Legalize Steroids in Sports

"Steroids are a huge problem in sports. Steroids are a serious health problem today and lead to heart disease, brain tumors, strokes, and even death."

Those are statements you hear almost everyday. They're beaten to death by the media, teachers, public officials, friends, and maybe even family. But none of them are true. There is no evidence that steroids lead to any of these things.

Steroids are blamed for former professional wrestler Chris Benoit killing himself and his family. But according to University of Wisconsin bioethicist Norman Fost, there is no documented correlation between steroids and brain tumors.

Many so called "experts" and doctors claim that steroids lead to heart attacks. Many say things such as, "it's possible and probable" that steroids are associated with hearth disease. But that's all they can ever say. There's no evidence whatsoever. Unlike smoking, where there is substantial evidence between it and lung cancer, there are no long-term studies that show steroids cause those diseases.

Steroids may not be completely safe, but why single out steroids? Every single over-the-counter drug has it's side effects. Tylenol can lead to ulcers and asthma. What's to say steroids is worse for you? Or even smoking? Drinking beer? Or what about texting/talking on the phone while driving? People put their lives in danger all the time.

I truly believe adults should have the freedom to harm their bodies and steroids should be just another personal choice; Whether it be steroids, smoking, alcohol or whatever, as long as they're not threatening anybody else.

A lot of the stories you hear about athletes killing themselves because of steroids are bogus. There is no evidence steroids lead to Chris Benoit's death and his supposed "roid rage".

But what about the "cheating" factor you might say? There's plenty of other things athletes do to gain a competitive edge over their opponents. What about the slippery swimsuits for swimmers? What about the new special contacts that help shade the sun for baseball players? What about Tiger Woods improving his eye sight to 20/15 with special lasik surgery?

Don't get me wrong, professional sports leagues should be allowed to ban these substances all they want, but congress and our government have no business being involved in any of this.

But what I am trying to get at is that the steroids argument is overblown and is no worse for you than alcohol or smoking, among numerous other things.

Steroids aren't the problem, rather it's the people suggesting they're a problem.

A-Rod truly is A-Fraud

I don't know if anyone else caught A-Rod's press conference yesterday but it had to have been the biggest crock of crap I've ever seen. The man read off of a piece of paper for crying out loud! About the only thing he had going for him was the fact that he didn't look Orange this time...Watch this in case you missed it:

Like I said the guy read off of a piece of paper, which was probably prepared by his crisis management specialist. And there weren't even follow-up questions allowed. WHAT A JOKE!

A-Roid constantly mentions that he was so young and naive and etc. This is such a joke. Does he really expect us to believe that he let his cousin inject him with something he didn't even know what it was!? Injecting himself with a mystery substance that he didn't know the effects it would have or even how exactly to use it? He's stupid, but not that stupid. I also really liked how he said the reason why he didn't disclose on his cousin right away was that he first called him and talked about it. Yeah that's called deciding on the story they were going to tell. Just seems wrong to me.

And how about that address to his teammates? That horrendous 37 second pause was nearly unbearable. I would almost guarantee that he practiced that act in front of the mirror for the last couple days. This man is the T.O. of Major League Baseball. He wants us to judge his legacy from this day forward. All i have to say is good luck with that because I am not impressed and I don't think that many people bought into what A-Roid said in the interview.

Counting down 2007: A year of Scandal

Here are my top 7 sports scandals in 2007 counted down from 7 to 1.

7. Marion Jones' Fall from Grace

In October, seven years after winning a record five Olympic track and field medals at the Sydney Games, and after years of passionately denying that she had ever taken performance-enhancing drugs, Marion Jones pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about her use of steroids. The spectacular fall from grace by the woman who was the golden girl of the Sydney Olympics culminated in the return of the five medals she won at those Games. Jones will be sentenced in Jan. 11.

6. Sean Taylor Murdered in His Home

Just as 2007 began with the grim news of an NFL player cut down in his prime (Darrent Williams), so did the year end. In early December, football mourned the loss of Washington Redskins standout safety Sean Taylor, who was shot and killed in his Miami home by armed intruders whose apparent motive was robbery. Taylor, the father of a baby girl, was only 24. This came as a shock to the league and a team who was/is in the heat of the playoff hunt. Taylor was winning the probowl race at his position and just this week was announced as the winner of the starting spot. He left a family and a game, and he had so much left to give to both.

