Today, Major League Baseball should be commended for doing something that none of the other major sports do: took a stand against Performance Enhancing Drugs. In all, 13 Major Leaguers were suspended for connections with Biogenesis. Now, it's true the IOC fights PEDs religiously and we're all familiar with the Lance Armstrong affair. But this is different. MLB is a business and one that is very lucrative. For years, MLB, the NFL, FIFA, you name it, have all turned a blind eye to steroid use. And why wouldn't they? Homeruns sell tickets. Touchdowns sell jerseys. After the strike in 1994, the homerun chase of 1998 is widely credited for returning attention to baseball. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and more were all incriminated for steroid use. McGwire finally admitted to using them (even during the 1998 season) in 2010. So, for baseball to so vehemently take a stand against something that has rebuilt it is a very historic event.
Having said that, Bud Selig's handling of the steroid era --and the Biogenesis scandal-- has been an embarrassment and a dark stain on the legacy of Major League Baseball. The two-faced Ryan Braun tested positive, vehemently claimed his innocence, won on a technicality and then failed another drug test a year later. However, Braun accepted a reduced penalty in exchange for flipping evidence on others. Now 13 players have been suspended and not one has actually failed a drug test. Alex Rodriguez received a 211 game suspension without a positive drug test. This is where MLB and Bud Selig have horribly failed. Now I won't deny that they may evidence, substantial evidence, against these players. They clearly have something, otherwise 12 of them would not have accepted their suspensions. But Selig has reached an apex with his treachery. He is not anti-doping. He's only seems anti-doping because the other owners in the league are. He's not protecting his own interests. He is protecting the interests of the owners. If the homeruns were still falling at record paces, if fans were still coming out in droves to watch players set and reset the homerun records, MLB would not do a goddamn thing. Bud Selig turned a blind eye to steroid use for years until the media latched onto the supposed PED use in baseball. If MLB were to continue to ignore it, it would spell disaster for the league. Thus a witch hunt had begun and Alex Rodriguez was the grand prize. The way the investigation into A-Rod was handled was a joke. The negotiations were nothing more than PR fodder. If the commissioner had his way A-Rod would be banned for life and really just to be an example to anyone else. As it stands, A-Rod has received a harsher punishment for alleged, keyword: alleged, steroid use than Ron Artest received for inciting a riot in the stands. So for anyone to believe that MLB is actually doing something historic for sports, you are dead wrong. MLB is doing this to protect its own interests.
If MLB actually wanted to take a true stand on the issue of PEDs, then it should use the Olympic model: strip athletes of accolades and retroactively give out punishments. Barry Bonds should be stripped of all homeruns hit after January 13, 2005 (the day MLB began suspending for PED use). Ryan Braun should be stripped of the 2011 MVP award as well as stripping the Brewers of 2011 NL Central title. This is how the commissioner could actually show a true committment to fighting PEDs, not just trying to save face.