Yesterday John McCain introduced the Clean Sports Act, designed to enact tougher penalties onto professional athletes. McCain didn't come up with the idea; Rep. Cliff Sterns did, and his bill just passed committee in the House yesterday. Of course, the spotlight grabbing McCain had to sign it up as his own idea, just as he did with the Senate plan earlier this week. You thought McCain would do the honorable thing and give credit where credit was due? Ha. Don't hold your breath.
Now if you want to piss McCain off, screw with his sports projects. He already acts as if he is the President of U.S. Sports, as he's tried to act tough towards every sports organization as well as any legislator that interferes with his work. We saw that last year, when he threatened to hold up telecommunications bills in the Senate due to the House refusing to place his Boxing bill, which would establish a federal boxing commission, on the floor for a vote at the end of the session. Dennis Hastert didn't budge, and it still hasn't passed the House yet. It passed the Senate two weeks ago.
By killing both bills Republicans who were railroaded earlier this week could send a strong message to John McCain: we aren't going to put up with your stunts anymore. In fact, poetic justice would be for McCain's bills to be on the receiving end of a filibuster. I'm sure he wouldn't like that, and maybe he'd think twice before he tries anymore backdoor deals that would cut the knees off of the Republican majority.
But Republicans don't need McCain's antics to justify voting down these bills. The idea to use similar standards athletes who are subject to tests maybe once or twice a year (U.S. and World Championships along with the Olympics) on professional athletes doesn't make sense. MLB players have a 162 game season. The NBA season has 82 games. Football only has 16, but they place a lot of punishment on their bodies every week. All of these players get injured from time-to-time, and they are given medication that could alter their testocerone levels. The idea that you would be barred from playing sports for two years on the first offense, and banned completely on a second one is ridiculous. A two-year suspension from any of the major sports would end most careers anyway.
Besides, the idea that the federal government could actually "clean up" anything is about as laughable as Barry White being able to sing soprano. The American people have seen the cutthroat tactics the Senate employs this week. McCain would have us believe that the government is the answer to the corruption of boxing, baseball, and all other sports. They can't even handle the corruption in the Senate, much less in sports.
The true problem behind steroids wasn't the punishment anyway; it was the distribution and the attempt to hide the use. Does anyone really believe BALCO was the only group that were creating drugs and inventions that were beating steroid tests? The Vikings' Ontario Smith was caught with a Whizzinator, which consisted of clean dehydrated urine in order to fool the tests. As long as it is possible, there will always be someone that will create something to beat the tests.
The Commerce Secretary and the Drug Czar won't be overly concerned about it either. After all, they have real work to do. I would expect them to focus on the economy and major drug trafficking, respectively. When it comes down to it, sports simply isn't as important as what was Bonds taking to hit 73 home runs. Washington needs to set their priorities straight.
So here's hoping John McCain gets his heart broken on both of these bills. It's time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine.
