When Professional Sports Are Wrong

If you have ever read one of my columns before, you have probably seen me use the phrase “this is why we love sports.”

So often, we are reminded why we love sports so much. As you read this, Web Gems are being produced on the diamond, instant classics are being constructed by LeBron and Co. in the NBA Finals, and the NHL is getting closer and closer to the Stanley Cup. Add to that the future of the NFL getting its call in the NFL Draft this past week, and it’s been a busy week for the producers of SportsCenter.

As always, it’s a great time to be watching sports. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is why we love sports.

But for every great play that brings a smile to our faces; for every game-winning shot and mascot-falling off-the-dugout-while-dancing blooper, we get this:

Edinson Volquez.

The young Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher, who is rehabbing from elbow surgery, tested positive for a banned performance enhancing substance last week. He will be suspended 50 games for the violation.

Now, I have been on the record before that we shouldn’t care about steroids and performance enhancing drugs the way we are told to by the media, and I still believe that. Honestly, who really cares that superior, more athletic and skilful athletes might be taking substances to help their game? Isn’t that why we pay to go watch the games, to see the best of the best?

But where this case crosses the line is the suspension. Of course, being suspended for 50 games should mean having to miss 50 games, right?

Wrong.

As Volquez is still recovering from the staples in his elbow, he is being allowed to serve his suspension while on the Disabled List.

Imagine this in a non-sports setting: you break the single-most talked about rule in your company’s policy, and they let you serve your mandatory suspension while you are on vacation with your wife. No punishment, no repercussions, just a corporation saving its face by pretending to care.

Imagine sexually assaulting a co-worker, and instead of being fired or suspended, you simply get a slap on the back of the hand.

Am I the only one not ok with this?

What is the point of even giving out a suspension if it won’t cost him any time on the field?

But as Volquez continues to get ready to continue his highly lucrative baseball career with little to no actual damage done by this positive test, the sporting world moves on. ESPN will talk about the 3^rd round of the NFL draft for 8 months of the year, but this story came and went in a matter of days.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

We are stuck in a vicious cycle, where members of the media and fans expect every wrong-doer to be called out, ostracized and blamed for the world’s problems, and then expect us to continue to pay to watch these games.

We are expected to condemn everything it is to want to be the best by any means necessary, and then blindly turn around and cheer the best athletes in the world. We are expected to hate steroid users, but love people doing the exact same things as steroid users on the field, and forget about everything else. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly know how to do that.

And as more information comes out in this case, we are learning that Volquez was taking fertility medicine, to try to start a family. Or was it his doctor’s fault? Or did he just forget to check the banned list before taking an over-the-counter supplement?  My head is spinning. Like every other failed drug test in the history of sports, it wasn’t his fault, and he is sorry.

Why care about any of this? Beats me.

I guess it’s just another reason we love sports.