Comments on: Sports, Drugs, and America’s Drug Problem

By: William Berry

William Berry — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:06:41 +0000

Thank you for your comment Kay. It seems most that express an opinion look more negatively upon Alex Rodriguez use of substances than Michael Phelps.
Again, thank you for participating in the discussion.

By: Kay

Kay — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:36:35 +0000

The way the whole scandal with Alex Rodriguez was revealed seems to be more appalling then Michael Phelps smoking pot. Alex Rodriguez was basically being categorized as one of the best baseball players throughout history, but how can any truth be found behind this when his being a better player then his colleagues was due to the usage of “Steroids”. I believe his using of performing enhancing drugs conflicts with how good of a player one can say Alex actually is. To his defense though I will say that Alex Rodriguez should not be held accountable for his results, since those tests where he tested positive for steroids were voluntarily and were supposed to be kept “confidential”, his accountability should be of coming when all the other 103 subjects that tested positive are named publicly.

Now as for Michael, I actually feel bad for the kid. But at the same time I do believe he was somewhat careless with his behavior. He is the golden boy of America, and well it’s obvious that if someone caught him doing drugs, then took a picture (that would later get released) the result would be him getting blasted and loosing endorsements because it’s a behavior that would be looked down upon as it would conflict with his “portrayed” image. I’m not against Michael smoking pot because as stated earlier by someone else pot isn’t going to enhance his performance, but I do believe he needs to be more wise as to whom he lets in his circle of closeness while engaging in such behavior.

By: William Berry

William Berry — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:00:19 +0000

I certainly wouldn’t want to minimize the damage done by crack cocaine, and that is not at all my intention. Any addiction causes damage, damage to family relations, damage to society as a whole. But before there was crack, there were gangs fighting over other drugs, whether they were cocaine, heroin, or even alcohol during prohibition. But the numbers demonstrate that as a whole, deaths as a result of tobacco far surpass all illegal substances, with alcohol a distant second. And although there are no drug based gang wars over prescription medication, that is the third most costly in human life.

Perhaps the real issue is the perception. We seem less concerned about these legal substances than the illegal ones. If cocaine were legal, maybe the gang wars would stop (or move to fighting over a different activity, perhaps human trafficking).

I appreciate your comment, and certainly share your concern about the damage to society caused by the illicit drug trade.

By: Auston

Auston — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:26:07 +0000

While on higher level I agree with you & even take additional initiative by being pro-legalization (for marijuana) but, I have to disagree with this statement:

“And we wouldn’t think of making tobacco or alcohol illegal, despite the fact it causes far more health and welfare problems than illegal substances.”

I think the proliferation of crack & cocaine distribution has caused welfare problems which are *almost* irreparable. Gang’s turned violent because of crack, it’s users are highly addicted. There are approximately 2 million cocaine addicts at any given moment – my assumption is that crack addiction levels are significantly higher due to it’s low cost and noninvasive consumption (smoking as opposed to snorting).

As for athletes – I don’t personally contribute to mainstream sports hype, I like skateboarding, bmx, surfing & motocross. You can’t really cheat at any of the, – steroids won’t help when you when your 500 lb bike falls on you.

By: William Berry

William Berry — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:08:24 +0000

Thank you for the comment Chet. I think many agree with you, but hopefully we will see through the posts.

By: Chet

Chet — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:59:31 +0000

I think Alex Rodriguez is much more disturbing. Sure, America looks at Michael Phelps like a hero. But I would argue that smoking marijuana would only hinder his performance. In a way, you could say he challenges his body more by his actions. Do I think its a good method? Probably not. However, it is known that marijuana will slow you down. I would be willing to bet that he would perform better without the drugs.

But when you look at cases involving steroids, you are looking at people who are looking for a quick pop; people who want to shine even if it means breaking the rules. I think it shows lack of character. In my opinion, those that may idolize him get the message that you can cheat your way in life and be a great success. While this statement is true, I think its immoral and find it disturbing that after all of the “great” players who have had their names tainted by steroids, players still are trying to gain that extra edge using the same tactics.