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| Chuck Burton/AP |
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is threatening to place Rodriguez on lifetime suspension for his flagrant violations and many industry insiders agree that his abuse warrants that penalty. Other players face 50-game suspensions for their illegal drug use, but Rodriguez must agree to a much longer ban to stay in the game.
Many baseball fans regard A-Rod, as he is affectionately known, one of the all-time greats. He has a huge following and an equally large ego to match. He appears confident that he will not suffer any ill effects for his frequent use of drugs designed to improve his performance, which makes this blogger wonder about the accuracy of his statistics. He hit 647 home runs in his career, was named MVP 3 times, and played in 14 All Star games. Would he have achieved all of those honors without the drugs?
At best, his behavior causes disappointment; at worst, he has set a poor example for aspiring baseball players by sending a message that fame and fortune trump integrity. He joins many other sports figures who have crossed the line. Most readers will remember that Pete Rose was banned for 8-10 years for gambling on baseball, and more recently, Lance Armstrong was banned for life because of his consistent denials of doping during the Tour de France. Armstrong recently said the race was impossible to win without doping. If that's true, why have others won without drugs?
Winning at all costs is now commonplace in all professional sports. Even the exalted Olympics has been plagued with scandals related to performance-enhancing drugs, and, equally as disgusting, dishonest judges. What's the point of a contest if cheating is widely tolerated? The athletes of decades past played for the love of the sport. Today, it's all about the money. It's time to examine the purpose of paying so-called "stars" such exorbitant salaries that they'll resort to doing anything to climb to the top of heap.
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