Doesn’t the United States Congress have more important issues than steroids in professional baseball to talk about?

Millions of Americans are losing their homes. Millions are losing their jobs. Thousands of Americans are losing their lives fighting in wars. The national deficit is in the billions of dollars. Social Security is reportedly running out of money. The minimum wage is $5.85 an hour. Then there’s global warming, crime, natural disasters . . . you get the idea?

Somehow, I believe that Congress should use their time more productively than questioning people about what professional athlete shot up what, and when.

'I guess our government cares more about entertainment than it does the welfare of the average citizen'


What many seem to be failing to realize is that there is indeed a culture of steroid use in professional sports, especially baseball. These athletes have probably been plied with steroids since they were 12 or 13 years old in order to compete and be the best. 

Sure, it’s important to test for performance enhancers now and punish offenders, but you simply cannot apply this punishment retroactively. If there were no accepted culture of steroid use in baseball then baseball would not be lagging sadly behind every other sport in testing. They didn’t want to stop the 95 m.p.h. fast balls or the 400-foot home runs that draw millions of people to the ball parks.

We should also think about this: If we feel that steroids give an unfair advantage, can we prove precisely who received the advantage? What if the pitcher and the hitter were both on steroids? What if the hitter and the shortstop who snagged his hot shot were both on steroids? What if the base runner and the catcher who tried to throw him out stealing second base were both on steroids? Where does the unfairness start?

In the 60s, 70s and 80s the side effects of steroids were not widely known. Now that they are, we cannot start giving them to young athletes and not tolerate them in the pro leagues.

Furthermore, this whole investigation is much like closing the barn door after the horse has escaped. Roger Clemens is retired now. We can’t go back and strip him of his accomplishments. Any more than Rafael Palmiero, Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds should be stripped of their places in baseball history. And Debbie Clemens? Anyone pay her to play a sport? Then why do we care?  She can inject herself every day if she wants to. Congress doesn’t need to know about it.  She can talk to her doctor if she starts growing extra appendages.

Look at the time and money the United States government is spending on this issue. Now the indictment against Barry Bonds had to be refiled. So much wasted effort for something ever so meaningless.

Can we remember that pro sports are games? Can we remember that pro sports are nothing but entertainment and that pro athletes are just highly paid entertainers?  (Entertainers who sing and play instruments take drugs and we still watch them, so do we have a double standard here?)

Thousands of spectators gather in some type of stadium or arena and watch performances. This has been going on since the times of the ancient Greeks. Were the Greeks forming councils to decide if one gladiator had chewed on a special leaf to win his battle? This author does not know for sure, but I’ve never read about any such council. Chances are the councils in ancient Greece met to talk about land and labor. You know, important topics that affected everybody. 

Roger Clemens taking HGH or steroids does not affect all of the citizens of this nation. Some people don’t know who he is and millions more don’t care. I guess our government cares more about entertainment than it does the welfare of the average citizen.

All of the citizens are however, affected by Social Security. With the powers that be reporting that Social Security will be bankrupt in X number of years, why don’t they spend this money and effort fixing the problem? Where is the commission on Social Security?

If there is one already then why not another one, and another one until no one can say today’s workers won’t have Social Security money when they retire.

Steroids in baseball shouldn’t be last on the list of things Congress commissions about. It shouldn’t be on the list at all.