Anyone else hear about the baseball testimony & think of Hollywood?

[CornField]

I was listening to a news report before falling asleep last night that was telling about the baseball players who were being summoned before Congress to testify about illegal drug use by athletes. The whole thing reminded me of Sen. McCarthy, House Committee on Un-American Activities, and the Hollywood 10.

It is interesting, don't you think?

[AValdoux]

1. Misunderstood your subjet

When I saw the subject I thought it was about the double standard of investigating baseball use of steroids and its effect of young people. The entertainment industry has lost more people from substance abuse and its has more influence over ameirca's youth than baseball. I don't think congress has plans to subpeona musicians and actors to testify before congress about their substance abuse problems.


AValdoux

[bryant69]

2. Similar in some ways

But different in other ways. I mean Steroid use is really in a different category than having the wrong political views. They aren't using these hearings like a club to get people to change their political views.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

3. Major difference...

If an actor uses controlled substances, that's his/her business and his/her abuses do not diminish or increase his/her chances of winning an Oscar.

But when Barry Bonds and pals use steroids and they break records that have been in the books and represent achieving success in the sport, then it is a problem.

The difference is that steroid use for an entertainer will not cause him/her to break records; when a sports person does it, it does diminish any records this person breaks. Records are a part of sports; taking steroids to improve performance to eventually shatter these records is, plain and simple, cheating.

If all these players were actually concerned about the sport, they would not have to be subpoenad, but appear voluntarily and face the consequences to their actions.

There are plenty of kids in school who are trying to perform at a quasi-pro level in the hopes of shattering records and making it to the major leagues. They see their idols who do it and get on the record books, so why not them?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Steroids have been a part of pro sports for quite some time....

...IMHO, the fault lies with those organizations for failing to step forward and take control of the situation quite some time ago. But pro sports operations are businesses and therefore subject to the greed that most businesses exhibit. If the players were getting bigger and stronger and breaking records, the owners were willing to look the other way if it meant packed stadiums and higher profits.

And the players understood the unspoken tacit approval by the owners to do whatever it took to increase profits. Contracts began to reflect this emphasis on profits by allowing the player to share in those profits based on performance. And increased performance meant more money in the pocket of the player as well as that of the owner.

If you want the players to testify, then let's also ask the owners to join them at the witness table. While we're at it, let's drag in the television networks who have been guilty of hyping performance and the breaking of records.

[Javaman]

4. What is embarrassing about this whole mess is...

This whole investigation of this bullshit went from zero to 60 in a heart beat, while the Plame investigation, the energy committee investigation, etc etc etc, grinds to a halt, out of sight and out of mind.
Just more smoke and mirrors folks.
I'm just so glad the gov't finds the use of steroids by a bunch of pumped up grownups playing a kids game far more important than national security or the accounting of our gov't officials.
Absolutely disgraceful.

[theboss]

6. Not really

There are several issues in play here:

1. Baseball's anti-trust exemption gives Congress the power to meddle in it quite a bit.

2. Steroid use is illegal and a number of federal laws have probably been broken.

3. It's a "for the children" issue that the Senate loves to grandstand on.


The difference between this and the McCarthy hearings is that Congress had little interest in Hollywood's business practices then; here, it has great interest based on the anti-trust exemption. Also, with Hollywood, no crimes were being committed; here, any number of crimes have likely been committed.

It's still rather silly.