Because a bunch of ignorant law makers made put them in that class. Senator Henry Waxman, in a documentary about Steroids in America (Bigger, Stronger, Faster) was adamantly against steroids. However, when asked about the dangers of alcohol and tobacco, he didn’t even know the legal drinking age in the U.S. “18 is it?” I agree they are illegal, but they are not more dangerous than cocaine and other narcotics; that is just the ignorant media speaking.

“they are a class 2 narctoic, and a federal offense. they carry a higher classification than cocaine. so good for you, bad for you, cheating or not, they are illegal.”

“end rant”

Cubbie-Tim said all that needed to be said.

Do you draw the line? One cup of coffee? Two cups of coffee? Scott Eyre takes Adderall for his adult ADHD, that is basically a type of amphetamine… so is that okay because it was prescribed by a doctor? If an MLB player had dangerously low testosterone levels (that affected his daily life) and he got a prescription for it, would that be cheating?

Your opinion of “overdoing” it is different from someone else’s, so in the end, what rules do we follow?

People do not see chewing tobacco as the reason players are in the majors. However, it is very easy for people to see steroid use as not only the reason players are in the majors, but the reason they are capable of performing as well as they are (players like Bonds, Manny, Clemens, McGuire, Palmero, etc. etc.)

But I really don’t think that kids say to themselves “Hey Manny is on the juice and so should I to get to the majors.” I think that’s an ethical dilemma that hits much later on when the prospect of a future in sports and the need to get better now converge.

Perhaps that’s polyanna and high school freshman are being hit up now though.

Not all steroids are illegal and certainly not all growth hormones. They are illegal in this country because some government agency set the policy. If the government did not allow Tommy John surgery, it and the drugs used to treat the after effects would be illegal.

It grew from the realization that you can put things into your body and increase your performance from it. Gatorade improves performance. At some point, it crosses the line and I believe that steroids is the prime example. Steroids are so altering that they need to be a controlled substance, but where is the line drawn?

is because the NFL does not mess around with steroids. UNlike baseball, the NFL does not have a list of people who are dirty covered up and hidden in a safe, locked away. The NFL also is said to have a much better program in place, did so without Government pressure, and their players have not been caught lying about it time and time again.

1) People care more about baseball in a much deeper way and it’s historical records than they do about football. Maybe I romanticize it too much, but I really believe there’s a unique connection between Americans and Baseball that doesn’t exist with any other sport. When parents have children, fathers take thier kids out and teach them baseball before other sports.

2) It’s just my opinion, but the NFL program is a joke. I do not for one second believe that those guys are that huge and that fast without synthetic means. So, the story with Merrriman is not that he’s taking the juice, it’s that he’s stupid enough to get caught.

Steroids, HGH, and amphetimines – the main targets of PED testing – are all controlled substances.

But I see a couple of problems. We often have to throw the baby out with the bath water when we try to ban these drugs. I’m not saying that Manny is innocent or guilty but his drug is legal and prescribed but because it might be used in a cover-up of steroids he is being suspended. We have also seen other mostly Olympic athletes banned because they are taking medications for real issues (asthma) but they can be considered performance enhancing.

The other issue is that times and attitudes do change. This romantic notion that baseball is the same as it was in Ruth’s day or even in Bank’s or Aaron’s day is misplaced. The only reason people even talk about being ‘juiced’ is because of the importance the media puts on it.

if it was not approved by FDA and even then, still need MLB approval before a player can use it. You are realy reaching for a way to justify using drugs for an edge

You seem bothered by the fact that it’s completely arbitrary what drugs are allowed and what ones aren’t.

This is the way the world works; governing bodies, be them governments or sports make these decisions individually, based on whether or not it’s something they want in their sports, and in their athletes. This process is by nature arbitrary. Most of the drugs that are illegal in baseball are illegal for very good reasons.

you are comparing anything, no matter how far off base it is, to try and convince people to think your way. you continue to bypass two very important details

1. FDA Approved. Is it legal or Illegal
2. Is it approved and agreed to by the MLBPA and MLB collective agreement.

There is nothing else to debate about it. If EITHER of the above two are answered with a NO IT IS NOT APPROVED, then your argument is moot.

Your subjective arguments have been defeated. Retreat.

It’s almost like you’re creating false dilemmas here based on things that aren’t remotely comparable to each other.

You’re desperately trying to manufacture some sort of gotcha moment here by pushing people up some slippery slope that you created.

… the types steroids contemplated here are bad for you, very bad. Anyone who thinks there’s such a thing as responsible use is kidding themselves, to put it mildly. Trying to find some convoluted why to justify them here is simply wrong. The logic is tortured to say the least.

“On December 14, 2008, Mike Bell, brother of director Chris Bell, who was prominently featured in the film, died at 37.”

saying that there is no deaths, there is a study that will say that there are deaths. somewhere the truth lies.

perfect example is second hand smoke. The “second hand smoke” related deaths is not an accurate count and was never able to be proven with any evidence.. The regulations set forth by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and EPA state that if someone lives with a smoker, no matter why they had a stroke, or cancer, the doctor MUST state on the death paperwork that it was CAUSED due to second hand smoke. Not only does this create bullshit numbers, but it also PREVENTS the proper numbers from being stated for various death tolls, and in turn causes important studies of numerous diseases to be lessened due to the second hand smoke “toll”

The above example is the exact same logic used by people to explain how many deaths have or have not happened because of Steroids. You can skew numbers, no doubt. But, you are saying no one has died because of Steroids, which you know is not 100% true. The side affects cannot be ignored. So when you are saying that steroids did not cause the liver to shut down at 43 years old who used steroids for “x” years, that would be like me saying smoking cigarettes did not cause the lungs to be damaged and the smoker to have chronic emphazema at 43 years of age.

You can pick and choose which facts to accept and which to ignore, but when it comes to something like steroids and the pros and cons, you have to pay attention to both sides of the argument, since the truth will be somewhere in between.