What If Steriods Were Now Legal?

This is how the conversation would go, “Coach I’m sorry, I know I would’ve tried to hit my fifth Home run of the game, but I had to bunt and advance the runner.” I think it would go something like that.

Let’s say starting tomorrow, it was not illegal to use performance enhancing drugs.

It would actually be encouraged and it would not hurt your reputation because it is now legal. Would it be good for sports, or would it be a bad thing? I think that it would be good for sports as a whole. There would be increases in sales, revenue and overall ratings for every sport. It would actually be pretty cool, it would be something new. That being said, I would never condone the use of any performance enhancing drugs, unless it was medically cleared to use. I am against all kinds of drugs, but that being said. Let’s just dive into it though, just for fun!

I think baseball would benefit the most with the legalization of steroids compared to any other sport. There were so many players who played in the so-called “steroid era” and their overall numbers were inflated due to the use of steroids. When Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa were hitting 50 home runs a year it was must watch television. It was awesome to see these guys hitting the ball out of the park, steroid-ed or not, it was fun to watch. Of course, now looking back at it, it was not fair that these guys had an unfair advantage, but fans go to the ball park to watch someone hit a home run. The chicks dig the long ball, c’mon its obvious.

Imagine handing the ball off to someone this size of The Hulk and watching him knock down defenders on his way to scoring his seventh touchdown of the game. It would be pretty crazy. Football is already a game of big hits and excitement. Just imagine what would go on if these players were all three of four times the size that they are now. Kickers could kick 100 yard field goals and punters could probably kick the ball out of the stadium, it would be pretty freaking epic.

For some sports, it might be pretty difficult. Especially sports that include that finesse factor like golf. Sure they would be able to drive the ball down the green and get in putting range in one stroke. But, what about trying to actually putt the ball. It would be a scene straight out of the popular golf movie Happy Gilmore. I could just picture a huge 250 lb golfer getting mad because he can’t sink an easy three-foot putt, but could drive the ball over 500 yards down the course. Also, what about a sport like bowling? Huge guys throwing a bowling ball down a lane at over 100 mph is much-watch television. I would not want to be a pin in the way of a bowling ball coming that fast straight at me.

Will this crazy idea ever happen? Probably and hopefully not. If sports ratings drop down to all time lows, you never know though. I’m just kidding, but hey it would something if it actually ever happened!

The Voice Behind the Game

The next time you watch a sporting event on television put the television on mute. Now try watching the game without the voice of the announcers, while only listening to the sounds of the game. Now tell me, would it be the same? What if there was no announcer  for each team? All you would here was the crack of the bat or the squeaks on the basketball court. Would watching or listening to a game be the same without the announcers?

Many people take announcers for granted. They tell a story, they are like the narrator in a movie.  Announcers keep the action in a game going along, while giving you play by-play updates at the same time. What if there was an amazing upset and the underdog just scored the game winning goal or touchdown? Sure, you would hear the crowd cheer and the players jump up and down, but it’s just not the same. A classic-line like, “Do you believe in Miracles?” was said by Marv Albert when the United States hockey team defeated Russia in the Olympics. This one line alone summed up a game and a story all in one sentence. Classic lines like this are what make a game memorable.

Take away the announcer and all you have is a game with no emotion. Sure, you have the fans, but for someone sitting at home they can’t feel what it is like sitting in a stadium. Even when you go to a game live it really doesn’t have the same feel as watching it at home. Sure, it is cool to go watch your players live and actually be there when your team wins or loses, but it just feels like there is something missing. That is why there are announcers to set up the stage and make you feel like you are in the game. They put the emotion in a game, for someone not in the stadium. They hit you with those classic one-liners that they are known for and share their excitement with the fans watching at home.

Announcers usually come in pairs. Vin Sculley is one announcer who calls the game by himself.

The clock is ticking down, this shot will send the New York Knicks to the NBA Finals, a place where they have not been in over ten years. The ball goes out to Carmelo Anthony, he looks right, dribbles down the lane and puts it up! The ball bounces on the rim and it goes in and the New York Knicks are going to the Finals! Just try to compare that to the sounds effects of a ball going through the net, just to hear a crowds reaction . It is also said that most fans who go to live games are not even die-hard fans. They are the fans who have enough money to go to the games on a daily basis.

Without the Vin Scully’s of the world sports would be not even close to the same as it is now. Announcers are a small part of sports that go unnoticed. There are still some annoying announcers out there who get overly excited when nothing dramatic really happened and  end up trying too hard to come up with some exciting commentary, but you can’t blame them because they are just trying to put some emotion in the game.

The next time you watch your favorite team play, take some time to listen to the announcer. Try and turn off the television and turn on the radio and listen to the game, like how it was listened to back in the day. If you would listen to sports on the radio without the live picture you will really appreciate how these announcers can really paint a picture with words. Without their voice the game wouldn’t be the same.