5. Barry Bonds Indicted

Barry Bonds became baseball's all-time home run king on Aug. 7, when he passed Hank Aaron by hitting career home run number 756. The record is considered tainted by myself along with many in the game who believe Bonds used steroids. On Nov. 16 the slugger was indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges for allegedly lying to a federal jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Dec. 7 and remains the face of baseball's ongoing steroids investigation.

4. Mike Vick Goes Down for Dogfighting

In one of the ugliest episodes of a crime-ridden year for the NFL, Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was exposed for his role in a dogfighting operation. Vick pleaded guilty to federal felony dogfighting charges and started serving his sentence in November. Vick could also be tried in Virginia on state-level felony charges. His football career is definitely in jeopardy.

3. NBA Gambling Scandal

When NBA referee Tim Donaghy was exposed for betting on games and providing confidential information to others, league commissioner David Stern called the crisis the "worst situation" he'd experienced in basketball. Donaghy pleaded guilty in August to two felony charges. The whole situation was a well-publicized mess and gave sportsfans just another turnoff to the NBA.

2. Spygate

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was apparently breaking NFL rules by videotaping signals that New York Jets' coaches relayed to their players during a Sept. 9 showdown in the Meadowlands. The incident, dubbed "Spygate," led to the Patriots being stripped of a first-round draft pick and a $500,000 fine for Belichick. The Patriots are definately a dynasty, but is the team's reputation now tarnished? I say yes, but it depends on who you ask.

1. The Mitchell Report

Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada,Andy Pettitte, and Eric Gagne, amongst many others, were named in the long-awaited Mitchell Report on Dec. 13, 2007. It was largely an All-Star roster linked to steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs that put a question mark, if not an asterisk, next to some of baseball's biggest players and moments. We have still yet to see or hear what reprecussions will come of the report. However, I personally feel it is a step in the right direction for upholding the integrity of the game.

Atleast I Can Blog When I Have the Wind Knocked Out of Me

I wonder if The Babe knew. Everytime he rubbed his face, he was stabbing the game that he (Ruth) loved and protected in the back.

A punch in the gut is the only way that I can describe my feeling for Roger Clemens association with steroids. I hate steroids and cheating and love the game of baseball. I was very excited for the Mitchell investigation to come out because I felt like it was a necessary step to protecting the integrity of the game that we all love.

I was expecting a lot of names to be mentioned. There were a handful of names that I, in fact, really wanted to be mentioned. Roger Clemens was definitely not one of them. There were also names that I wasn't expecting at all, like Chuck Knoblach. I guess this explains his inability to throw from 2nd to 1st, and is almost humorous.

I always liked Roger Clemens. The only thing I ever had against him was the fact that he played(S) for the Yankees. I always admired his talent and renown work-ethic. This changes everything. How sad is it that the best hitter and pitcher of our generation (who could both be argued as the best all-time respectively) have both been named as users of performance-enhancing drugs? I just can't get over it. I knew Bonds would be on there and all you readers know how I feel about him and his steroid use. Now, I assume these accusations and findings are going to have to be proved in court for anything significant to happen, but just the fact that Roger Clemens has 9 pages of the report dedicated to him, including personal testaments to injecting him.

Where can baseball and baseball fans go from here? Well as a fan this certainly changes my perspective on a lot of players out there, especially Mr. Clemens. I've always felt like a large part of the blame should be pinned on Mr. Selig and MLB officials who, in the 90's, knew this was happening, but let it slide. It is true that they harbored this mess but the players chose to cheat. Whether you are a Chuck Knoblach or a Roger Clemens, you chose to cheat and to associate yourself with cheating. As a fan I'm a little upset about Mitchell's findings but I'm also very anxious to see what Mr. Selig and MLB will do about this report.

I hope that this is what turns the game around. While I am shocked and disappointed I am, in a sense, a bit relieved. This was the right thing and this was what needed to happen to protect the integrity of the game. I hope that every move from here on out is a step in the right direction.