Jul 24, 2013
Every major sport in America needs players that are capable of doing amazing things within their respective sport. Whether it be jumping higher, running faster, hitting harder, or tackling harder, sports crave players that push the envelope with their athleticism. With all that in mind, it makes little sense for the MLB to crackdown on players for drug violations.
Among the most recent crackdowns was Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun. Braun, the NL MVP in 2011, will be suspended for the rest of the 2013 season due to a drug violation. Though the MLB feels they’re doing what’s best for their business with this suspension, they’re doing the exact opposite. By suspending Ryan Braun for the rest of the season, they’re losing a player capable of single-handedly increasing the quality of their product.
When a fan buys a ticket, he or she wants to watch the greatest athletes in the world playing at the highest level possible. When certain players get suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, the result is a less-than optimal product on the field.
For what reason does the MLB have to ban certain substances? They could say legality, except not all their banned substances are illegal in the USA. They might claim the fairness of the game suffers, which is only semi-true. Certainly if only some players are using performance-enhancing drugs, then those players do gain an unfair edge. However, if all players were taking the drugs, no one would have an uneven advantage. Most importantly, the game would be better due to the enhanced performance of all of the athletes.
Where do we draw the line with what’s fair and unfair? For the MLB, they draw the line at certain substances. But what will be next for them to call wrong? Will it one day be proven that sports drinks hydrate players too well, and players drinking them are creating an uneven game for water-drinkers? Will laser eye surgeries be banned because players can increase their eye sight to a level of perfection other players don’t have? Will caffeine or soda be banned due to the stimulant caffeine? Surely, all of these things may sound absurd to the average fan. Certainly the list of banned substances in the MLB is drastically harsher than cups of Gatorade, contact lenses, or a cup of joe, right? Maybe, but the difference is smaller than you might think.
When MLB reviews the ticket sales of the Milwaukee Brewers at the end of the season, they might wonder why people didn’t want to come out to the ballpark. They might wonder why, even though they made their product “better” by suspending the “cheater”, fans didn’t want to see the games. The answer won’t be found by trying to meet standards of morality, legality, or fairness; it will instead be found at the heart of athleticism, where a player achieves greatness with his body, no matter what he uses to reach it.
