NFL Steroids - The Prequel
As I was posting my Bobby Knight note just now, I noticed that Paul is in the middle of writing a post on steroids and the NFL. I'm not sure if this is a violation of blogger ethics, or simply clever Sports Sauna self-promotion, but let me pull a selection from Paul's upcoming post.
"My prediction: by the time I move back to the US in a few years, steroids will have been revealed as a much larger problem in the NFL then we now believe," Paul writes.
(You'll have to come back for the rest).
I think Paul is right, but only because he compared the NFL's future 'drug problem' to its current one. If Paul had suggested that the NFL's problem would be comparable to MLB's, I would have protested loudly. Let's pretend like he did. It'll be fun.
First, anybody listening to late-night sports radio here in the U.S. is aware that NFL's steroids problem is already an issue of some contention. Paul's right on that front already. People are complaining. The Carolina Panthers revelation earlier this summer has raised hackles in some circles, and a certain school of thought holds that the Panthers revelation will be the first in a string of many. I don't subscribe to that. While I'm sure that time will bring an increasing awareness of the depth of the problem, there is nothing to suggest that the problem will become more controversial.
I don't think NFL fans care. The league's attention span is ridiculously short. Where baseball and cycling fans bring and expect a sense of history, football fans do not. Every season is a toss-up, and the league is celebrated for that. Every weekend is a frenzy, and one season's Super Bowl loser is next season's Drafting In The Top 10. How could a team nearly win the Super Bowl, be exposed as cheaters less than three years later, and nobody but late-night truck drivers even notice?
The problem is compounded by the probable lack of anabolic steroids. If NFL players are taking HGH or any number of non-detectable drug, I think they'll get away completely free. Because nobody pays attention very long in the league, there will be no push to develop more strict testing. The NFL will let MLB, with a fan base that cares obsessively, implement the tests first and get the majority of the bad press. Then the NFL will coast in, slap a few hands, and continue on its merry way.
More awareness of the problem, Paul? OK. Sure. More concern? No way.
"My prediction: by the time I move back to the US in a few years, steroids will have been revealed as a much larger problem in the NFL then we now believe," Paul writes.
(You'll have to come back for the rest).
I think Paul is right, but only because he compared the NFL's future 'drug problem' to its current one. If Paul had suggested that the NFL's problem would be comparable to MLB's, I would have protested loudly. Let's pretend like he did. It'll be fun.
First, anybody listening to late-night sports radio here in the U.S. is aware that NFL's steroids problem is already an issue of some contention. Paul's right on that front already. People are complaining. The Carolina Panthers revelation earlier this summer has raised hackles in some circles, and a certain school of thought holds that the Panthers revelation will be the first in a string of many. I don't subscribe to that. While I'm sure that time will bring an increasing awareness of the depth of the problem, there is nothing to suggest that the problem will become more controversial.
I don't think NFL fans care. The league's attention span is ridiculously short. Where baseball and cycling fans bring and expect a sense of history, football fans do not. Every season is a toss-up, and the league is celebrated for that. Every weekend is a frenzy, and one season's Super Bowl loser is next season's Drafting In The Top 10. How could a team nearly win the Super Bowl, be exposed as cheaters less than three years later, and nobody but late-night truck drivers even notice?
The problem is compounded by the probable lack of anabolic steroids. If NFL players are taking HGH or any number of non-detectable drug, I think they'll get away completely free. Because nobody pays attention very long in the league, there will be no push to develop more strict testing. The NFL will let MLB, with a fan base that cares obsessively, implement the tests first and get the majority of the bad press. Then the NFL will coast in, slap a few hands, and continue on its merry way.
More awareness of the problem, Paul? OK. Sure. More concern? No way.
posted by Chris at 3:35 AM
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