Responsibility

So it looks like the streets of Cooperstown will be short on the Hall of Fame excitement this summer.  The sure fire class of 2013, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mike Piazza are all under the cloud of steroid suspicion.  The government, the self righteous sports writers and many devoted sports fans have demonized these players as cheaters, unworthy of the Hall.  Lance Armstrong will be on Oprah next week to perform a mea culpa for his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs, or not, since pending litigation could open him up to huge liabilities.  However, for some reason we celebrate the steroid enhanced football players who clash each week in gladitorial combat.   Why the dichotomy?   I would make the case that football players are unapologetic about their drug use, and we have been sold on the spectacle of  freakishly huge players in a video game like format of violent confrontations.  For some reason, we think of baseball players and cyclists as ordinary guys, just like us.  We could be out there chasing down fly balls and riding the Tour De France if only we ate more Wheaties and got a little more excercise.  I can't think of any other explanation which fits the story we see playing out.
     Meanwhile, the public rescues AIG during the financial crisis and the sociopath who ran the company at the time now want to sue the government because the terms of the bailout were too harsh.  He claims we gave better terms to Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, et. al.  It seems the big banks were on steroids also, but like the NFL, they have convinced us they need steroids, or in their case public guarantees of their solvency no matter what risks they take.   It seems only baseball players and fools need to take responsibility for their bad choices. The banks and football players are too important to our national identity to trouble with conscience or legality.