Mike, I agree with you. I think the reason behind this reasoning is the record/stats mindset in Baseball.  

When you cheat in Baseball - and break a long revered record such as the HR one - you are perceived as a major league cheater (no pun intended).  In baseball your performance can be meassured in a way that would not be possible in Football.

This doesn't mean I agree with it, but in a way it does look worse when you brake the law (and besides that) you also get to be number 1 in some stat, like Hits, HRs, consecutive games, etc.

Good afternoon, Mr Celzic, and I hope your Thursday is going well. My name is Marcel, and I throughly enjoy your commentaries on this MSNBC medium. You are a very insightful  writer and you possess a  cosmopolitan outlook on life which I really appreciate. I could not agree with you more with regards to the double standard that is applied to MLB. When a baseball player is accused of taking an illegal substance, there is  outrage and generally a humongous media uproar. When an NFL player is implicated on a sustance abuse/steroid abuse charge, it barely registers a blip on the sports news radar screen or at best is listed detail on the bottom of the ESPNNews channel screen.  Besides, the steroids issue, the NFL seems to always be made of teflon and never receives the same degree of critical media scrutiny as does MLB. Let me describe a few examples. For instance, when it comes to the issue of labor stoppages, sure MLB can be faulted for its various labor and tumultuous stoppages over the past three decades which have included strikes and charges of collusion cast upon the owners.Where was the media outrage when the NFLhad strikes back in 1982 AND 1987 and resorted to the low tactic of using "scab players," during the 1987 work stoppage? Or what about the issue of diversity of race. Recently, this African American guy I work with was describing to me why he dislikes baseball because of how long it took  Jackie Robinson to get an opportunity to play MLB until 1947 and how MLB is a "white man's game" not friendly to the "brothers". I pointed out to my colleague that MLB, though it did indeed work at snail like pace to finally integrate the game , still did it before the NFL and the NBA. Yet, no people of color seem to be outraged over how much longer the NFL took to integrate , or how long it was until an African American ( Art Shell) became the first African American head coach (Raiders) in 1989, only 18 years ago. Or how about how long Warren Moon, who was an outstanding QB at Univ of Washington during the late 1970s, had to wait to get an opportunity to get an opportunity to start as a QB in the NFL(I think 1984 with the Oilers?) Of all the four  major team sports, MLB, with more players hailing from Latin America and the Far East, has the most diverse makeup and is truly the "national" pastime, which reflects our heterogeneous socoety. Nontheless, MLB is held to a much harsher critical standard while the NFL with its  street thugs and ex-cons and doped up steroid goons seems to get a free pass. Also, MLB's World Series, on pure entertainement value, kicks the NFL Super Bowl's butt. Of the forty one or so Super Bowls that have been played so far, how many of these Super Bowls have been truly compelling and riveting down to the wire games, maybe 4 or 5 at the most? MLB'S World Series, altogether, delivers much more riveting drama and excitement compared to the NFL'S Super Bowl.

The pols could learn from the NFL, whose overall "spin" borders on the Orwellian.  Everything is scripted and controlled to point where, aside from what seems to be authentic mayhem inside the lines, it's come to resemble a genteel WWE.  A la Vince McMahon, NFL execs pontificate about drugs and hoist their monitoring as examplar.  Helmets and pads hide what skivvies and baseball flannels (?) can't.  Some of the bloated celebrations succeeding even routine tackles make one wonder about "roid rage."  Factor in the endless, repetitive commercials between possessions and one might switch to "Die Hard" reruns or, God forbid, the WNBA.  The NFL Network squeeze will go unmentioned here.  But...I'm hooked!

It is indeed hypocritical, hands down.  The only way any kind of "zero-tolerance" message will get across, however, is if and when the obscene amount of money these guys get paid suddenly goes away.  The only way the huge paychecks go away is if/when WE as consumers collectively say ENOUGH! and start refusing to endorse these athletes.  Stop giving the incentive to cheat, the cheating disappears.

One thing to consider is how much longer the NFL has been testing and suspending players, and that the suspensions represent a larger % of the season (first offense the equivalent of 40 games), so we're desensitized.

MLB management was still profiting from the steroid boom a decade or so after the NFL started penalizing for it.

What about Marion Jones? Seems like it's even easier to strip someone of their accomplishments if they're a woman (and black).

Well put mike, it's about time someone in the sports-news media points this out, not saying you're the first but you certainly dont have a long line of predecessors.  Quite frankly the Merriman Nike commercial is a disgrace to both the NFL and Nike, and every time i see it flash across my tv screen i have to chuckle.  Could you imagine seeing Big Mac or (gasp) Barry Bonds on tv slugging baseballs riduculous distances as a pitch for shoes or any other product for that matter?  The fact is the NFL and it's players are held in a different regard then any other sport.  It's about time someone calls attenttion to the hypocracy.  

The reason people don't seem so concerned about football and steroids, vs baseball is that baseball turned a blind eye and put it's head in the send until the feds got involved.  Steroids have been an issue in football for years, people want to be bigger, stronger, and faster.  It's a contact sport.  Knowing this, football began it's testing and penaltity program, so people know that when someone gets caught, they will be punished.  Baseball however did nothing of the such until recent history, under pressue from the feds, and the fans.  All the while a suspected cheater is pursuing a MLB record.  Had Reggie White been cause doping on his way to the Hall of Fame, it would have been the same thing.  The bias is there because baseball put it there.

The reason people don't seem so concerned about football and steroids, vs baseball is that baseball turned a blind eye and put it's head in the send until the feds got involved.  Steroids have been an issue in football for years, people want to be bigger, stronger, and faster.  It's a contact sport.  Knowing this, football began it's testing and penaltity program, so people know that when someone gets caught, they will be punished.  Baseball however did nothing of the such until recent history, under pressue from the feds, and the fans.  All the while a suspected cheater is pursuing a MLB record.  Had Reggie White been cause doping on his way to the Hall of Fame, it would have been the same thing.  The bias is there because baseball put it there.

Mike.  Here's why the double standard.  From a young age, these football players are grown, cultivated, whatever with this mentality of pep talks, rah rah, and the "best" ones are worshipped.  For being tough.  For speed and muscle.  In baseball, its for striking someone out.  Or hitting homers.  You NEED steroids for football.  You don't for baseball.  At least, that's the perception.  I don't think Lambert used roids.  He was skinny.  Same with Moss?  Anyhow, thats my take.

Mike.  Here's why the double standard.  From a young age, these football players are grown, cultivated, whatever with this mentality of pep talks, rah rah, and the "best" ones are worshipped.  For being tough.  For speed and muscle.  In baseball, its for striking someone out.  Or hitting homers.  You NEED steroids for football.  You don't for baseball.  At least, that's the perception.  I don't think Lambert used roids.  He was skinny.  Same with Moss?  Anyhow, thats my take.

The funniest thing is that baseball doesn't even have a steriod problem compared to football. Steroids make your muscles larger and stronger period. They will not make you a better hitter. Baseball is a skill sport. Football is about momentum as used in physics(p=mass x velocity). Larger muscles mean more mass and stronger muscles mean more velocity...you'll run faster.Steroids have a much bigger impact on football performance than on a baseball players performance.I've spent the better part of my adult life in gyms. I even did a cycle myself once. The stuff is unbelievable but not that easy to get. I can tell when a guy is using steriods and when he's using HGH. One of the visible side effects of HGH is a distended belly. Pay attention to how big the waistlines are of some of these football players. Even though their midsection is ripped their belly sticks out.Almost all NFL players are on some anabolic aid. I'd say more than 98%. Believe it!

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