Let’s not assume that Manny Ramirez was taking steroids just because they found HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), in his system.
He may have been pregnant.
HCG is a hormone that is produced during pregnancy and a pregnant Manny, Manny being Mammy, is about as plausible as any other excuse you’ll hear.
To Baseball’s credit, they suspended Ramirez for 50 games. But in the bigger picture - keeping kids and others off steroids - I’m not sure a crackdown will make much difference.
When it comes to messaging, suspending a successful pro athlete for steroids would be like suspending a male porn star for Viagra. He may be suspended, but that sure isn’t going to stop millions other men from swallowing a few handfuls of the stuff in the hopes that to too can achieve a suspension-worthy performance.
For kids who play sports, the Manny incident is just one more piece of evidence that steroids make you play better. I’m not arguing that Baseball’s shouldn’t be busting these guys when they’re caught. I just wonder how you can do that without essentially marketing the stuff to kids.
