October 15, 2002
Buried Inside The Post's Sports
Buried Inside The Post's Sports Section Today. . . You'll find a story about how Congressman John Sweeney (R-N.Y.), is starting to make some noise about drug testing in sports -- specifically, taking Major League Baseball to task for their fraud of a steroid testing plan that was part of a labor settlement that avoided a strike this season. Regular Off-Wing readers will be familiar with this line of argument, one I first brought up in the days before the strike was avoided back in August.
In the end, the owners used steroids testing as a negotiating ploy much in the same way they did with the issue of contraction -- it was a politically powerful cudgel to use against the Players Association. But when the time came, it was just another chip to bargain with on the way to a settlement. In a way, the owners have as much to lose when it comes to steroids as the players. Inflated offensive numbers helped boost attendance in the wake of the 1994 strike, and undertaking an anti-steroids crusade right now would certainly give the game another black eye owners feel it can ill-afford.
Of course, that baseball might be looking at a string of untimely deaths of former suprestars in 5-10 years can't be completely discounted. And while exposing steroids use now might give baseball a black eye in 2002, watching a string of first-ballot Hall of Famers die before their time might come as a kick in the groin later on down the line.
(Originally written 10/10/2002)
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