From the sidelines
I don't really have any sympathy for Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, or any other athlete who admits to taking steroids.
Does anyone really think these athletes took them not knowing what they were as they claim? That's like saying you drank gasoline and didn't know it would harm you.
Anything that happens to these athletes from bodily harm, to Giambi possibly losing most of the $80 million still owed to him by the New York Yankees, they deserve.
These are adults who should know the consequences. They had people telling them not to do it, but listened less than a two-year-old at the baby sitter's house.
At the same time it doesn't make me think any less about them. They are humans and made mistakes. Baseball players who take steroids don't just juice up and become immortal.
They still have to work hard, eat right, and hit a little white ball traveling 95 mph.
Steroids don't improve your eyesight or coordination.
What is alarming to think about, are the young high school and college athletes using steroids.
A November 2003 San Francisco Chronicle attributes the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy as saying anywhere from six to 11 percent of high school age males have used steroids. It's slightly lower for females.
That means in a high school with 300 male students, anywhere from 18-33 of them are using.
The statistics are much higher in professional athletics, but it doesn't make the high school stats any less alarming.
The difference between a 29-year-old athlete and a high school athlete taking steroids is much different.
If someone is still growing and they are using, it could stunt their growth. The other major factor is the kids are getting them from shady sources.
Athletes have "professionals" like Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO), who furnished Bonds, Giambi, and many others, telling them the "right" way to use them.
High school and college athletes are obtaining steroids without any knowledge other than they will help them get bigger and stronger.
That leads to major abuse of the drugs. Abuse leads to symptoms such as balding and growing breasts for men, to breast reduction and hair growth in women. (And those are the mild symptoms)
These young athletes are trying to get bigger and stronger, faster than ever.
The worst part is scientists and researchers don't even know the long-term effects of a lot of steroids.
As far as Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield, and others are concerned, I couldn't care less. They don't need to supply answers. They made supposed "adult" choices and now have to live with the consequences.
Many adult athletes realized while steroids do build muscle, they are just a short-term quick fix, with long-term problems.
Young people, on the other hand, don't always have the experience to say no until it's too late.
