Steroid problems are nothing new in athletic competitions. They have been an issue in the Olympics going back to the days when the East Germans were sending half male women to compete against the rest of the world’s elite women athletes. The countries behind the Iron Curtain experimented with all sorts of hormone cocktails to give their ladies an advantage.
Today, MLB gets a bad rap, especially Barry Bonds (who has never tested positive), while the NFL gets virtually no attention at all. Well this is all about to change with the suspension of Shawne Merriman. Merriman was Defensive Rookie of the Year last year and he is a formidable opponent. The Charger’s defense will not be the same with him gone over the next four games. His suspension could very well cost them a date with the post season. So how did Merriman get to the point in his career where he felt it was safe to use steroids? How did he think he could possibly get away with it?
To start with, the NFL keeps a tight lip on its suspensions and the players who are suspended. Any information we get is always a press leak from someone who supposedly knows and chances are they are right to a degree. Once the suspension is in place, we will know for sure that he was guilty of using something or the NFLPA would never stand for it. But the way the general public views NFL player’s using steroids is vastly different than its view on MLB. If a player uses steroids in MLB, he is labeled as a cheater whereas if an NFL player uses steroids he is often revered as a “god” if he is a great player.
Bill Romanowski used steroids for years as did Lyle Alzado. Alzado died of cancer that may have been linked to his steroid abuse. He became an outspoken critic of steroids in the NFL the year before he died. Romanowski has always had “anger” issues and many have speculated that his rage may have been “roid” induced after the incident where he punched his own team mate at a practice.
Today the NFL has taken a tougher stance on steroid use and for that I am glad, but I still get the feeling that the average fan really could care less if 300 pound linemen are using steroid creams or injections of testosterone prior to a game. Where is the outrage over Merriman? It gets one headline in the main stream media? I just read an article while doing research for this article on the 2004 Panthers. Three players were caught filling prescriptions for testosterone prior to the Super Bowl.
Let me say that before anyone comes down to hard on these guys, it was all perfectly legal and this is my conundrum. How do you prosecute these guys for obtaining steroids legally to be used for an illegal purpose? These steroids were legally obtained, doctor prescribed, but no doubt with the intent to give these linemen an advantage in the competition. Thankfully the Patriots won, but who knows, maybe their linemen were on steroids too. Who is to say that Barry Bonds own physician did not prescribe him a steroid cream? This is potentially one reason his case has gone nowhere. The doctor’s records have been subpoenaed, but no court case for using “illegal” steroids has happened to date. Instead the FBI wants to pursue “tax evasion” or “perjury” charges but they are not pursuing illegal steroid use.
So where does the steroid use end? Are football players given more of a “license” to abuse these types of drugs than baseball players? Young high school girls are now experimenting with steroids to make themselves look more lean and muscular. I am not sure what the solution is, but one thing appears certain, steroids are here to stay.
Socal ., I'm in agreement with you on this one but I doubt that anything will be done as Upshaw the NFLPA representative is reluctant to do anything to address the situation as of yet. We all know that he's awaiting around to use it as part of his CBA in 08 when things are bound to get testy between the League and Players' Association. Goodell wanted to address the steroid policy earlier but Upshaw was against it . So we're left at an impass as both sides will begin to circle their wagons on the issue.
Socal...I think there is a little confusion as to the "reasoning" behind a steroid policy to begin with. It has nothing to do with the fans and what they think. It is for the "protection" of the athletes themselves. There is a reason steroids is illegal...and as hard as it is for us to understand this...it has nothing to do with what we think. It is a health issue.
The media coverage of this issue, and the MLB issue doesn't make sense. On ESPN News last night, they sold the story at the opening of the broadcast...but reported the game highlights first. If it had been a simple Bonds rumor, they would have interrupted a Presidential address & talked about it for two hours.
He let his team down. Doesn't matter if you think steroids should be legal or not...he took a gamble, and now he suffers...along with the Chargers, who had a good chance of making the playoffs (maybe even a Super Bowl).
Locally, some high school football players even joke around about how they use steroids. Unfortunately, where I live...they are easy access, they can literally drive 40 minutes and purchase them across the border without a prescription. When high schoolers are putting themselves at risk, you know it's bad.
Interested to see what Merriman says about all of it. And does it matter? Palmeiro lost all credibility...we'll see what happens with Sean.
Wonder who he will blame? He should just say that "the kicker made him do it".