Celebrity Status

A celebrity is a status that many want to reach. Once this status is reached, the fame is something that many people tend to shy away from, while others embrace. The obsession over this celebrity status has altered some people’s lives and has also changed them as a person. Is the flashing lights and cameras all worth it?

Fans line up and pay their hard-earned money to watch these so-called “celebrities” on television or live at an events. There are all kinds of celebrities ranging from Dick Clark and Donald Trump all the way to Justin Bieber and Mike “The Situation” from the Jersey Shore. When you become a celebrity you take on the responsibility to become a role model. Like it or not, there are young kids and teens who look up to you. They see your name in lights and they want to be in the position that you are in. For some celebrities, they embrace their status and use it as a way to give back, but for others they just live in the moment and don’t care about the impact that they are having on others.

What actually makes Kim Kardashian earn the “celebrity” title?

Some celebrities deserve to have the spot light that they do, but there are so many who don’t. There are actors and sports figures who deserve the spotlight because they actually have this one attribute that makes them earn that status, that one attribute is talent. Talent is something that you are either born with or is something that you develop over time. People who have this actually use this ability and can make a difference. Some can make a difference on the baseball diamond and others can make a difference on the big screen and deliver award-winning performances. Those are the kind of celebrities I have respect for.

Many celebrities are just celebrities because of their name or their appearance on television. There are so many people who become famous because they do something that draws attention on television and people become automatically intrigued by them. Reality television stars, and most main stream musicians fall under this category.

Turn on the radio and all you hear is a catchy beat followed by some lyrics. These lyrics have no meaning behind them, no positive message and best of all probably weren’t even written by the music artist. Yet, they are there because they are spoken by an attractive figure who can bring in the money. Reality television stars are the same way. Can someone please tell me where is their talent? What do they do that is different from anyone else? They live life and have a camera follow them around all day. The funny thing is that they live a scripted live, they don’t actually live the life that is portrayed on television, it is mostly just for show.

A celebrity is someone who the media pushes on us and tells us that they are a celebrity. That is my definition of what a celebrity is in our day and age. Way back in the 1970′s and 1980′s, to get in the spotlight is something that was earned. Something that people fought for everyday and dedicated their life goals for. The next time you hear the word celebrity, just be able to separate the people who actually earned that status and the people who were given that status.

Playing Sports with the Boys

Behind every great man there is a woman. In the United States, it says that there is fair and equal opportunity for all. The land of the free and the home of the brave. I believe if a woman has the ability to hold a “man’s job” of being president then women should also be able to play sports against men. Women and men should be able to do whatever the other one can do. It is only fair that both are given an equal chance.

Men and women have their own sport leagues, separate for each gender. There is the NBA for men and the WNBA or women. I think that there should be no barrier between these leagues. If a girl wanted to play with the boys, I think that she should be able to. There are some girls who are better at their sports than men. Brittney Griner of Baylor University can dunk a basketball. That is an amazing accomplishment as a girl. She has the attributes and the talent to hang with the boys on the court. She is 6’8 and dominated in college. I think that she could stand head to head with some NBA players. I’m not talking about someone like Kobe Bryant. But I think she could put up a fight against some players who sit on NBA benches and are just there collect their paychecks. We will never know though!

Danica Patrick is a woman who is defying all of the odds against the men. She holds the finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 race, coming in 3rd place. You can not take away from any of her accomplishments because she is breaking boundaries for women and showing that they can hang with the men.

My problem with Danica Patrick is what she does away from the track.  She is a model and a spokesperson for Go Daddy. By becoming a model and appearing in risqué Go Daddy commercials it takes away from her accomplishments on the track taken seriously. As much she is setting an example for why women should be able to play men’s sports, she is also hurting it the same time. She is becoming the stereotype of just another pretty face. Something that women have been fighting  against for hundreds of years. Patrick is using her looks to cash in rather than setting the standard of  what women should strive for.

Stop trying to be a model. Start trying to be a role model.

The same can be said for Hope Solo.

She was an outstanding goalie for the U.S girls soccer team. She has the same talent, if not more than some guys. But once again, instead of setting an example for female sport figures, she cashes in on her looks just like Danica Patrick. Posing half-naked in magazines trying to become popular and gain attention off the field.

Many female athletes aren’t like Patrick and Solo, that is the problem. These two athletes happen to be two of the most popular and they are the two who are abusing their popularity and setting a bad reputation for other female athletes. It is a shame too because many female athletes carry themselves off the field as role models, but there are still a few who continue to set a bad name.

There was a girls football league called the lingerie league and now there is a new bikini hockey league that was recently announced.  This is pretty much just an insult to girls who play professional sports. It’s just a bunch of half-naked girls running around playing sports. It is an easy cash in and a way to degrade women athletics and bring in easy money. It is so hard to break stereotypes when there is women who go out and play in this. If they really wanted to make a change, they would not participate, but I guess it’s easy money for them as well.

