Poor treatment of a horse is not a win or a place

Australia has one of the biggest markets when it comes to horse racing. You can either be a casual punter, it could be your job to pick winners, or to train them, or even ride them. You may have ownership or shares in a horse. Sure it's expensive, but it's a hobby for many people. But what is overlooked often is how the horses themselves are treated. No one asks what the horses life is like, they just want to make money. How desperate are you to make a horse win? So much to the point that you'll race it when it is just two years old? It's not even fully developed so it's definitely running the risk of serious injury, but sure it happens anyway. The Golden Slipper is perhaps the most glamourous two year old race in Australia with prizemoney up to 3.5 million dollars. The people who win must think it's definitely worth it, but is it really? As a horse who is training constantly for big races, there is a strict routine in place. Mainly involving staying in a stable all day, being worked too hard for the short amount of time they are not stabled, and being fed lots of unnatural supplements and feeds. They should be out in the open, not going stir crazy. They should be grazing, not getting stomach ulcers from the various grains. (Animals Australia)

The main question here and what the majority don't even know the answer to, is what happens to the horses after they have finished their racing careers, what happens to the ones who never make a career out of it and don't win or be successful to the liking of the trainers, owners etc. ? One possibility is they could be cast to compete in steeplechase racing, which is racing with jumps incorporated, sure this looks fun and different to the hard intense gallops, but in fact these races are infact taking more toll on the body of these horses who more often than not are already broken down. This in turn could create more injuries and fatalities because of the debilitating injuries that may occur. If a bone is already shattered to the point of no repair, quite often the horse is euthanised right there on the spot. Today was actually the 153rd running of the Melbourne Cup, the most well known and prestigious race that stops the nation on the 1st Tuesday of November every year. As I was watching, one horse pulled up short shortly after the race had begun, but the announcer didn't even say anything. I found out later that Verema was put down on the spot as the injuries were too severe. It's just sad that this happens at all.

As I began researching this a few days ago, I found out something quite shocking. I was completely unaware of abbatoirs and horses having any sort of connection. I realise now that's not the smartest thing, but i'd honestly just never thought about horses like that, as opposed to the cows and other animals that we eat. More often than not, they are used for various pet meats, but I had no idea how prominent it was. 25000 horses per year are slaughtered. (Animals Australia). It's honestly awful how badly treated some horses can be but there are some small bright spots within all of the negative. We've had racehorses staying at our place for some time being raised since they were foals, one had a foot injury and we were told she could never race, but instead of some horrible result, she still lives in the paddock and is well looked after and has company with other horses. It's not all bad. But it could be much, much better.

References:

(2013). Horse Racing, the glitz, the glamour, the grim reality.. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/horse_racing.php. [Last Accessed 4th November 2013].

Race Horse Abuse. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.animal-rights-action.com/horse-abuse.html. [Last Accessed 5th November 2013].

Mobbs, A (2013). International Stayer Verema euthanised after breaking down in Melbourne Cup. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.foxsports.com.au/other-sports/horse-racing/international-stayer-verema-euthanised-after-breaking-down-in-melbourne-cup/story-e6frf41l-1226753640337. [Last Accessed 5th November 2013].

Torres, C and Chen, P (2012). There are no winners: Horse racing is unethical. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4086304.html. [Last Accessed 5th November 2013

Howden, S (2013). Horse Meat Trade quietly thrives despite "nasty" image. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/horse-meat-trade-quietly-thrives-despite-nasty-image-20130222-2ewom.html. [Last Accessed 4th November 2013].

2012 Olympics Badminton Scandal

8 players disqualified from London Olympics for throwing games.

Amongst all the hype and excitement of the 2012 London Olympic Games, there was a dark moment that happened on the badminton courts on August the 1^st. Eight players in the women’s doubles competition were thrown out following an inquiry by the Badminton World Federation in London. (The Telegraph) These eight players were accused of wanting to lose, in order to manipulate the draw for the knockout stages for the Olympics. (BBC) As a result of these disqualifications it also meant that the world number one pair of Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China were also thrown out of the competition (CNN), causing much uproar amongst Chinese fans.

