MLB's Scapegoat

Rick Reilly has always been respected and regarded highly in the world of sports journalism. I was, in fact, one of his biggest fans and thoroughly read article after article week after week. A quick peak at the cover of the Sports Illustrated and I would immediately head to the back page to delve into one of Reilly's rants, raves, inspirations, or tear-jerkers that was sure to be there. It was no different than any other time when I received an issue of SI this summer. As I opened to the back page, I was even encouraged by the title of the article, "Giving Barry His Due." This feeling lasted only a few seconds as I started the article with the utmost respect for Rick Reilly and finished minutes later with nothing more than a slight chuckle that meant the end of my esteem for this man. Had I really admired this man's writing for so long? No man deserves to be bashed as Barry Bonds has over the last few years and Reilly has unfortunately joined the rest of the coldhearted and overwhelmingly opinionated media that has forever been relentless toward Bonds.

It was sad for me to read this article but even sadder for Barry Bonds. With every swing Bonds took as he made his way toward sports immortality, he lost more and more supporters. This is the impenetrable power possessed by the media, and the sports nation has once again fallen into their endless trap.

The media is overwhelmingly anti-Barry Bonds. Because of this, we constantly are drowned with the ideas and arguments that Bonds took steroids, that Bonds cheated his way to the record books, and as Reilly likes to say, that Bonds is a "very large jerk." What it simply comes down to is that Bonds has been used as a scapegoat for the faults of Major League Baseball itself. As much as the commissioner and the rest of the league like to play it off as if they are angry that Bonds is breaking the record, they could not, in fact, be any happier. Without the drama and controversy that has surrounded Bonds breaking this record, the focus on the steroid conflict would undoubtedly have been on the Major League Baseball organization and their monumental mistake. Because no distinct rule or punishment was in effect for steroid use until 2002, players were able to take advantage of the horribly faulty system for drug testing. The spotlight that follows Bonds wherever he goes has been the perfect situation for Major League Baseball.

Could it be this that has caused Bonds to feel spite toward Major League Baseball and the sports media? He constantly has to defend and protect himself at the hands of these two groups. Why is it that the sports nation is never given any possibilities of Bonds' innocence? Isn't it against this country's unquestionable policies that we assume a man guilty before it is so proven? Bud Selig, the man in the middle of the controversy, said it himself that he will do his best to witness Bonds' record breaking home run because of "the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty."

Let us open our minds to all possibilities of the man, the player, and the icon that is Barry Bonds. The media has tainted your opinions with their constant slander of Bonds. Many assumptions have been made about Barry Bonds.

Let us continue for now, atleast, to make assumptions. How do we know 90% of the players in baseball weren't taking steroids at the time Bonds hit all these home runs. The playing field, then, would be just as fair as it was had absolutely no one been taking steroids. How do we know that almost every pitcher that Bonds faced and hit a home run off of wasn't taking steroids? We don't. It's very easy to make assumptions. If the media put as much time and effort into uncovering the monumental use of steroids in baseball and in sports rather than the use by only one man, I think it is possible their opinions would radically change. Hank Aaron never faced a pitcher that took steroids. It is unquestionable that the athletes in today's era compared to the era in which Ruth and Aaron played are bigger, stronger, faster, and more chemically enhanced. For all we know, the number of home runs that Bonds hit in his career, with or without steroids, could be even more impressive than the number of home runs Hank Aaron hit because of the era that he has played in.

If you then wish to make the argument that taking steroids is immoral and unethical, I simply ask you why you are so focused on Bonds? There are hundreds upon hundreds of immoral star professional athletes. Bonds is simply no worse than any of them. This brings me back to my original argument. The reason we hear more about Bonds than any other player is because the media, the fans, and Major League Baseball are using him as the scapegoat for the shortcomings of Major League Baseball itself. They want the spotlight on Bonds and nobody else because it is the darkest of all spotlights. Once and for all, Rick Reilly, I wish you would give Barry his due.