Major League Baseball and its player’s union have agreed to stricter testing for steroids. Under the new policy, more than 1,200 players will have at least one unannounced test during the playing season.
First time offenders are suspended for 10-days without pay. The penalties increase for each positive test. The maximum penalty is a one-year suspension — but get this — it only comes into play after four failed tests. That’s right — four!
The suspensions are lower than in Olympic sports where first-time offenders get a two-year ban. They’re also lower than in the NBA where players are suspended for five games, and in the NFL where players are suspended for four games (a quarter of the season).
In addition, the testing doesn’t screen for amphetamines and other stimulants which have been used by players since the 60S. Donald Fehr, the union’s executive director balked at the testing for amphetamines and rationalized the limited penalties by saying that he wouldn’t be surprised "if over time this doesn’t take care of the problem completely."
Yeah, sure — whatever you say Fehr. After all, the previous policy of having Major League Baseball deal with the problem of steroid and drug use on its own without implementing a program worked wonders, didn’t it?
History has shown that unless you ban drug use in sports, players will take them for any possible competitive edge they might provide.
Shame on you Major League Baseball for taking so long to come up with this drug policy after ignoring this problem for so many years, after major player confessions, bogus player-enhanced records and recent federal investigations. And then to come up with this half-baked test that doesn’t include amphetamines and provides for woefully inadequate punishments … just how out of touch are you?
This disingenuous program is disgraceful and the union should rightfully be embarrassed.
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