              

Due to the fact that Chinese pair Tian Quing and Zhao Yunlei had won their match, if Yu and Wang had lost then the only time they would have faced each other was in the finals. (BBC) The crowd was not oblivious to what was going on either, with the onlookers booing and hissing as all the teams from Asia were intentionally playing poorly in order to be better positioned for the knockout rounds of the competition. (The Daily Beast) The WBF have said in their statement that the pairs have been charged with “not using ones best efforts to win a match” and “conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport”. (The Telegraph)

Due to the fact that this is the first time Badminton was being played in a round robin format it allowed for players to manipulate “dead rubber” games to their advantage. This was also admitted to by South Korea head coach Sung Han-kook, who said that they attempted to throw their games against the Indonesians and the Chinese. Although he did concede that these tactic were only in retaliation against the Chinese team who started the problem of purposefully losing. This comes as much of a surprise to many fans of badminton, as badminton in China is its national sport. To think that a nation who is so proud of its badminton skill and success would even think of throwing games was not even a thought. As soon as Yu and Wang were thrown out of the Olympic Games, Yu promptly went on Chinese state television and issued an apology and sought out forgiveness. “We did not comply with the Olympic spirit, and did not deliver a match with our true level to the audience, the fans and the friends.” The pressure even turned out to be too much for Yu Yang as she even announced her imminent retirement from the sport as a result of the scandal.

The fact that people were found to be deliberately losing games in badminton is bad enough, but what I find makes it worse is the fact it was being done at the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of sporting success, it shows the world the best athletes doing the best at what their sport is. To go against everything that the Olympics stand for is outrageous, to throw games whilst being at the highest level in sport, when others would have done anything to be in their position is just not right. The punishment that these players received I found were just, there is no bigger offense you could commit, besides drug related offenses, than going against the Olympic Spirit, which is all the Olympics represent. From what reports said on how the WBF handled this situation and how it will handle, if there are any, similar offenses then I believe purposeful losing will soon become a thing of the past.

References:

Kelso P. (2012, August 1).  Badminton pairs expelled from London 2012 Olympics after ‘match-fixing’ scandal.

               The Telegraph, Retrieved from

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/badminton/9443922/Badminton-pairs-expelled-from-London-2012-Olympics-after-match-fixing-scandal.html

Greene R. (2012, August 2). Olympic Badminton Players Disqualified for Trying to Lose.

               CNN, Retrieved from

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/01/sport/olympics-badminton-scandal/

(2012, August 1). Olympics Badminton: Eight Women Disqualified from Doubles.

               BBC Sport Olympics, Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19072677

Levin D. (2012, August 2). Olympics Badminton Scandal Rocks china.

               The Daily Beast, Retrieved from

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/02/olympics-badminton-scandal-rocks-china.html

76ers haven't read the memo on Tanking, or maybe they've decided to play fair.

So it's been almost a whole week into the NBA season and I haven't been happier in a while, but the biggest story is not about Miami picking up where they left off, or Derrick Rose turning the Bulls into a wonder team, but in fact the Philadelphia 76ers confusing everyone by winning their first three games, including derailing the two teams mentioned above who would be regarded as title contenders, with the help of new rookie sensation Michael Carter-Williams. In his first career NBA game, he posted an incredible stat line and was one steal away from recording a triple-double, and being only the second player in history to have a triple-double on debut besides Oscar Robertson. Anyway, i'm not here to rave about MCW or Philly, but rather to talk about a serious issue in the NBA, tanking.

Tanking refers to a team stopping giving their full effort to increase their chances of landing a future star by receiving a better pick in a draft. So why this year? "It's simple, the 2014 draft class is touted as the best since 2003, which produced LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony." (The Roar, 2013) This year's coming draft is stacked with future stars including our own Aussie star Dante Exum, who resides here in Canberra, and Andrew Wiggins, the star who everyone is projecting to be the no. 1 pick next year. "Riggin' for Wiggins" has become a term heard more frequently as the beginning of the season has started, and will only be heard more and more. There are a few cellar dweller teams who know they have no chance of winning the title this year, or even coming close, but if they were to lose, they have a higher chance of getting Andrew Wiggins via the draft lottery. There is incentive of landing a future superstar, but is it fair to the fans and the game that a team should attempt to deliberately lose for a season? This detracts from the idea that on any given night, two teams play as hard as they can in order to win the game and please their fans. I wouldn't want to go to a game where the Utah Jazz are playing and they decide to rest a healthy Gordon Hayward, who is my one of my favourite players on their team and one of their up and coming best players, because they don't need to win, it's just simply not good for the game. It creates a feeling of disbelief within the players, it "discourages effort, players and coaches feel that no one is counting on them to win, so they disengage." ( Bleacher Report, 2013) In an email exchange, Malcolm Gladwell talked of the issue, stating "you simply cannot have a system that rewards people for losing" comparing it to moral hazard. In an anonymous survey held recently, one GM of a team admitted to tanking this year. "It's tough for us to compete with that", talking of the contenders and the big market teams signing players in free agency, "a high lottery pick is all we have." (Yahoo, 2013). I would want to stay anonymous too.

