Before I get into this article, I feel the need to let the public know that at no time during the writing of this article did I take any kind of performance enhancing drugs.

            With that said, what have we learned in the past couple of weeks? Well let me sum it up for you: photos surfaced of America’s golden boy (x8) Michael Phelps smoking marijuana while at a party in South Carolina. Only days later, one of the biggest names in baseball and future home run king (barring injuries), Alex Rodriguez, admitted to using performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003. These are just two of the headlines that graced the face of newspapers and news stations across the country.

            This past summer, I was one of the millions of Americans cheering on Michael Phelps as he swam closer and closer to Olympic record-breaking history. I remember the night, where I was, and what I was doing when he broke the record and received his eighth gold medal. He was a hero in the eyes of Americans all over, and the biggest name in sports for the moment. Michael Phelps was everywhere: from Wheaties boxes, to Visa ads, to Speedo commercials. The fact is that Phelps was the most marketable name this past year because of his achievements in the Beijing Olympics, and because everyone saw him as an American hero. After the photo surfaced, I was, and still am on the fence. I do not smoke weed, or condone it, but yet I was able to see that being a young kid, you are going to face the challenges of life between drinking and drugs.

            My mind was immediately off Phelps on Saturday, February 7^th, when rumors came up that Alex Rodriguez, the third baseman for the Yankees had taken a form of PED’s during the 2001, 2002 and 2003 seasons with the Texas Rangers. For those of you that are not familiar with Alex Rodriguez, his name has graced baseball since he was drafted out of high school at the age of 18 in 1993. Alex, or A-Rod as many call him, had his first full season in 1996 with the Seattle Mariners, in which he quickly became one of the biggest names in the game. After the 2000 season, he left the Mariners and inked a deal with the Texas Rangers for 10-years and $252 million, making him the highest paid player in baseball, and $63 million richer than the second highest paid player. During his time with the Rangers, he became the first player since 1932 with 50 homers and 200 hits in a season, just the third shortstop to ever lead his league in homers, and was just the second AL player in the last 34 seasons (beginning 1968) to lead the league in runs, homers, and total bases; his total base figure is the most ever for a major league shortstop. In 2003 he won MVP for the AL, and in 2004 he was traded to the Yankees.

            Since being on the Yankees, Alex has won MVP twice and became the youngest player to hit 500 home runs. The only flaw Alex seemed to have came in October, when he would not come up in clutch situations according to Yankee fans. But, while A-Rod was winning MVPs and coming closer to 500, Barry Bonds was smacking home runs out of AT&T Park. On August 7^th, 2007 at 8:57pm PDT, Bonds hit home run number 756 to break Hank Aaron’s home run record. Bonds, who faced controversy because of his alleged use of steroids was now the home run king. Talk began to stir about Alex Rodriguez, who was on pace to hit nearly 800 home runs, and would be the savior of the record. Whether you liked A-Rod or not, you respected him for the fact that he was doing what he was doing cleanly, and would one day be the steroid-free home run king of baseball. Those opinions quickly changed this month, as it was revealed A-Rod had in fact used performance-enhancing drugs during his time with the Rangers. And so, just as Barry Bonds faced controversy during his quest to home run stardom, as will Rodriguez when the time comes to wear the crown.

            For those who are not sports fans, you may stop reading here. But, for sports fans everywhere, read this very clearly: we are to blame. You read correctly, we are to blame. No, we did not inject A-Rod with steroids nor did we buy the weed for Michael Phelps. As much as Alex would like to blame us, we did not put the pressure on him to take the drugs (excluding Yankee fans and their high demands) nor did the pressure of the Olympics and being the best force Phelps to take a hit from the bong. No, we as sports fans are guilty of one thing: putting these athletes on such a high pedestal, and proclaiming them heroes. Sure, what Phelps did is truly amazing, and whether he smokes weed or not, he is still an amazing athlete that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. And, even if A-Rod did take PED’s during his time with the Rangers, he will still crush the home run record, and has still performed great during his time in New York. The fact is that we seem to put so much emphasis on what these athletes do and what they accomplish. We feel inferior to their abilities and therefore feel the need to look up to them. At the end of the day, Phelps and Rodriguez still put on their pants one leg at a time, and they still have their imperfections.

            If this article has shown you anything, it is that we tend to look at these athletes and create heroes out of them. When they mess up, or get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, everyone is stunned and it seems as if the world is turned upside down. If this article has motivated you to do anything, it is to find a true hero. The true heroes are the ones who go out of their way to help people when they are in need. The heroes are the single mothers who work multiple jobs so they may put food on the table. They are the people who travel to different countries, or to places like New Orleans so that they may help others in need. And most importantly, they are the parents or guardians who fight to give us the best life possible, so that we may grow up to be half the people that they are, and teach the same values to our children. So, in about 10-15 years, when Alex Rodriguez steps up to the plate, and is sitting on 762 home runs you will have the opportunity to witness history with your child the way our parents did with us. Just make sure your kid knows who their true hero is.

Subscribe to the comments feed, reply, or trackback.