Who Is It Hurting?

After reading an article that Michael Hogan wrote for Vanity Fair magazine about baseball and steroids, I honestly don’t know what side of the fence I am on. Hogan’s article comes after players like Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids. Hogan suggestion seems to come out of left field at first but when considered, it almost smacks you in the face. Hogan asks, “Should the ban on steroids be reconsidered.” He suggests that there are a lot of things wrong with baseball already such as “infielders missing tags that are ruled outs, outfielders trapping the ball in their gloves for outs, and base runners trying to take out the middle infielder.” Hogan feels that there will always be performance-enhancing drugs in baseball and that there is nothing can be done to stop it. There are far more players who get by with taking the drugs than there are that are caught. Health risks are mentioned but Hogan suggests those risk may be puffed up. Then there is the fact that those who don’t use the stuff still do things to their bodies that give them an edge in the sport. Hogan comments on baseball being pure and implies that one can only find that a local high school game. One bold statement made by Hogan is that deep down we all want to see the “biggest, baddest, and the strongest” the sport has to offer. To conclude his article, Hogan suggest for everyone “to relax, it’s only a game.” (“Should Baseball Give in and Allow Steroids?“)

At first glance, I thought who in their right mind would suggest such a thing. When reading this article, I begin to agree with Hogan on the fact that so many guys are looking for an edge, something that catapult them into the top of their sport. Hogan admits “I’m not happy about the seemingly widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. If I could wave a magic wand and make it go away, I certainly would.” (“Should Baseball Give in and Allow Steroids?“) It seems that the problem of steroids is more complicated than that. We can just test everyone, every single day. As more and more drugs become accessible, test will have to be revised to catch the latest ones on the market. What is one to do? Do we turn our backs or do we eliminate each drugs user one by one no matter what damage it does to the sport. Are there more important issues that baseball could focus on?

Maybe there is no “pure baseball” anymore, at least not on the pro level. So many athletes do abuse their bodies to be stronger and faster. Are they doing it for us? Do we set the bar as to what a superior athlete is? Maybe the blame could be placed on more than the user. We want our team to win so we challenge the players to improve. As fans, we want our team to be the best and win the ultimate prize “A World Championship”. If we just sit back and watch the players do what they do best and enjoy the homeruns and antics of the game, what are we losing? Let’s not ask about steroids or performance-enhancing drugs. After all, we are not the ones paying for it.

Hogan, Michael. “Should Baseball Give in and Allow Steroids?” Vanity Fair. 7 May 2009. Web. 1 Apr. 2010.

<http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/05/should-baseball-give-in-and-allow-steroids.html>.

Who’s Paying For It?

The New Yorker publishes an article written by Ben McGrath were McGrath describes opening day in the new Yankee stadium. He comments on Yogi Berra throwing out the first pitch and a ten-piece band playing “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, which McGrath states that “song is the unofficial theme song of the Boston Red Sox.” He mentions that the new stadium cost one and a half billion dollars to build and was built right across the street from the old stadium. The new stadium has a Babe Ruth Plaza, Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, and Jim Beam Suite Lounges. Seats that cost twenty-six-hundred-dollars suggest only the wealthy will have the pleasure of seeing this stadium. McGrath explains about running transcripts which are a new feature that appear on the outfield scoreboards. Included in these transcripts are prompts for the crowd to cheer or boo the players. McGrath goes on to mention the price tag for a Philly cheese steak, citrus slaw, nachos, a hotdog, and beer. Also mentioned is the art gallery that is found on the field level with paintings from a German-born pop artist. In a game were the Yankees are hosting the Indians from Cleveland, McGrath mentions that two cardiologists left in the seventh inning while the Yankees were trailing by nines runs. Theses cardiologists finishing viewing the game at a nearby bowling alley were they received free Heinekens. To conclude the events for the night, McGrath acknowledges that the Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, was escorted on the field in a golf cart and proclaimed that the new ball park was “beautiful.” (“Yankees For Sale”).

While I admit that we sometimes get excited about something new being built, one can’t help but wonder if we go overboard when building these new stadiums. By adding all the latest technology, the price tag obliviously will skyrocket. McGrath states “The average ticket price is up seventy-six per cent” in this new stadium. (“Yankees For Sale”). What average family can afford to take the kids to see their beloved heroes that are adorned in pinstripes? I realize that maybe the old ball park had its share of flaws and repairs that needed to be made, but was building this stadium during a struggling economy such a good idea? Families have so much stress that comes along with working and trying to just survive life’s curveballs. A night out watching their favorite baseball team might be what the doctor ordered to relax and spend time together. With the demand of new stadiums and higher salaries, have we taken this pleasure away from the traditional American family?

When describing this “one and a half billion dollar stadium”, words like sports bar and lounges seem to boast of luxury. McGrath mentions a “couple of cardiologists” that were at the game. This maybe the clientele that this new stadium was intended to attract. Gone are the blue collar fathers who get off early to take their sons to watch nine innings of America’s beloved game. With all the glamour and publicity that was built in the new Yankee stadium, is the focus more on the facility than the actual game itself? The season of spring welcomes new life and sunnier days; it also means that baseball is active everywhere in every small town, USA. Children are playing little league and fathers are volunteering their time as coaches. Let’s bring family back to baseball and rid our stadiums of luxury boxes and sport lounges.

McGrath, Ben. “Yankees For Sale.” The New Yorker 27 Apr. 2009. The New Yorker. 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2010.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/04/27/090427ta_talk_mcgrath