Please allow me to preface this column by stating that I hate Alex Rodriguez. I think he represents everything that is wrong with sports. I hate that he left the Seattle Mariners for a quarter-billion dollars. I hate that he does not have fun playing baseball for a living. I hate that he cries whenever the New York media scrutinizes him, especially considering that he chose to play for the New York Yankees! Most of all, I hate that he tested positive for steroids and I am forced to listen to him tell me that he loves the game and that all he wants from his playing career is a World Series ring.
At first glance, many would assume I am elated at the news that Pay-Rod, as my fellow Mariners fans and I speak of him, tested positive for steroids, but I am not. Could it be that I already hate him so much that I cannot possibly hate him anymore? Nope! Could it be that I hope that an appropriate punishment kicks Rodriguez out of the Hall of Fame now that he is an admitted cheater? Nope!
Instead, my defense of Rodriguez follows the logic that he did only what many other people would do in his position. Rodriguez injected Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and other forms of steroids into his body. Obviously, steroids increase muscle mass and will cause a taker to become much stronger than they could become naturally. However, a person’s body naturally produces HGH, and the hormone merely accelerates muscle recovery. This acceleration allows athletes, like Rodriguez, to work out longer, harder and more often. More importantly, athletes can heal from injuries much faster by using HGH.
HGH allows athletes to perform the tasks they need to survive in the contemporary world of sports. You have heard the arguments before, but seasons are too long, players are too big, and the entire sporting world is unnatural. The human body should not throw a ball numerous times as hard as one can, and when humans were evolving, I am sure club swinging was necessary, but no longer. My point is that athletes are doing what many people would also do given the choice. Athletes are protecting their livelihoods, their means of living and their income when they start taking HGH and other banned substances. Many students would do the same.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a drug that allowed students to be more efficient students? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were an HGH for students? What about a drug that allows our brain to absorb more material, concentrate better in class and have energy for the long, hard nights of finals?
Wait! Isn’t there a sign in the library telling me about the cons of using some drug that supposedly gives students some type of boost? Isn’t there a drug that is widely abused on many college campuses? Doesn’t Adderall give students who are not prescribed Adderall an extra boost?
According to a study in Addiction, around seven percent of all college students abuse Adderall without a prescription. The article further argues that the number of college students that abuse Adderall is likely much higher than seven percent. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it baseball fans?
People who use Adderall without a prescription are performing the same action as athletes using HGH. Both drugs are illegal for recreational use, both drugs treat people with illnesses, and both drugs are widely abused by people not prescribed the given drug when there is little chance of punishment. Shouldn’t the consequences be the same as well?
Currently, baseball greats like Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons cannot receive induction into the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame because they cheated. Since the voters applied this consequence to players who tested positive for steroids, steroid use is dipping. I believe that if the consequences for using Adderall without a prescription included a complete forfeit of your degree from SMU, usage would also decrease.
I, however, don’t think universities will ever test for methamphetamines like professional sports does for steroids (that could be a civil rights nightmare) but I am starting to think that the illegal use of Adderall is prevalent enough around college campuses that slogans like “you’re not an alcoholic until you graduate,” will be replaced with, “you’re not a meth-addict until you graduate.”
Derek Sangston is a senior political science major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