Anyway, back to Philly for a second. This is the team according to "Bill and Jalen's NBA Preview" on Grantland, (which i watched religiously and still watch) who were destined to have the worst record this season, and were obviously tanking. They barely improved their team over the offseason or even attempted to/ This could still happen, it's sport so they could lose every one of their 79 games left in the season. Or maybe the players have taken it upon themselves to play as hard as they can every night because, like most people, they do not like to lose. This is what I would like to see, as an avid fan myself. Basketball legend Michael Jordan is against the idea as well, he said "I don't know if some teams have thought of that, that's not something we would do." (Complex.com, 2013) He currently owns the Charlotte Bobcats. They poured out a massive amount of money, $13 million a year contract on Al Jefferson, (not saying it wasn't deserved) but a team who was tanking just wouldn't do that. Last year, Kyrie Irving, a young up and coming star for the Cleveland Cavaliers was injured and it helped their chances in the lottery, because they lost without him playing, and sure enough, they landed the no 1. pick in this years draft. "The NBA is a league in which a rising young star's injury brings a team closer to it's short term goal." (Grantland, 2013)

Speaking of the lottery, Henry Abbott says that "essentially the best run teams are getting penalised while the worst run teams are rewarded." (True Hoop, 2012). It's no secret that tanking becoming a more pronounced issue within the NBA. Other sports have even begun to talk about it, in an article by the Buffalo News, that focuses on tanking in the NHL, it even refers to the NBA and how the problem could be solved. The team with the best record who doesn't make the postseason should get the highest draft pick. (2013) This would mean that the teams who may try to make it to the playoffs and could potentially fail have still made a concerting effort to make it to the postseason. This means that incentive is created for every team to attempt to get past the regular season, which means more competitive games on a nightly basis, which means more fans, which means a better sport overall. I think it's a great idea and the guys at Bleacher Report (my favourite sporting website) seem to have a similar line of thinking. Khan says that the two lowest seeds from wither conference have problems winning anyway so he thinks that teams could potentially even mini tank the last couple of games to snag that top lottery pick, so he says that we should expand the lottery to the 7 and 8 seeds as well, giving teams more intent to strive to make the post-season. (2013)

On the other hand, it can be argued that tanking can be good for the league, "positively impacting team positioning for the postseason, therefore increasing revenue in the league".( Bleacher Report, 2012) I still don't agree with it, and when the day comes where all 30 teams are trying to win each and every night, the sport will be much better for it. 


References:

Yuscavage, C (2013). Michael Jordan not a fan of NBA tanking games. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.complex.com/sports/2013/11/michael-jordan-not-fan-nba-teams-tanking. [Last Accessed 3rd November 2013].

Gleason, B (e.g. 2011). NHL, NBA could put a stop to tanking. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/bucky-gleason/nhl-nba-could-put-a-stop-to-tanking-20131031. [Last Accessed 4th November 2013].

Khan, E (2013). How to solve the NBA's tanking problem. [ONLINE] Available at: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1754160-how-to-solve-the-nbas-tanking-problem. [Last Accessed 3rd November 2013].

Cherin-Gordon, S (2013). The Myth of Tanking and why it has no place in the NBA. [ONLINE] Available at: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1723628-the-myth-of-tanking-and-why-it-has-no-place-in-the-nba. [Last Accessed 2nd November, 2013].

Simmons, B (2009). Gladwell-Simmons, Part II. [ONLINE] Available at: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090513/part2. [Last Accessed 3rd November 2013].

Abbott, H (2012). Tanking is the tip of the iceberg. [ONLINE] Available at: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/39318/tanking-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg. [Last Accessed 2nd November, 2013].

Koremenos, B (2013). Solving the real problem with the NBA's tanking epidemic. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/54121/solving-the-real-problem-with-the-nbas-tanking-epidemic. [Last Accessed 4th November 2013].

Dwyer, K (2013). One NBA general manager admits to tanking the 2013-14 season, anonymously. [ONLINE] Available at: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-
lie/one-nba-general-manager-admits-tanking-2013-14-192122473--nba.html. [Last Accessed 4th November 2013].

Pybus, M (2013). Why are so many NBA teams tanking in 2013-14?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/11/04/why-are-so-many-nba-teams-tanking-in-2013-14/. [Last Accessed 3rd November 2013].

