Baseball Is Entertainment

There’s been a lot of hubbub in the news about illegal steroid use among major league baseball players. I don’t see what the big deal is. First of all, major league sports is an entertainment business not much different than Hollywood. It’s all about image and success, so everyone uses whatever they can to their own advantage. How is a baseball player using steroids to improve his performance any different than a movie star having plastic surgery or implants to improve his or her career opportunities? The bottom line is to make money by entertaining people. It seems hypocritical to say one is wrong and the other is not. What’s interesting though is that the majority of the people named in Mitchell’s report are not star players. So, it would seem that it takes more than steroid use to help you perform at your best. You obviously have to have some abilities as well.

Second, illegal and legal steroids are the main issue. What makes steroids illegal? The FDA seems to have all the control over that determination. Alternative medicine has a lot of benefits, but the FDA has taken control of something that I don’t think they ought to be involved in. Nutritional supplements can be good or bad, but so can pharmaceutical drugs. More of those kill people every year than any nutritional supplement ever has.

Everyone knows there are risks associated with taking steroids. As long as someone knows what those risks are, it’s their choice, so I don’t think it’s the government’s business. Isn’t it interesting that the government says you have a choice when it comes to abortion, but not when it comes to other aspects of your physical body’s health?