Fat, I do agree that it is a health issue, but perception of the general public is what drives policy. Fans are outraged at Bonds, Big Mac, and Palmeiro and we now have new MLB policy to curtail it. For years, we the fans have turned a blind eye to steroids in the NFL. How long ago was Alzado using steroids? Where is the outrage at Merriman. If you want it to change in the NFL, the public has to get just as upset at a Sean Merriman as it does at a Bonds. It is a health issue and a serious one.
Shooter, all valid points, especially that he let his team down, but again, NFL players have been punished very little and it will take this kind of action to make them take it seriously.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on October 23rd at 1:00 PM.
Thanks Ed. By the way everyone, where are all the posts from bloggers who are upset about Merriman? Is mine the only post to say he was wrong? This just goes to show that most people are not that upset.
I may be wrong on this, but isn't the steroid issue a much clearer issue in football? They have had a strong stance against roids for quite some time. Personally I thought that the Merriman situation was a shocker and as critical as I am of baseball players I was actually more critical of Merriman because of the fact that it is not tolerated like it had been in baseball.
PF, I don't think they make it to the playoffs without Merriman.
Born, you maybe outraged, but where is the media outrage? THe NFL beefed up their steroid policy after seeing baseball go through the Congressional hearings, but not until then.
Good post. I imagine that I am like most fans in that we believe that with the steroid rules in place in the NFL, the game is as legit as it can be, and that placates most of us. I'm sure like in many other sports, the envelope will always be pushed a little by some to gain that competitive edge. Like it or not, "it ain't cheatin' 'til you get caught" is a common opinion.
I guess from the cheap seats, the public is not nearly as concerned about roids in the NFL because the history of the game is not "marketed" the way that MLB has tried to position itself as this great castle up on the hill; the hypocrisy in the ownership and the league office, and even if you go to the respected halls of fame for the two sports are totally different.
The NFL came around with the advent of television. It has always been about revenue and excitement; not the same as the time capsule mentality of the MLB.
Seriously, would a worn-out facility ala Fenway Park, or Wrigley field be found in the NFL? You could argue that Lambeau field, (with over 400 million dollars of renovation in the last 8 years) may qualify as a "shrine". But these facilities are emblematic with the destruction of the fabric of the game of baseball, not so much the NFL.
Baseball fans and football fans are both passionate; that is not in question. But for some reason baseball fans feel more connected to their game's history than football games, thus the difference to the level of indefference to the steroids issue. Think about it this way; When was the last time you went to an NFL game with a youngster, and taught them how to collect stats; versus when someone taught you how to "score" a ball game at an MLB game...
From my vantage point, that is the nutshell of the perceptual problem of steroids between the two sports. It isn't fair, by a long shot, and it is troubling, but the MLB tried to white glove it when their dirty litt
Ricko, as always, thanks for the comments and I suspect you are right that many fans feel as you described.
LJ, you make a good point about why it is perceived differently, but it does not make it right for the players or the game. If the NFL ignores it like MLB did, it will end up being a burden to the sport.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on October 23rd at 3:16 PM.
I think the whole steroid issue has become boring for most...not that it is right...but it is what it is. I think we are clear that most Americans who are avid sports fans are for harsher punishment for steroid abusers. And I'm glad we discuss these issues. But in the "blog-world's" defense, Socal, I don't think we are not commenting because we don't care...I think it's just that this subject has been written about so often, that it is no longer a popular subject. Don't get me wrong...I think it is very relevant and I think you did and outstanding job, as usual...but I think the subject has just been worn out. Just my opinion.
Fat, while I take no exception to what you just said, I have to disagree. There has to be more to it. If today we heard that Barry Bonds tested positive for steroids, you bet there would be 10 posts on here, and every major sports outlet would run the story. Jason Grimsley accuses Roger Clemens and we get 5-6 posts, but Merriman, virtually no one.
Socal..I understand what you're saying....but Merriman is no Bonds. I didn't even know who Merriman was until this came about. Everyone here is right...it's a media driven issue. Up to this point, how much media coverage have you seen about Merriman? How much about Bonds? That's all I'm saying.
Gosh...this feels like normal now....Socal is back in full force...and we're debating. Good to have you back!!!
