell even WWE. but i think that congress needs to watch the line that they cross, they are toeing the edge of a slippery slope.

e3NiNe

this is just from an outside point of view ...

If congress was any bit wrong, why did the MLB completely cave in? There was absolutely no compromise in this solution.