Scaletta, K (2012). Is 'Tanking" Really Bad for the NBA?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1153502-is-tanking-really-bad-for-the-nba. [Last Accessed 2nd November, 2013].

Washington Redskins Name Change

Call to Scalp Washington's Nickname

               Once again the Washington National Football team has come into controversy. With once again a familiar theme, the NFL teams nickname the Washington ‘Redskins’. American Indian group Oneida Indian Nation on October 30^th called on the National Football League to use its powers to forcefully change the controversial name. (Mail Online) Not only has this American Indian group made complaints but also congress has made its point to the NFL franchise. Previously in May 10 members of congress sent a letter to Washington owner Dan Snyder in addition to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and 31 other NFL teams. (Huffington Post) Urging the name change due to harm and lowered self-esteem amongst Native Americans, especially amongst the younger community. In addition earlier in the year the National Congress had even issued to the team a statement opposing its nickname. Saying that it is time that the “Washington football team join the 21^st century” and that they should leave the “mockery and racism in the past where it belongs”. (Huffington Post)

              

Although there is clear outrage from officials on the controversial NFL nickname, it seems most of the public do not agree with what they have to say. A recent poll showed the 79 percent of people do not think that Washington should change their name. This is also in accordance with the Washington Redskins owner Mr Snyder when he spoke with USA today on the issue. Stating that he “will never change the name of the team”, he believes “redskin fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means”. (Huffington Post) On the other side of this is Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter and what he had to say about the term ‘redskin’. Stating “the use of the r-word is not a unifying force nor does it convey respect. It is the very word people heard when they were dragged by gunpoint off their land”. (Mail Online) Halbritter has also written to the NFL commissioner reasoning that he has not taken the necessary action to deal with this racist term. That the authority being used is far below those that are used for simple issues such as salary cap violations, on-field celebrations that don’t reflect well on the game and punishing off-field misconduct by team officials. (ESPN NFL)

              

When you delve further into the issue that is present with the Washington NFL team, it seems to only get worse for the franchise. Under the dictionary definition of the term is simply says “American Indian” with a disclaimer “usually offensive”. Now this doesn’t help the NFL team in its case of believe the term is not offensive and should be kept. Although evidence points towards the team name should be changed Daniel Snyder continues to press his point further, shown by the letter he sent out to all of the Washington fans. “After 81 years, the team name “R*******” continues to hold the memories and meaning of where we came from, who we are, and who we want to be in the years to come”. (Bleacher Report) It is evident that there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made before any compromise arises.

              

What is an interesting development on the issue is that an increasing number of reporters and media companies are refusing to use the term ‘redskins’. Joel Barkin wrote to Mr Snyder confirming the drop of the name amongst the media. Saying that “It’s a name that journalists across the world of sports are simply refusing to use”. Continuing on to say that the “brand is going to lead to more protests, boycotts and lawsuits”.

              

The way I see it is the Washington Redskins are fighting a war which they simply won’t win. The US is a cultural melting pot where equality is encouraged everywhere in their daily lives, it’s an issue that they have been dealing with for most of their history. The fact that Mr Snyder is keeping the name purely based on the reasons of it being their history as a team for so long is one that won’t stand. People will begin to weigh up which is more important, the retention of a NFL teams name or stopping the racial offense towards American Indians. There has been plenty of other instances where professional sports teams have changed their name for the greater good. The Washington Bullets did not need to change their name, but did so due to the rise of gun-related violence. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays simply dropped the devil from their name of their own accord. It clearly wouldn’t be difficult for just a simple name change for the respective NFL team. But as such the owner is sticking to his guns and will continue to refuse even the thought of a name change, to satisfy the out cries of American Indians. The NFL has shown how seriously it takes the Oneida Indian Nation bid to change the Redskins’ name, when the commissioner did not even attend the meeting. To encourage equality amongst all races in the United States the NFL needs to clearly take a larger stance on the issue and encourage or force Washington to address the problem at hand. This problem doesn’t look like it’s going away until the controversial ‘Redskins’ have been changed.

References:

Hall M. (2013, October 31). American Indians call on the NFL to force Redskins name change as the league and owner stand by the controversial moniker.

Mail Online. Retrieved from

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2481391/NFL-force-Washington-Redskins-change-controversial-name.html

Atkins L. (2013, June 5). It’s Time to Scalp the Washington Redskins’ Nickname.

