Steroids a problem in football?

• Matt Suoja

Matt Suoja

Talk about it

You know what really makes me mad?

It’s the lack of talk about steroids in football. Everyone always talks about steroids in baseball, but no one mentions football when discussing the issue.

Perhaps the best linebacker in the NFL, Shawne Merriman, tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and was suspended a few years ago. To me, that’s just the tip of the cleat.

I often hear that the NFL is a different game now with players being much faster and stronger. Some of that can be directly correlated to players lifting more weights and better conditioning, but is that all?

I would just like to see the media put more attention on steroid use in football or at least go more in depth on why the game is “different.” Baseball certainly does deserve its fair share of bad press because of steroids, but why is that it seems like it’s not as big a problem in football.

It might not be, but maybe the media is covering something up.

Baseball used to be America’s game, but now it’s football. Maybe that has something to do with it.

That’s not to say that football doesn’t have its share of bad press, but usually that press doesn’t revolve around performance-enhancing drugs. Steroids are at the heart of what is vilifying baseball and the same thing could happen to football.

It probably won’t though; too much money is involved.

Whether it’s the multi-million dollar TV contracts or the absorbingly high salaries paid to professional athletes, things are unlikely to change in the near future.

The era of baseball that I grew up with is ruined, but I hope the same thing won’t happen to football.

Not because they got away with it, but because they were honest and didn’t use performance enhancing drugs.

Most athletes need an attitude adjustment, along with changing their ideas about cheating.

Maybe this issue goes much deeper than sports. Look at the American economy right now and some of the white collar criminals who made money illegally through whatever means. Sure they “won” a lot of money, but for the price of their integrity.

Leave a comment at www.twoharborsmn.com on what you think.

Matt Suoja is a reporter with the Lake County News Chronicle. E-mails can be sent to msuoja@lcnewschronicle.com. Call him at 834-2141.