Column:
House steriod hearings a trite political stunt
Published April 8, 2005
Maybe it's a consequence of having grown up in two cities that are naturally devoid of baseball heritage, but somehow, America's pastime never broke into my consciousness, much less became my pastime.
Denver, my home town, has a baseball team that many could consider hopelessly subpar, and New Orleans, where I spent much of my time as a youth, has no major league baseball team.
So, the ridiculous enthusiasm surrounding baseball in Missouri floored me when I came here in September. Who were these people who watched baseball — not only watched it, but enthusiastically supported it, amassing in crowds every time a St. Louis Cardinals game was on?
What was this insane animosity between Cardinals and Chicago Cubs fans? I was shocked to see that America's pastime wasn't as dead as I thought. I'd just been living in the wrong parts of the country.
Imagine my surprise when baseball found its way into the U.S. House Government Reform Committee in the form of hearings about steroid abuse. Baseball, it seems, is a pastime so important, so American, that it merits time and attention from lawmakers. Although I might not understand baseball, and I might completely fail to understand the intensity of the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry, politics I do understand. Baseball — and sports in general — should not be taking the time of federal legislators, who should be spending their time on more important issues. (Of course, this doesn't mean they will, as the Terri Schiavo case showed.)
Major League Baseball is, at its core, an industry, and it should be responsible for policing its players by itself. The federal government should not be wasting taxpayers' dollars investigating the image of an industry, even if the industry happens to be at the heart of American culture.
Jose Canseco, who wrote the memoir that started this mess, said, "I think it would be a major mistake to let the league police itself, no ifs or buts about it. We'll be back here quicker than quick."
But the problem I see is one of a ridiculous obsession with an image. Steroid use, for the most part, is illegal unless prescribed, and all baseball players caught using steroids should face the full penalty of the law. This does not seem to be the goal of the House hearings.
So far, the steroid hearings seem like a farce, a political ploy by legislators and baseballs owners trying to clean up baseball's image and impress Americans at the same time. "Look, constituents, we care about upstanding morals in America," legislators seem to be saying.
Going after baseball, however, is a trite move on their part. Ultimately, whether baseball players are misleading fans with their steroid use is a trite question. Although legislators claim the trial arose out of concern for high school and college players who might feel pressure to use steroids, it all has the feel of a cheap publicity stunt.
Of course, having grown up in relative ignorance of baseball culture, there's something here I just can't understand. Still, I believe there are better things for the House to be doing than prosecuting baseball players who already receive too much attention.
I know, however, that one thing will come of this investigation: Canseco is sure going to sell more books.