Jared the average guy
Jared Dyrdahl
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: Sports
You know what really grinds my gears? Primadonna professional athletes who whine because of the disloyalty shown to them by either their team or league. I used to look down upon these individuals as over-paid millionaire babies, but I have developed a newfound respect for the plight of some athletes who truly are victimized by the professional sports machine.
For exhibit A, I refer to a nostalgic anniversary that occurred this past week. Last Tuesday marked the 10-year anniversary of Mark McGwire breaking the single-season home-run record then held by Roger Maris. The "home-run chase" during the summer of '98 between McGwire and Sammy Sosa captivated fans nation-wide and is generally regarded by many as one of the pivotal events that has helped make baseball relevant again to the American sports fan. That summer McGwire and Sosa became larger-than-life figures and heroes to people not only in the United States, but also around the globe.
Fast-forward a decade and we find that the high pedestal positions of McGwire and Sosa in the sports pantheon have been severely eroded. The dark cloud of steroid suspicion has overshadowed the aura that these two men once possessed and has left them in a position where they are not welcome to be a part of Major League Baseball (MLB) in any capacity, whether it be playing, coaching or managing.
The shunning of McGwire and Sosa from the baseball universe illustrates exactly what players complain about when it seems that they are pouting over a multi-million dollar contract. During the summer of 1998, the MLB exploited McGwire and Sosa for all they were worth. Additional revenues and publicity garnered from the great home-run chase immeasurably helped baseball recover from a decade of black eyes, stemming from the constant bickering between players and owners that resulted in strikes and labor stoppages.
Ten years and the Mitchell Report later, the MLB cannot distance themselves far enough from these sluggers. Ironically enough, one of the Mitchell report's main conclusions was that the MLB knew about the prevalence of steroid use, but chose to do nothing about it because of the already fragile state that the game was in. However when the roosters came home to roost, MLB turned their backs on the former "sultans of swat," going so far as to vilify and chastise the men who made them millions of dollars and helped keep their game alive as the "sultans of the syringe."
For exhibit A, I refer to a nostalgic anniversary that occurred this past week. Last Tuesday marked the 10-year anniversary of Mark McGwire breaking the single-season home-run record then held by Roger Maris. The "home-run chase" during the summer of '98 between McGwire and Sammy Sosa captivated fans nation-wide and is generally regarded by many as one of the pivotal events that has helped make baseball relevant again to the American sports fan. That summer McGwire and Sosa became larger-than-life figures and heroes to people not only in the United States, but also around the globe.
Fast-forward a decade and we find that the high pedestal positions of McGwire and Sosa in the sports pantheon have been severely eroded. The dark cloud of steroid suspicion has overshadowed the aura that these two men once possessed and has left them in a position where they are not welcome to be a part of Major League Baseball (MLB) in any capacity, whether it be playing, coaching or managing.
The shunning of McGwire and Sosa from the baseball universe illustrates exactly what players complain about when it seems that they are pouting over a multi-million dollar contract. During the summer of 1998, the MLB exploited McGwire and Sosa for all they were worth. Additional revenues and publicity garnered from the great home-run chase immeasurably helped baseball recover from a decade of black eyes, stemming from the constant bickering between players and owners that resulted in strikes and labor stoppages.
Ten years and the Mitchell Report later, the MLB cannot distance themselves far enough from these sluggers. Ironically enough, one of the Mitchell report's main conclusions was that the MLB knew about the prevalence of steroid use, but chose to do nothing about it because of the already fragile state that the game was in. However when the roosters came home to roost, MLB turned their backs on the former "sultans of swat," going so far as to vilify and chastise the men who made them millions of dollars and helped keep their game alive as the "sultans of the syringe."
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