Did We Bring This on Ourselves?
One of the fascinating themes of the current steroids issues is the “loss of innocence” it presumes. I’m not the most cynical or jaded guy on the planet, but I’d be lying if I said the extent of the current findings surprised me in any way. I’d also be lying if I said it didn’t sadden me in any way.
John Thorn offers a thoughtful look at the situation. From his article:
We had pinned our honor to their sleeves and sent them forth to joust on our behalves — we could hardly do battle ourselves, could we? — and they had betrayed our trust. These ballplayers, these superhuman figures who could reach heights unattainable by mere humans, were our surrogates; they were us, and their fall feels like ours.
Even if you don’t fully indulge in hero worship, it’s hard not to sympathize with this point of view. I mean, if you follow a team, it’s usually (but not always — there are a couple along the east coast that have very large pocketbooks and proportionally large bandwagons) because that team represents your city. By extension, the players on that team represent your city.
Heck, a lot of times they wear your city’s name on their uniforms for all to see. It’s difficult, as a fan, not to think of these guys as representing us in some way, shape, or form.
That said, and I think this is a point that many folks are missing, we are not without blame. Thorn puts it nicely:
Some wag once said, we elect the politicians we deserve. Let me suggest that we select as our champions — the bearers of our hopes, our dreams, our illusions — the heroes we deserve.
Did you stop supporting MLB even when it became evident that a serious problem existed? Did you take your hard-earned cash and spend it on other, nobler pursuits?
I sure didn’t. Apart from a brief stretch in the mid-’90s after the last major work stoppage, I’ve stood by baseball’s side for as long as I’ve had money to spend. Does this make me complicit in MLB’s nastiness? Hate to say it, but I think so. It’s like the blues cats say: “I can’t quit you, baby.”
Guilty as charged. And then some.
Tags: baseball, hero_worship, john_thorn, loss_of_innocence, mlb, steroids, work_stoppageRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Roid Rage
1 opinion for Did We Bring This on Ourselves?
Doug Fulkerson
Dec 20, 2007 at 4:16 pm
How are the fans to blame? The only crime they have committed is wanting the best baseball they can get. Baseball teams want the best players they can get. Players want as much money as they can get. Needless to say, this leads to opportunities for the less scrupulous to exploit.
Does this make the sport less worth watching? No. It only cheapens certain components of the sport; namely the players. Barry Bonds’ or Roger Clemens’ achievements are great, no question about it. But, if they have used performance enhancing drugs, there accomplishments are less impressive, less noteworthy, and less worthy of praise. Yes Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron’s home run record, but Aaron’s achievement will forever get more respect from me, and I think from the average public. Clemens went from being one of the greatest pitchers of all time to being not quite as impressive one of the greatest pitchers of all time. More shame on them.
But saying that the fans are at fault for the bad decisions made by people to use performance enhancing drugs is like saying it’s the chicken’s fault for being eaten by the fox. The fans want their heroes, it’s true. But they want real heroes. Why do people still revere Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, etc.? Because, despite their faults, their accomplishments on the field were real, unadulterated accomplishments. Sure Ty Cobb was the meanest man to ever play the game, and maybe Babe Ruth’s lifestyle was larger than life, but they are baseball heroes because they’re play was above reproach. If Babe Ruth had been one of the Black Sox in 1919 would he be remembered the way he is now? No. Why? Because we want our heroes to succeed or fail on their own play and not some outside influence. We want real heroes, not imposters, and we can tell the difference.
As a fan of baseball, it is the game that is important. Players, even the greatest, come and go but the sport continues. It adapts and goes forward, which is hopefully what the Mitchell Report will do; allow the game to get a grip on performance enhancing drugs and go on. Some people say that the record books are now meaningless and worthless. These same points have been made before with the advent of the lively ball, astro turf, night games, and Roger Maris’ asterix, yet the game is still with us.
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