by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 17, 2005
All Rights Reserved.

ragged into the U.S. Congress, Major League Baseball is now the latest victim of intrusive government, admonishing the sport for steroid abuse. Fingering baseball and overlooking football, basketball, hockey and boxing makes no sense. Just how widespread the abuse is anyone's guess. According to former major league slugger Jose Canseco, whose controversial best selling book “Juiced” blew the lid off the scandal, steroid abuse is ubiquitous. Canseco implicated numerous professional ball players including his one-time “bash-brother,” former homerun king Mark McGwire. “Major League Baseball and the players' association greeted the word of our inquiry first as a nuisance, then as a negotiation, replete with misstatements,” said House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.), reacting to opposition from MLB and the players' union.

  Nowhere is steroid abuse more rampant than professional bodybuilding. For years, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a seven-time Mr. Olympia, dismissed steroids as a part of the landscape in competitive bodybuilding. “I have no regrets about it, because at that time, it was something new that came on the market, and we went to the doctor and did it under doctor' supervision,” said Arnold, admitting steroid use during his bodybuilding career. Arnold knew that anabolic steroids gave him more muscle mass and better definition, something measured by judges in bodybuilding competitions. Arnold said he has “no regrets” but some wonder whether his 1997 heart valve replacement was due to years of steroid abuse. Arnold seemed to change his tune March 6, speaking to 4,000 guests at the “Arnold Classic” bodybuilding competition in Columbus, Ohio.

      Anabolic steroids or nutritional precursors have been an integral part of bodybuilding for over 40 years. Arnold decried drug abuse but didn't specifically denounce steroids prescribed under medical supervision. “We have to do even more in order to get of drugs from our sport once and for all; we have to do everything from A to Z,” said Schwarzenegger, failing to specifically finger steroids. Extraordinary steps taken by Congress were prompted by the death of 17-year-old Taylor Hooten of Plano, Texas who allegedly committed suicide while using steroids. “Players guilty of taking steroids are not only cheaters—you are cowards—said Donald Hooten, Taylor's father, blaming steroids for his son's death. Yet millions of people are prescribed steroids, both for legitimate medical conditions and for bodybuilding, without developing adverse reactions.

      Testifying before the House panel a nervous and tearful Mark McGwire refused to say whether he used steroids, insisting that he would not “participate in naming names.” He ridiculed Canseco's book in which Canseco admits to injecting “Big Mac” with steroids. Canseco's revelations were responsible for pulling up the carpet and exposing baseball's steroid problem, prompting congressional hearings. “What I will not do, however, is participate in naming names and implicating my friends and teammates,” said McGwire, confirming Canseco's contention that steroid abuse was rampant in major league baseball. Curt Schilling, the Boston Red Sox star World Series pitcher, also took a swipe at Canseco, telling the panel that Canseco's charges “should be seen for what they are: an attempt to make money at the expense of others.” Canseco didn't cause MLB's steroid problem—he exposed it.

      Congress has a real problem condemning major league baseball without scrutinizing sports medicine and the nutritional supplement industry. It's not illegal for licensed physicians to prescribe anabolic steroids or any other drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. MLB commissioner Bud Selig defended the league's new policy that metes out a $10,000 fine for first offenses. Committee co-chairman Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) wasn't happy with what he sees as lax drug testing policies, threatening tougher legislation. Calling MLB's sanctions “really puny,” former Hall of Fame pitcher Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) asked for tougher penalties. Bunning believes steroids taint baseball records, including Barry Bond's single-season homerun record. Bonds, who was excused from testifying, has been accused by Canseco and others of using steroids.

      Baseball's steroid controversy has spiraled out of control. Holding congressional hearings only adds to the steroid hysteria sweeping Washington. It's off-the-wall expecting MLB to adopt the same standards as amateur athletics or the International Olympic Committee. There's no scientific evidence that steroids improve hand-eye coordination needed to hit baseballs. There's also no evidence that bodybuilders get more strength, only improved definition and muscle mass. Treating steroids like street drugs denies the fact that they are FDA approved and routinely prescribed by licensed physicians. Before Congress goes over the deep end, it needs to ascertain the real risks and whether steroids really give ballplayers an unfair advantage. It's premature to blame suicide on steroids or, for that matter, whether they really do enhance performance.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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