Baseball: Our Bread and Circuses

Dear Everyone,

You know, I wonder just how the powers-that-be will deal with this. They've gone to such great lengths, through the years, to protect the aristocrats who run this country from our knowing just how sordid their pasts and presents are. See, for example, Teddy Kennedy and Chappaquidick. If any of us had done what he did there (i.e., get drunk, cause a one-car accident and kill his passenger in a lake, then flee the scene), we would, at a minimum, have been convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The current penalty in California is 4, 6 or 10 years in prison (judge's choice), plus whatever penalty he would get for fleeing the scene, plus whatever penalty he would get for the zillion or so lies he told the police about it. But not so for a Kennedy in Massachusetts.

And then there's President Hitler. Since his family owns Texas and protected the potted plant from the consequences of his innumerable misdeeds, he had, oh, what, 30 or 40 drunk driving arrests in his young adulthood? Not to worry. A few officers commented on them, until they were told to shut up, but all of the records have been sealed. His days of dealing coke at Yale are all as top secret as Kennedy's god-knows-how-many days of lifelong drunken misconduct. (Kennedy, unlike Dubya, is a lifelong drunk.)

Anyway, the purpose of this tirade against two incredibly mediocre-minded people, from two incredibly rich and powerful families, is this:

Anyone who is not extraordinarily naive knows we only hear what the powers that be want us to hear. And it's been thus since time immemorial. Fast-forward to the present and our world of sports:

It's not just BASEBALL, of course, where steroids and HGH have run amok. We've had hundreds of guys who are about 6'3", 300 to 350 pounds, and had precious little body fat in the NFL for HOW LONG? Does anyone seriously believe they've not been using steroids and/or HGH? And in numerous other sports, ditto?

Televised sports are our "bread and circuses," for those of you familiar with the history of the Roman Empire and their way of mollifying the masses. Suppose we all find out for certain that 87% of all major league baseball players over the past 15 years, AND 80% of all NFL players over the past 15 years, AND 70% of all hockey players over the past 15 years, AND 60% of all NBA players--oh, that's right, nobody here cares about the NBA, lol.

But y'all know what I mean. If the American public learns that not just the obvious frauds--McGwire, Bonds, Palmeiro, Brady Anderson (50 HR's in one season from out of frickin' nowhere!), Sosa, etc.,--but almost EVERYONE--is dirty....

Well, there's hopeless addicts like me, and there's a whole s-load of hopeless NFL addicts who probably wouldn't care if the guys shot up on national television, BUT...

The revelations that are about to come flying out over the next two or three years could really destroy major team sports in America. I seriously could see parents' not letting their kids go to games or watch them on TV, because they don't want their kids worshipping a bunch of steroid/HGH freaks, cheaters, thugs, bullies and people whose vices will lead them to early graves... after they've encouraged the kids to do things likely to lead them to the same place.

So what do y'all think? This stuff really IS our bread and circuses. It keeps us mindless and numb and indifferent to what's going on in the big picture. And that's not only what the dumbass Ted Kennedy's and George W. Bush's of the country want; it's also what their masters, the folks with the 3-digit IQ's, want. I seriously doubt THOSE PEOPLE want us to stop watching all of our TV sports. (Can you imagine the effect on golf if it came out Tiger Woods took HGH to help produce all those drives, lol? )

Will it all get suppressed? Will our incredibly compliant/complicit media act like Bud Selig and do whatever needs doing to bury these stories... in ALL of the afflicted sports? Will not only Mitchell's comparatively tame efforts, but also the Congressional powers that be--and in this election year, no less--back off of this explosive story for the sake of American sports... AND American society?

What do y'all think?

Baseball History Nut

P.S.: Please note, before anyone takes political offense, that I was careful to tee off on both: (1) the man who is the most LIBERAL, LEFT-LEANING, long-time U.S. Senator of my 53-year lifetime; and (2) the man who is the most CONSERVATIVE, RIGHTIST president in this country's history. I did this not only because I feel both of those clowns deserve it, but also so that those of you who identify strongly with one side won't feel personally attacked.

Great post, BHN. I love the "thinking" pieces. I don't think the information about the magnitude of the cheating will get supressed. My membership in "the other board" (ATS) notwithstanding, I still don't think there's enough ability to control the free flow of information. If that many athletes are cheating, it will come out. The question to me is, will sufficient numbers of fans care? I'm not so sure, but I hope so.

I will take one exception with your post in suggesting GWB is a conservative. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. Conservatism is about restraint on governmental power, fiscal responsibility, and great skepticism when it comes to overseas entanglements. From my perspective, GWB is the antithesis of a conservative. I know conservatism. Some of my best friends are conservatives. GWB is no conservative.

I know that rant isn't sports related, but I had to get that in there.

BHN, i think you can extend that to alot more sports and include every other country aswell.

Weightlifters have been doing it for years, so have athletes and i think we could make a huge list if we really tried.

I'm not too sure about it being mindless and numb though, more there to distract the masses. I would say it gives people something to talk about, socialise about, gives people a lift when there is alot of sadness going on in the world. The World Cup is on, the bars are heaving in the UK all day with people at the moment watching the games. They dont support the teams, its just that its the World Cup and they will watch all the games reguardless.

If there wasn't sport, what else could be used to distract people? Nothing.... So i would say there will be cover-ups and underhand dealings going on. Some people will be used as scapegoats to keep everyone happy and they will be the unlucky ones as the rest of them will get away with it.

I'm gonna agree with Yeahright, in the fact that the info will come out but in an era where the fans have come to see the homerun as the only hit in baseball i don't think that the casual fan will care one way or another. Maybe the'll be mad if the homeruns come to a screeching halt. The game has been bastardized from what it used to be, getting an infield single, stealing second, moving to third on a sac fly to right and then getting plated by another single to shallow left. I personally don't like the HR, i'd rather see some small ball, but to todays fan if it's not a HR it doesn't count. I would love to see every cheater out there banned for life, and bring in some fresh talent from the minors (which i hear is even dirtier than the big leaguers).

If i'm wrong and people do care more than i think, well it maybe that team sports will go away for a number of years, ushering in new ones like Curling, tiddlywinks, marbles, heck even competetive monopoly. this is unlikely though i just don't think joe average cares if some guy he'll never meet used something to hit a HR.