Last edited by fatmaw1 on October 23rd at 3:40 PM.
i'm not even sure why people care. i know i dont. i'm willing to accept that someone, somewhere, does care. steroids is a big issue for the people stuck at the lowest rung of the moral ladder. they've been taught that things are 'wrong' and they stick to that code - for whatever reason. meanwhile, here in the real world, people cheat. bill gates stole the code for microsoft - now he's a billionaire. our president - whose prolly a great guy to have a beer with - most probably mislead the nation on the war and gave his cronies at Haliburton no-bid contracts. every idol, every demagogue has cut corners. we need to move on and realise that Merrimen, bonds - these people are just men. just blood and sinew men who managed to find a job that pays them well to do what they love. we should be so lucky. like barkley said: they are not role models. they dont owe us anything and we shouldnt hold them to a higher standard than we hold the rest of the world. it asked: so what if they cheat? and answered: yeah, so what if they cheat...
Fat, Merriman is the next LT in football, and he is one great linebacker. If you follow football last year, you know who he is. He will be the next Ray Lewis.
Demon, that all sounds good in theory, but tell that to Ken Lay, or the other Enron exec who was put in jail today. Fraud is wrong. Even if Gates got away with it and Bonds gets away with it. Now I am not that upset, I just want to point out the hypocrisy of crucifying Bonds, and the media lets Merriman off the hook. They let Roger Clemens off the hook. THat shows there is a definite media bias where they hate Bonds more than anyone else. Others have said it is just a "stale" issue, but I guarantee if Bonds tested positive tomorrow we would hear about it everywhere. The media hates Bonds and forgives just about anyone else.
i'm taking a bit of a wait-and-see stance on the merriman case, because there seems to be some "confusion" as to what he tested positive for or something....anyway, once i see what the official word is, i'll give my 2 cents worth on what i think of it.
for the record, those 2 guys that were suspended last week (shaun rogers and that other guy) suck donkey sack. just my opinion of course.
Socal..funny...I follow the NFL just as closely as anyone else. I am a Panthers fan, so I follow them more closely than anyone else. I'm not saying you are wrong in your assessment of Merrian being the next LT...but if that's true, then he is following in his footsteps in less than a good way.
But I will GUARANTEE...that if you were to ask all sports fans who Merrian was...and then ask them who Bonds was, you would see a GIGANTIC discrepency in your answers. All I'm saying is that I think people don't care because they are not as aware of who he is as they are of who Bonds or Clemens are.
Nice work, Socal. I agree that there's a discrepency between the pressure put on MLB and NFL because of steroids. You've seen a few NFL players criticized for steroids. But, in MLB, you saw congressional hearings, investigations, etc. I think it has to do with baseball being the "national pasttime". People look at baseball as a "pure" sport, a part of America. They talk about it in the same breath as apple pie, and family picnics, and they don't want to see it tainted. Whereas football is more of a violent, physical sport where the athletes are almost expected to be bursting with muscles and looking to "rip someone's head off".
SoCal: Great post as usual. I'm another one who says "who's Merriman?" Since the use of steroids etal is not illegal, yet, by state statutes or federal statutes,the only punishment meted out will be by the league,usually monetary since they are suspended for any number of games-but the smart ones have socked enough away that they can well-survive this hit, thus no real teeth. I don't think the public gives much of a damm because media hype hasn't played it up that much AND the NFL is much more secretive. The other reason the media pushed so hard on Bonds, I BELIEVE, is because he is a boar, arrogant in your face player. When he left Pitts, no one, especially the media, cried a tear. Certain KDKA sportscasters would like to nail him to the cross, still, after all these years. The other reason he was chasing records that no one thought would ever be broken and loyalists to Ruth, Aaron etal were incensed about this, especially since, they thought, he was a "cheater", therefore not great enough to be in the same class as those before him. So, the media became sharks circling the prey, Bonds the cheater.
I'm not really sure about your saying that most people don't care if NFL players take steroids. I think the general public wants steroids eradicated from ALL sports, not just baseball. Shawne Merriman and Barry Bonds are idiots, because they would be great players even without it.
socal- from the little bit i've seen regarding the situation in the past few hours, i can now safely say i think merriman sucks donkey sack also.
and for the record, i think landis does too, although the handling of that situation was terrible by everyone involved. basically, i dont believe 100% that he did take steroids, and if they came out with evidence that said he is completely innocent, i wouldnt believe that 100% either.
socal ........ I think the real indifference that's shown aginst MLB is that a lot of people feel that they were complicit in the actions of the players at the height of the era, as they chose to turn a blind eye to what was going on. And now that everything has come to light they've got to appear to be being proactive in dealing with the solution. We ought to remember that they still don't check gor HGH or certain other substances. Way to go Selig !
