Should congress intervene in sports?

www.cbsnews.com...

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) says he will introduce legislation imposing drug testing standards on professional athletes if baseball players and owners do not adopt a stringent crackdown on steroids by January,...

First of all, steroids are already illegal. Introduction of yet another drug law will continue to add to the cesspool of current failing ones.

Secondly, aren't there more pressing issues on the table in congress than steroid use in professional sports?

Of course there are more pressing matters, but it would be rather hypocritical now to not follow through on the election "mandate" to legislate morality and let one of the largest influences on our children continue to abuse the law for monetary gain with depraved indifference for the societal consequences.

I was thinking that parents were one of the largest influences on our children.

Why shouldn't they be involved? Sports teams are a business just like any other and the gov't oversees them. FWIW

They shouldnt be involved because the government shouldn't have to, more importantly, shouldn't be allowed to meddle in business that shouldn't concern them.

Bud Selig and his host of board members are grown men. They should be able to tackle this problem by themselves.

This country was not set up to have the government poking its nose into anything and everything it deems prudent. At least thats not how I interpret it.

Originally posted by beatneck
I was thinking that parents were one of the largest influences on our children.

I'm not disagreeing with you, though that probably wasnt evident by my tone.

I'm not for or against McCain's legislation, I'm just saying why it's happening. Bush gave a speech on steroids in sports last year when he should have been talking about more pressing matters too.

We're in the midst of great "morality" circus in this nation designed to distract us from anything meaningful. I could care less if sports millionaires shorten their lives in order to look like beefed up gordian knots.

But it's not like we're going to regulate corporate morality. And they have to do something to fill a 24/7 new cycle with the DC dog and pony show.

Take the FCC for example. I'd much rather they do something about the huge mergers in media effectively stripping away voices and in a very real sense the free press in favor of corporate bias and profits. But Colin Powell's son isn't about to do that. He's going to fine potty mouthed broadcasters with questionable morals to make people feel good about sticking it to "the man." That's a distraction.

But it's what "the people" want. Fools that they are. It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out though. I could see some "conservative" backlash to it. Though it's not like they're messing up NASCAR. Just baseball.

God, I'd love to see the government try to get in NASCAR. They know better though.

They recently loosened their own rules to allow driver's with DUI's to continue in the sport (some driving role model eh?) and accept HARD LIQUOR ads on CARS! Somebody call the Republican morality police! NASCAR is IMMORAL and a bad influence on kids!

Riiight. That one actually makes too much sense to do anything about.

[edit on 13-12-2004 by RANT]

Hi! My name is Scott Wimmer and I like to drink and drive as well as be a professional NASCAR driver and role model. Please kids, when you look up to me try to figure out all the mexed missages NASCAR is sending you as you watch convicts like me exceed the speed limit in cars plastered with alcohol ads and your value voting NASCAR Dad gets wasted right in front of you. Be sure to buy Viagra, see The Passion, drink Budweiser, support our troops and Vote Republican too! For God and country.

But baseball is ruining Amurica.

I was pretty sure we were thinkin on the same wavelength. I just posted to clarify. It seems we agree on alot of things.

And there is no way the Reps will bust on Nascar. They spent entirely too much money hounding the Nascar dads this summer lookin for votes.

To interject something I know will make some angry:

Steroids make sports better.

Ya I said it! I'm not the only one that thinks so.

If these guys wanna take that risk - let them. It makes for a better product. Bigger, stronger, faster....better. If the various sports ban substances, that's there prerogative. But I don't want legislation messing up sports more than they already are...look at what hockey is doing to itself.

First off, not all steroids are illegal...many are available at GNC at your local mall or in low dose over the counter stuff.
They are only "illegal" in sports because they give an unfair, (and often undetectable) advantage to some atheletes and not others. It also violates the entire basic premise of competitive sports...the best team wins, not the team with the most altered players win.

NO the gov should butt out of this issue. (i cant believe Mccain even wanted to try this one) If baseball as a priovate business cant regulate itself and suffers for it economically because people stop comming to see fake roided up athletes..then they deserve to stand or fall on this.
the free market will take care of this issue, either consumers of baseball will tolorate this behaivior, or they will stop spending on it, and baseball will suffer...they dont need the big brother government mandating anything.

Originally posted by RANT
God, I'd love to see the government try to get in NASCAR.

They know better though.

They recently loosened their own rules to allow driver's with DUI's to continue in the sport (some driving role model eh?) and accept HARD LIQUOR ads on CARS! Somebody call the Republican morality police! NASCAR is IMMORAL and a bad influence on kids!

Riiight. That one actually makes too much sense to do anything about.

They've already PC'd the way the points are tallied ti win the "Nextel" Cup. The drivers are being more and more homogenized and the tracks are in more and more western and northern cities--it is no longer a southern white guy sport thing.
The race commentators are so PC they have made the races not worth watching. The graphics are annoying. No longer can you call a car by it's sponsor (ie the Tide Ride or the DuPont Chevy)The pre-race stuff is crappy. The commercials are too close together and too numerous.
Yep...it's already ruined...by $$$$, not politics.


BTW, I'll bet liquor ads are again being allowed because they need more big $$$ sponsors. And, liquor ads are better to me than Kotex or Viagra.

....in a circle was interesting to anyone anyway?

Steroids? They are talking about interstate movement, so doesn't that make it automatic Fed?

Originally posted by Bout Time
....in a circle was interesting to anyone anyway?

Steroids? They are talking about interstate movement, so doesn't that make it automatic Fed?

I wont touch on the Nascar thing because you stated that you already dont understand.

However, it will be a "Fed" thing as long as you let it be. Lets say that you decide to drive across the country.......would you want to have to get the government's ok to do so? Cause basically....thats an interstate movement.

Not tryin to bust your balls or anything. I'm just sayin that the government shouldn't be involved in things that can be taken care of by responsible citizens. Give yourself and others credit for being responsible people that can make decisions for themselves.