So why are baseball players held to a different standard?

[Bluzmann57]

I guess Alex Rodriguez supposedly tested positive for steroids in '03. And of course Bonds, Sammy, McGwire, Palmiero, and the rest are alleged steroid cheats (no concrete evidence against them except McGwire who admitted using andro), and they are crucified in the national media. But Shawn Merriman got a four game suspension for using steroids and he wins NFL defensive Player of the year. Why? Cheating is cheating. And about ten years ago there was exactly one guy with a body like Karl Malone in the NBA and that was the man himself. Now there are dozens of guys who look like him all over the NBA.
Please do not tell that there is no double standard when talking about athletes and drugs. Baseball players are crucified for being steroid cheats, and guys in other sports aren't? C'mon, are these other cheaters akin to bush or something? They can't be criticized for being cheaters because they are...hell I don't know, holy or something. I am of the opinion that there are a number of athletes who cheat, but baseball players are the ones who are paying the price. Now to be crystal clear, I do not condone cheating to gain records. I am just wondering why there is such a double standard.

[ReliantJ]

1. Its

hard enough getting people to watch this sport, you can't suspend all the good players or youll be left with Carlos Gonzalez and Aaron Rowand. Do you want that

[Bluzmann57]

2. Aaron Rowand is a good hard nosed Center Fielder

And I wouldn't mind seeing him on the Cubs roster. But you still didn't answer my question. And I love the NFL, but their players have to held to the same standards as all other athletes.

[TZ]

3. I think its because the NFL at least seems to try to get rid of

the drugs. Baseball has for years almost encouraged the cheating. FWIW, I heard a story about A-Rod today that really disgusted me..Apparantly the head of the players union gave ARod a heads up on a upcoming steroid test which is highly unethical. This means the head of the union was complicit in juicing.

[madinmaryland]

4. Fucking Bud Selig condoned the roiders!

They wanted the juiced stats to happen!

[riverdale]

5. Selig bares the biggest blame

This fiasco in baseball is due to terrible leadership on his part. He willfully ignored obvious 'roiders. They put up big stats and put butts in the seats. Everybody got rich, but look what happened - they tarnished the game and all the players in an entire era.
Football only suspends guys for four games. That is not much, but at least it is something. Why was the league covering up positive results back in 2003 anyway?

[TZ]

6. Yep. I blame Selig for this.n/t

[madinmaryland]

7. Baseball fucked up in 1994, when they let the strike happen and cancelled the WS.

They used the players (by letting them go all roid) to drum up ratings in 98 and 99.

[cboy4]

10. As if I don't hate the Cubs enough .. they better not tamper with

my centerfielder. :mad:

[nickgutierrez]

8. Exactly.

This is why I bring up the names of Rodney Harrison and Shawne Merriman every chance I get. If football got some tiny fraction of the scrutiny that baseball got, half the league would be suspended at any given time.

[MrPerson]

9. Baseball is great if you live in NY, Boston, Chicago and LA

Otherwise your team sucks 90% of the time.

In the NFL small market teams can dominate if they draft and manage players well.

Like the .....Steelers.