               Huff Post Sports. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-atkins/its-time-to-scalp-the-was_b_3377760.html

Schottey M. (2013, October 31). Washington Redskins Name Change Would Be a Win-Win for Everyone.

               Bleacher Report. Retrieved from

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1831844-washington-redskins-name-change-would-be-a-win-win-for-everyone

Van Natta Jr D. (2013, October 31). Oneida, NFL meet about Redskins.

               ESPN NFL. Retrieved from

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9903563/oneida-nation-meets-nfl-leadership-seek-washington-redskins-name-mascot-change

Dank puts "pep" in ASADA's step

This is my first attempt, but here goes...

 When I hear ASADA, I think of the NRL and all of the drama that has substantiated this year. There are many clubs, and personnel involved within the investigation of usage of certained banned substances. But, the beginning of the investigations this year didn't even begin at an NRL club, but infact at an AFL club residing in Melbourne, the Essendon Bombers. At the beginning of the year, back in February, Essendon invited the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (more commonly known as ASADA) to investigate a supplements program which was run by Stephen Dank, A sports scientist working for the club. Dank had previously worked with NRL clubs such as the Cronulla Sharks, Penrith Panthers and the Manly Sea Eagles. The Australian Crime Commission release a report of the "blackest day in Australian sport" and it is revealed that the Essendon players were urged to have 40 injections each last season.(Herald Sun, 2013).

Fast forward to March and the investigation is turned to the NRL also, targeting many clubs and up to 22 players, but mainly the Cronulla Sharks.(Daily Telegraph, 2013) This put a huge cloud over the Sharks as a whole, and many doubted them to make it anywhere near as far as they did this year. But why were they targeted? Stephen Dank used to work there. Already at this point it seemed like wherever he went or had been, trouble was to be there. Dank had only been at the club for 4 weeks before leaving, leaving concerns of why he had left so soon, and off site treatment adding to the confusion and suspicion. Throughout the course of the season, ASADA had been named and mentioned numerous times, with players, and clubs all being interviewed as part of the process of investigation. We as Australians I believe, do not like cheating, or using anything to gain an unfair advantage, such as the use of peptides.

April comes around, Dank claims that he never used anything that was a banned substance, and never did so without consulting and achieving consent from ASADA or WADA(World Anti-Doping Association) "Nothing was ever used without asking them first", "never once was anything indicated to me that we would have issues in terms of what we used". (Sydney Morning Herald, 2013) In June, ASADA came up again in the media, with new information on their trail. Text messages between the controversial Dank, and several players including Paul Gallen, the NSW captain, and Sandor Earl, Canberra Raiders winger. (Daily Telegraph, 2013) The Telegraph revealed that Dank had been "under close watch" and that text messages had been obtained from his phone to further assist their investigation. At this stage, I wonder how suspicious this Dank character is, and what is to come of it. Two months later Dank is refusing to be interviewed by ASADA despite being a main link in the drugs in sport probe. He said that both Cronulla and Essendon had nothing to worry about in the investigation as no one involved from either club had ever taken any banned substances. "Not at all, not one banned substance". (The Age, 2013)

Now only last week, the Footy Show on Channel Nine aired a full extensive interview of Sandor Earl by the usually funny Karl Stefanovic, where Sandor explains the entire process of his time when he was accused by ASADA to have been a drug cheat, back at the Panthers in 2011 whilst undergoing a double shoulder reconstruction. The man in charge of what Earl had found out to be breaking the law? Stephen Dank. He had offered an opportunity to help Sandor reduce his recovery time by up to three months, which of course any NRL player is going to chomp at the bit for, especially when you're a young player being held back by injury. Sandor explains meeting Dank, and learning of the treatment which Dank repeatedly told Earl that he was not breaking any rules. He was taken away to an off-site treatment facility (much similar to the one mentioned above I would think), the doctor there even assured Earl that he "wouldn't trust anyone more than Stephen Dank". Sandor apparently never paid for any of the substances, and he never received any major benefits from the drugs taken, and to him it seemed more credible. (Sydney Morning Herald, 2013) He says looking back now it looks a bit suspicious, but there isn't much he can do about it now.

Quite simply, I think that Dank should own up to what he has done, to further stop this happening and destroying players futures and even as far as the sports themselves. With this kind of reputation, who will want to fund it, watch it or support it in any way. I personally feel sorry for Sandor Earl, who asked many times "can i get in trouble for this?" to which Dank had replied no. I would too name and shame this man who has torn apart, even if only temporarily, this young man's footy career. As for ASADA asking Sandor to further assist their investigation into naming other players, not so sure if I would do that, or think he should. Dank is guilty, and I firmly believe he should be punished.


