All the great names being announced out of the television in years past could write a how-to book on cheating. Millions of fans witnessing players playing at the peak of their potential, and years later it just feels like a big lie. The players that stay clean and don't cheat seem to find a way into the news for criminal action. What was once a career filled with passion and a competitive energy has turned into a hoax, a giant scandal.
Football has a strict testing installed, but has still let few slip through their fingers. But for the most part, have caught any player using performance enhancing drugs. The NFL has turned into a league filled with selfishness and stupidity, lucky enough there are plenty of class acts in the league too. It is by far the most popular sport in the country, especially with the present situation in baseball.
The negative publicity involving NFL players this past fall has started to make a majority of head-case players look like bad role models. Young kids start to follow sports more regularly, and hear the crimes these players commit. What does it tell them? The NFL shows hope however,with its vast amount of role models like Peyton Manning, a great player but still a class act off the field.
Baseball faces many issues right now, and will be a better place when this witch hunt is over, if it's ever over. Congress questioned big names like Mcgwire a few years back, and didn't really get much. Now the nation has Roger Clemens lying about steroid use on the stand, and doing a very poor job doing so. The steroid area in baseball is making the 1919 world series seem like less of thrown game. Clemens did things in his career that amazed a fan whether they're a first time viewer, or a die hard ball fan. He was fun to watch, and a well respected player by all. Barry Bonds is probably jumping in joy over his new cell mate.
The history books will soon be filled with black marks signifying the era where cheating was everywhere, and everyone was doing it. In this day and age the winner seems like they should have their urine tested prior, and following the game. Sporting events start to look sad when there is a heavy confusion as to if what you're watching, is history being made, or a big scandal going down. The only thing steroids, and other forms of drugs do for sports is paint a scary picture of what the future could be like.
But with all the negativity surrounding the sporting world right now, the role modeling really doesn't come down to the players. The athletes we watch are being paid to play their sport well, and hopefully act like a civilized human being when they aren't doing so. These athletes show kids how cool it looks to be that talented and give them something to reach for. At the end of the day it's really up to the parents to explain that even athletes make decisions that aren't right.
In a perfect world athletes wouldn't disappoint the fan with their actions off the field, but it's been going on forever. Even the greats like Mantle, and The Babe acted like tom cats off the field and still went on to inspire millions. Athletes are human beings that are capable of making the same mistakes as anyone else. The only difference between a mistake the average Joe makes and an athlete, is Joe won't be in the news tomorrow, he'll just make the local docket.