SoCal...my theory is this: In the media world today it's okay to use steriods. No one really cares, really they don't. But, you approach some milestone in your sport, then it's different. IF Barry and Sammy and Mark hadn't achieved this immortality status over the past few years, steroid use would be tucked away in the closet as it has been for many many years now.
Former88 - I have no problem with you saying that YOU don't care about steroid use. Please refrain from using the term "Nobody cares" as I would fit into the category of being a NOBODY and I care. I want steroids out of sports. Pro, college, prep, etc... Get rid of steroids. I don't want them. OKAY? Most people that I know are also NOBODY's and they want steroids out of sports as well.
Now I do have a problem however with a guy being suspended four games for using diet pills.
Just read a report that Merriman's lawyer said the positive test was caused by an additive that was in Merriman's supplement. Claims Merriman didn't know it, really!?! Of course all things are possible, but you gotta read the labels. But I do have a question: say the player has something that only a steroid will control, what then????
lemme reiterate that i dont care about steroids. i wish there was all-steroid baseball league so that i could watch strike outs and homeruns all day. sure, most of us care 'in theory,' but none of us would go back and relieve Sosa or McGuire of their records. none of us wants to go after Roger Clemens. the logic that applied to Bonds doesnt get pinned to Clemmons. is it a race thing? do we hate bonds because he's one of them uppity negroes? he aint one of them good ole boys like Ken Griffey or Hines Ward? maybe it has nothing to do with race. maybe its just cuz Bonds is so cocky. either way, this whole public outcry is pointless. we need to worry about the players slapping their wives around in public. or the guy with 'resin' on his hand in front of the entire planet during the World Series. its convenient to 'say' we're against steroids. but then again, most people are against murder. no one stepped up when the Israelis were bunker bombing daycares and UN Observation posts not even 4 months ago. the dead babies were called collateral. the dead UN officials were called 'accidents' and 'remorse' was felt. so i dont believe that any of you care about steroids. it was an issue to get riled about and drink coffee over. but if they ever successfully got rid of steroids, and we got stuck with 250lbs left tackles that run 5.0s, then we'd be pissed. not only do we want 360lb nose tackles that can move, we NEED them. it makes for great television. why dont we all just admit it. i dont care. none of you care either. but it IS very satisfying to say i do.
Last edited by demonicume on October 24th at 5:47 AM.
As to Former's comment about approaching a milestone and that somehow makes it more newsworthy, then why no outcry for Roger Clemens. The guy has 7 CY Young Awards or something like that. How many of those would be invalidated. He is considered one of the top three pitchers of all time. To me that ranks up there with Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Barry as hitters. Demon asks is it "race". I think that does play into it somewhat. No one is attacking Roger or digging into his past, yet his name is on a federal document saying he used steroids.
Merriman "unknowingly" used steroids. Where have we heard that before? Hmmm
Wait, Merriman now says he "unknowingly" took them?...lol. The word has gone out on how to beat a positive drug charge. All the lawyers have the play book now. Good luck with fighting that. Until that law is changed the "unknowingly" statements will continue. Good grief...lol.
I think for me, when I see an NFL player caught using steroids, I see the immediate suspension, no sense of a coverup. Baseball , as in the Kenny Rogers case, tends to want to whitewash these things. You cheat, you get caught, you get punished. The NFL has a much more pro-active stance on steroid use, from testing through punishment.
i think we're all just burned out on steroids. this has been an eventful year. Bonds, TO, Clemmons, the tigers in the World Series, the Saints... jeeze, i'm roided out...
Last edited by demonicume on October 24th at 10:38 AM.
SoCal, it's good to see you're still railing against the hypocrisy of people hating Bonds, when the reason they hate him remains: He's a smarmy ####.
Merriman has already apologized, which, in this country anyway, is half the battle when recovering from scandal. Witness what happened with Giambi. And witness what didn't happen with Pete Rose, who says he's genetically incapable of apology.
We know people cheat. And everyone of us lies. And when we get busted by loved ones, what's the smartest thing to do? What makes things better quicker than anything? Saying we're sorry and apologizing, even if we're only sorry because we got caught.