References:


Massoud, J. Sharks Players could be stood down following ASADA investigation. March 7, 2013.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/at-least-six-cronulla-sharks-players-in-sights-of-asada-officials/story-e6frexnr-1226591552380

Herald Sun, Essendon drugs scandal: The story so far. August 27, 2013.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/essendon-scandal-the-story-so-far/story-fni5f6kv-1226635822954

Wilson, R. ASADA is tackling a trail of texts between Stephen Dank and NRL players. June 16, 2013.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/asada-tackling-a-trail-of-texts-between-stephen-dank-and-nrl-players/story-fni3gol8-1226664369778

Proszenko, A. I always had ASADA's consent: Dank. April 9, 2013
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/i-always-had-asadas-consent-dank-20130408-2hhgk.html

The Age. Stephen Dank still won't bow to ASADA interview request. August 9, 2013
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/stephen-dank-still-wont-bow-to-asada-interview-request-20130809-2rnbx.html

Webster, A. Dank didn't come clean with me: Earl. September 27 2013.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/dank-didnt-come-clean-with-me-earl-20130926-2uh9r.html

Alex Rodriguez Drug Scandal

Alex Rodriguez Drug Scandal

A-Rod the Banned Plays on

On August the 25^th Major League Baseball (MLB) handed down Alex Rodriguez’s Drug related suspension that was to extend through the 2014 season. In a statement from the MLB, the ban was for the “use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone over the course of multiple years.” (cbsnews.com, 2013). Rodriguez was one of 13 players to have been suspended by the MLB for their link to a now defunct biogenesis clinic in Florida. This clinic has been accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs to athletes across a number of professional sports. (cbsnews.com, 2013). As A-Rod has stated he will appeal his suspension which is to cover 211 games, if unsuccessful the suspension will further continue into the 2015 season. (thestar.com, 2013). Through all the controversy of simply just the findings of the investigation, there is even more controversy that has been created by Alex Rodriguez’s appeal. Due to current rules of the MLB, as the arbitrator who is looking over A-Rod’s case (Frederic Horowitz) won’t be ruling till November or December, Mr Rodriguez will be allowed to continue playing for the rest of the MLB season.

The other players that have been notified of their suspension from Major League Baseball have already accepted their bans. The players to have accepted their 50 game bans are, Antonio Bastardo (Phillies), Everth Cabrera (Padres), Francisco Cervelli (Yankees), Nelson Cruz (Rangers), Fautino De Los Santos (free agent), Sergio Escalona (Astros), Fernando Martinez (Yankees), Jesus Montero (Mariners), Jordan Norberto (free agent), Jhonny Peralta (Tigers), Cesar Puello (Mets) and Jordany Valdespin (Mets), (theguardian.com, 2013) with Ryan Braun accepting his 65 game suspension from his involvement with the biogenesis clinic. A-Rod is as said before the only player to ‘vow to appeal’ (theguardian.com, 2013) and us such is still playing in the MLB.

A-Rod is due to miss games this year, it doesn’t seem right how a player who is so heavily embedded in a drug scandal, handed a 211 game suspension and can now affect games and ultimately the pennant race. There is no justice in the MLB as long as the long-time Yankees third baseman is allowed to keep playing. (bostonblobe.com, 2013). To everyone the fact A-Rod appealed is not due to him trying clear his name, but instead to rain in as many pay checks before the ban is put into place. Alex Rodriguez is the highest paid player in Major League Baseball, earning $29,000,000 for the year, (data.newsday.com, 2013) he clearly wants to get as much of his salary possible before he is thrown out of the game. What also provides another embarrassing moment in this whole drug scandal is the situation with pitcher Ryan Dempster. The Red Sox pitcher took justice into his own hands by hitting A-Rod with a pitch on his fourth try, now Ryan will be missing games due to his suspension on the hit before Mr Rodriguez does.

This appeal process that is part of the MLB system at the moment is only paving the way for justice within the game to be put in a state of suspension. Allowing a player to continue playing whilst under heavy evidence of drug related offenses is simply laughable. A-Rod has assisted the Yankees with a batting average of .281 in keep the baseball club in the race for finals this year. (bostonglobe.com, 2013). In addition with the Yankees edging closer to a wild card spot, only being 2.5 games shy of clinching the spot, if they were to succeed then the appeal hearing would be further delayed. (Sportsworldnews.com, 2013). With reports confirming that if the Yankees are “still standing come September 30, the hearing for Rodriguez’s grievance will be pushed back to allow him to focus on the playoffs.” (Sportsworldnews.com, 2013).