I understand that there are athletes who like to play against their same gender because it is an equal level of competition. I also think if there is a women who has the ability to play against the men, then let her play. We broke the barriers of race in sports over a hundred of years ago and I think it is time to break the barrier of gender as well.

The Hardest Sport to Play

Sitting at home and yelling at athletes on television is a hobby for some. Fans get outraged at these over paid athletes. They think that they should perform at their highest level every time they go out and play a sport. They yell and curse at the television, whenever an athlete strikes out, or misses a big shot in a game. Going out and actually performing in front of millions of fans, in the stands and on national television, is not as easy as it looks.

An athlete is someone who posses a skill or a talent that makes them capable of playing a sport. Every athlete is different, some are good at being strong and others are good at being smart. Each sport requires a different skill set in order for an athlete to succeed at that particular sport.

Some sports, people are just born to play. If you were born 7’3, can catch a ball and put it into a hoop, then you are destined to play basketball. If you were born 5’1, 110 lbs you could make the perfect jockey. Some attributes such as height and size, people are born with. Many who are born with these attributes are pretty lucky.

There is one sport though that doesn’t require any height or weight requirement. This sport takes both strength and smarts. It is one of the most watched sports today, but doesn’t get the credibility of a sport such as football, baseball or soccer.

I am talking about the most difficult sport to play, thatrequires the greatest skill set. That sport is golf.

Take your golf club, take your tiny little golf ball and hit it into a hole that is 4.25 inches. Did I mention that you only have a certain number of tries to do this and that the location of the hole is anywhere between 100 and 600 feet away?

I think that golf is the hardest sport to play. With sports such as football and basketball you can practice and build up muscle and strength in order to become better. Golf is a sport that requires a unique skill set.

People of all ages can play golf, unlike any other sport. There have been golfers the age of forty who have won the Masters. In sports like baseball and basketball you can define the odds of age and play, but you are at a greater disadvantage. Golf is similar to wine, as you get older you get better. Golfers become smarter and learn how to angle their shots and judge what golf clubs to use on different shots. It is not easy judging a shot with gusty winds trying to alter the direction of your shot.

Each sport requires a certain talent in order to succeed. I am not trying to say that tennis or soccer is easy to play. Sports like boxing and football really take a lot out of you. Those are sports of determination and heart. Who can outlast the other opponent to the end.

There are individual positions that are extremely difficult to play. Such as a pitcher or a quarterback. Each of these positions require smarts and skill. It is not easy trying to read a defense and throw a perfect pass or throw a baseball in an exact location on the edge of the plate.

The difference between golf and those difficult positions are that you can overcome being a quarterback or pitcher with other talents. What I mean by that is, if you can’t throw a perfect pass, you can succeed in other ways. Running for a first down by yourself or throwing quick passes to your star receiver, can take the pressure off of you. A pitcher who can throw 100 mph can intimidate a batter and make him swing at pitches he would usually not swing at.

As a golfer, you are out there on your own. You get help from your caddy, but it is you against the wind and the course. There is no alternative way out  you can use to help get out of a bunker or a forest. Reading the wind and choosing the best club is your only way out.

Playing any sport is difficult and requires a ton of skill. I’m just saying the next time you turn on the television, just think about how hard it is to actually play the game of golf. Think about the unique skill set it requires to hit a golf ball into a hole that is 4.25 inches big and over 500 feet away.

Should College Athletes be Paid?

I play for the love of the game. That is usually the phrase that professional athletes say when are asked, why do they play sports.

Sure, I guess that is one of the reasons why they play. That and also because professional athletes make crazy amounts of money. I am talking millions and close to billions of dollars. From their salaries to off the court and field promotions such as advertisements, appearances and products.

This is when the question comes into play, if professional athletes get paid by their teams, then why don’t college athletes get paid by their schools. I think if you start paying college athletes it will create a lot of controversy.

First off, who would decide how much each athlete gets paid and what amount of money? Do the star players get paid because they are better than the players on the bench? There are so many unanswered questions that need to be answered.

As a sports fan, what makes watching college games so much better than the pros is that these kids are playing hard and are giving their all. They are playing for a chance to make it to the pros and make money. I think that they need to prove themselves on the college levels and show that they deserve to make money at the next level.

If you pay college players now it will hurt them as an athlete and as a person.

It would take away their drive to go out and compete at a high level every single game that they play. They will sit back and collect their money, not caring if they would win or lose. I think that this is a problem with the pros today.

Professional athletes get yelled at by fans because they know that they are slacking off and not caring if their team wins or loses. As a professional athlete, you have an obligation to play to your fullest potential every game no matter what the score is.

I think that the system should stay they way that it is now. Let college players learn hard work and how to play the game to the fullest, let them earn their way to the pros.

Let’s just hope these college players can learn how to play for the love of the game and not love for the money.