As for the different responses from fans, I think an overlooked aspect of things is that baseball fans are more likely to be overeducated, sanctimonious putzs who read a lot, while football fans are more likely to be undereducated, blue-collar types who have to scratch and claw for their piece. Is that too simple a classification? Perhaps. But ya don't hear George Will waxing ad nauseum about steroids in football, and most of the commentators in football – Ditka, Michael Irvin, Marino, Theisman – are not exactly moralizing sophisticants.
In baseball, ya have Joe Morgan going off on Kenny Rogers. But where's the equivalent among football commentators? If you were new to watching football, you'd think Terrell Owens was a greater health risk than steroids.
Last edited by crookdnose on October 25th at 10:42 AM.
I didn't read through all of the comments, so forgive me if I am echoing what someone else has already said.
Why don't we care about Merriman's steroid usage? He isn't marring any beloved statistics, as Bonds is trying to do with Aaron's 755 career homerun record.
And, basically, we expect football players to use them, in a sense. We don't want 6'4, 165 guys going after each other; we do want 6'4 350 guys slamming into each other.
Baseball purists appreciate "small ball," which is bunting, sacrifice flies, hit-and-runs, and the like. There's nothing "small" about football unless we're talking about screen plays.
And yeah, they're not going after Merriman or even Clemens because they're not obnoxiously arrogant like Bonds. I'm sure if Merriman came out and said to the media, "You guys are ruining my life," he'd get a little more heat than he is now.
good to see you still around crook. As for an apology, if it is real then yes it goes a long way. Merriman has apologized that he unknowingly took steroids. He never said he was sorry and made a mistake. He blamed it on the nutrition industry.
I would like to discuss the "small ball" phrase a little bit. First of all more baseball games are won by the so called "small ball" as some like to call it then by the game-winning HR. Lets face it the amount of players hitting a ton of HRs is not a very significant amount if you look at the league as a whole. So this "small-ball" phrase really is kind of dumb don't ya htink? "Purists" believe in playing the game as a whole, not as a single component: the HR. Sure everyone wants to see a HR, but the percentages o####ame winning HR is very small compared to the amount of "small ball" wins every year. I think I will write a topic on this "small ball" & "purist" PC stuff it would make for a good read.
SoCal good post though I'm late.This is my take;baseball is no longer America's favorite sport if it was we would not be having this steriod talk.Football is society-at-large favorite sport(mine is basketball)therefore society-at-large(media) is going to dismiss it.Now if Merriman was a baseball player he would be catching hell for 2 reasons 1 it's baseball and 2 though no one wants to admit it but he's black.This is the reason that Bonds is ran through the media mud.Their are discrepancies on how steroid use is viewed sport to sport and withing the sport.The Clemens story lasted all of 2 days if it was Bonds we'd still be talking about it right now.Merriman just happens to fall under the category of America's favorite sport right now.Best believe though if a NBA players is caught you will see media scrutiny at a all time high.P.S.I can't feel so bad for baseball when it comes to the double standards when they have shown double standards themselves and Mcguire was not scrutinized on nearly the same level as Bonds or Palmiero for that matter.Also the minute a big name white player(Clemens or Pettite)was linked to steroids MLB and the media quickly swept it under a rug.Stephen A.Smith would possibly still be talking about the Clemens allegation but I'm quite sure he was told to drop it like the rest of ESPN.
Last edited by lyrikell on October 25th at 2:03 PM.
SEC fan, Colts fan, and Braves fan. Long time Lakers fan, but have to pull for Riley and the Heat along with Shaq. Moved to sunny San Diego from TN and love the weather. I write about everything except NHL. I enjoy watching just about every sport except "cricket" and "poker". Of course if they ever add cheerleaders to poker, I might re-evaluate my stance.
Today, MLB gets a bad rap, especially Barry Bonds (who has never tested positive), while the NFL gets virtually no attention at all. Well this is all about to change with the suspension of Shawne Merriman. Merriman was Defensive Rookie of the Year last year and he is a formidable opponent. The Charger’s defense will not be the same with him gone over the next four games. His suspension could very well cost them a date with the post season. So how did Merriman get to the point in his career where he felt it was safe to use steroids? How did he think he could possibly get away with it?
used steroids for years as did Lyle Alzado. Alzado died of cancer that may have been linked to his steroid abuse. He became an outspoken critic of steroids in the NFL the year before he died. Romanowski has always had “anger” issues and many have speculated that his rage may have been “roid” induced after the incident where he punched his own team mate at a practice.