In conclusion, I can’t believe that Major League Baseball has this system in place. It is an utter failure. Take away the fact that this 211 game ban is the biggest in MLB history, how can a drug ban system have this type of appeal system where it takes so long to get a hearing, let alone allow the player to continue playing. It’s not hard to come to the conclusion that this appeal from A-Rod is clearly financially driven, the MLB has to fix up its regulations so this cannot continue. If the Yankees were to make this years’ post-season, then it will be interesting to see how the MLB will react and deal with the A-Rod situation. In the end the evidence is stacked high against A-Rod and much of the baseball community including myself can come to their own conclusion on what will happen when the hearing on his drug related ban occurs.

References:

(2013, August 5). Alex Rodriguez hit with drug suspension through 2014 as MLB drops hammer.

               CBS News. Retrieved from

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57597066/alex-rodriguez-hit-with-drug-suspension-through-2014-as-mlb-drops-hammer/

Mike S. (2013, September 19). Alex Rodriguez Suspension Hearing September 30 Delayed If Yankees In Wild Card Chase?

               Sports World News. Retrieved from

http://www.sportsworldnews.com/articles/5126/20130919/alex-rodriguez-suspension-hearing-september-30-delayed-yankees-wild-card-chase-video.htm

Christopher G. (2013, August 23). Alex Rodriguez’s appeal is a sham.

               The Boston Globe. Retrieved from

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/08/22/alex-rodriguez-biogenesis-suspension-appeal-sham/eQPYyydBed4B14zTFKGedI/story.html

Pedro G, T. J. Quinn. (2013, June 5). MLB seeks to suspend A-Rod, Braun.

               ESPN. Retrieved from

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9301536/major-league-baseball-suspend-20-players-including-alex-rodriguez-ryan-braun-part-miami-investigation

Ronald B. (2013, August 5). MLB drug scandal: Alex Rodriguez can play during appeal: report.

               The Star. Retrieved from

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/2013/08/05/mlb_drug_scandal_alex_rodriguez_can_play_during_appeal_report.html

Ronald B. (2013, August 5). MLB bans A-Rod, 12 others in Biogenesis drug scandal.

               The Star. Retrieved from

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/2013/08/05/mlb_bans_arod_11_others_in_biogenesis_drug_scandal_report.html

David L, Steve B. (2013, August 6) Alex Rodriguez and 12 other players suspended in Biogensis PEDs scandal.

               The Guardian. Retrieved from

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/aug/05/alex-rodriguez-suspended-mlb-peds-drugs

Telegraph Sport. (2013, August 5) New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez banned for 211 games after drugs scandal.
               The Telegraph. Retrieved from

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/baseball/10224420/New-York-Yankees-third-baseman-Alex-Rodriguez-banned-for-211-games-after-drugs-scandal.html

Brown J. (2013, August 6) A-Rod, 12 others suspended in Biogenesis scandal.
              The Miami Herald. Retrieved from
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/06/3543980/a-rod-12-others-suspended-in-biogenesis.html

Jones T. (2013, June 6) No sympathy for A-Rod, others in latest baseball drug scandal.
              Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved from
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/players-in-latest-baseball-drug-scandal-draw-no-sympathy/2125278

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/06/3543980/a-rod-12-others-suspended-in-biogenesis.html#storylink=cpy

Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun

            The Major League Baseball (MLB) is infamous for its professional athletes using sports enhancing drugs.  Some of the high profiled all-stars that have been caught include the names of Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds (Gilman, 2013).  However, the latest all-star that has been caught is Ryan Braun.  Braun was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers and has been with the club ever since (Baseball Reference, n.d.).  He was picked fifth overall in the 2005 draft, and there were very high expectations for him (Baseball Reference, n.d.).  As each year passed, he became a more confident and frightened left fielder and slugger.  By the year 2011, he won the National League Most Valuable Player, and was rewarded with a contract extension worth 145 million dollars throughout the 2020 season (Gilman, 2013).  Everything seemed to be going great for Braun and the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Brewers had just come off one of their most successful seasons as of late.  Unfortunately, this all came to a crashing stop.  The Brewers’ all-star, Ryan Braun had been caught taking sports enhancing drugs.  This action of unethical play sent the next portion of Ryan’s life into a whirlwind of deceit and lies, in hopes of clearing his name of any doping accusations.

Ryan Braun was having a stellar season in 2011, hitting between .315 and .330, smashing about 35 homeruns, and driving in around 115 runs (Watson, 2013).  He was a crowd favourite in Milwaukee, and even a favourite across America.  His off field presence with the media was very likeable (New York Daily News, 2013).  He simply came across as a very easy going, free spirit.  Due to his good natured attitude, it was a shock to the MLB world when it was revealed that he had been caught doping in 2012 (Watson, 2013).  However, an interesting fact also surfaced at the end of 2011.  Reports show that Braun had in fact failed a doping test at the end of his MVP season (Watson, 2013)).  Luckily for him though, he was let off on a technicality that his sample was improperly handled and tainted with (Gilman, 2013).  Nowadays though, one can infer that Braun was in fact doping in his MVP season too.  Therefore, when he was officially caught in 2012, further investigation took place to see if he had been doping for his entire baseball career.  As investigators dug deeper, more and more information pointed towards the fact that Ryan had been doping for a very long time.  In fact, a college friend from the University of Miami came forward and declared that Ryan was also doping then (Grant, 2013).  Therefore, it can be speculated that Ryan has been doping for at minimum of seven years now. 

With all of the speculation surrounding Ryan, the public wondered how he would react.  Initially, Ryan went into defensive mode (USA Today, 2013).  He denied all of the allegations.  He denied them so intensively that he in fact started to believe his own lies (USA Today, 2013).  It was at this point that he realized that enough was enough.  It was time to come clean and own up to his mistakes.  Ryan’s first move was to set up a meeting with the MLB board (USA Today, 2013).  It was at this meeting that he revealed that he had violated the drug policy, and was now willing to discuss an appropriate suspension (USA Today, 2013).  After a long and strenuous meeting, the final results ended in a suspension of the rest of the 2012 season.  He missed a total of 65 games (Gilman, 2013).

Ryan did not only miss out on 65 games, but he also lost more important things.  First, Ryan had many high profile sponsors (ie. Nike) that dropped him after the truth about his doping surfaced (Passikoff, 2013).  Also, since Ryan had publically denied all the doping rumors initially, his fans truly stood behind him.  However, once the truth was out, he lost all of their respect.  Apparently, even players of the Milwaukee Brewers lost respect for him too (Grant, 2013).  It is evident that Ryan Braun has made some massive mistakes in his career, which may never be fully repaired.

Ryan now officially takes one hundred percent of the responsibility for his actions.  He truly feels sorry for all of his fans, family, teammates, and club that he has disappointed (USA Today, 2013).  He also goes on to say how much admiration he has for the game of baseball, and how embarrassed he is for disrespecting it (USA Today, 2013).  He knows that the mistakes he has made are tremendous, but he hopes that he can eventually win back the respect of most.  To conclude, Ryan has paid the price for his unethical actions.  He really has lost everything in the world of MLB.  The burning question that everyone has is if he will ever be able to recapture his magical 2011 season.  Luckily, time will tell.

References

Baseball Reference. (n.d.).  Ryan Braun.  Baseball Reference.  Retrieved from http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/braunry02.shtml

Gilman A.  (2013, July 13).  Major League Baseball suspends Ryan Braun for using steroids.  WSWS.  Retrieved from http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/07/30/brau-j30.html

Grant E.  (2013, August 16).  Ryan Braun Releasing Statement Admitting PED Use.  Bleacher Report.  Retrieved from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1741096-ryan-braun-reportedly-plans-to-admit-to-using-peds

New York Daily News.  (2013, September 9).  Ryan Braun helps build homes for veterans with Habitat for Humanity during 65-game suspension.  New York Daily News.  Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/braun-lends-hand-vets-suspension-article-1.1449723

Passikoff R.  (2013, July 7).  Nike Nixes Ryan Braun Sponsorship.  Forbes.  Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpassikoff/2013/08/07/nike-nixes-ryan-braun-sponsorship/

USA Today.  (2013, August 22).  Ryan Braun’s Statement Apologizing for Doping.  USA Today.  Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2013/08/22/ryan-braun-statement-apology-steroids-suspension/2690041/

Watson P.  (2013, September 15).  Looking Ahead to 2014, What Can Milwaukee Brewers Expect from Ryan Braun?  Brewers 101.  Retrieved from http://www.sportsmedia101.com/milwaukeebrewers/2013/09/15/looking-ahead-to-2014-what-can-milwaukee-brewers-expect-from-ryan-braun/