Juicy

Alex Rodriguez, more commonly known as A-Rod, has been a mega-star in Major League Baseball for years. However, his talent for setting an example on the diamond clearly does not carry over off the field. Recently, A-Rod has been anything but a role model for young athletes across the country hoping to one day make it to the big leagues. The release of 2003 steroid testing has tainted his legacy forever. Not to mention that in 2003, the year he tested positive, A-Rod was American League home run leader and MVP. You can’t ignore the fact that on numerous occasions when discussing other athletes caught doping, the prolific batter had explicitly stated that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs at any time in his career. And on top of all this, A-Rod had been dominating headlines with rumors of an alleged affair with Madonna mere months before. This all came out at the tail end of his divorce with his wife, who blamed Madonna. Not bad for a celebrity so concerned with protecting his self-image that he hired a consulting agent to help him maintain positive press.

 

A-Rod blames his steroid use on the immense success and fame he encountered early on in his career. He points to huge expectations and the weight of his bulky MLB contract. Making excuses seems to be the last route someone in Rodriguez’s shoes should take, but apparently his publicists think differently. Maybe it truly is the culture of professional sports, accepted in clubhouses, for coaches and owners look the other way. Maybe the trainers urged players towards juicing to enhance their play, and even administered some drugs to unknowing users. At the end of the day though, how can he be let off the hook? Alex committed the ultimate sporting sin, taking banned substances to try and give himself the edge over the next man. A little shrinkage and a few fits of rage later, he’s that much stronger than his opponent.

 

The problem isn’t just the self-inflicted harm, but the example that he is setting. With the millions of little leaguers following his every movement, it seems like a person in Rodriguez’s position should be very careful about the way he carries himself. Breaking the rules then lying about as low as someone can stoop as a role model, and the way he’s handled himself since getting caught is like watching a derailed train try to make it to its destination anyway. Rodriguez also verbally attacked the journalist who broke the story. Selena Roberts, a writer for Sports Illustrated, is now planning on writing a book detailing all of A-Rod’s past crimes, including allegations that he used steroids in high school. In his public confession on national television, Alex ranted about Roberts and claimed she had stalker-like tendencies. This PR mess resulted in A-Rod making what must have been quite the awkward call to apologize. Left and right, A-Rod is being the perfect model- for how not to handle oneself as a public figure or as a human being in general.

His saving grace, though, may prove to be what got him here in the first place- his natural talent for the game. After having hip surgery and missing the start of this season, Alex homered the first pitch he faced upon his return. Other athletes like Jason Giambi and Shawne Merriman have regained their image post-steroids through their play, and it seems that Alex may indeed do the same. This route doesn’t seem to be working out for him; he may be old news with the recent media circus surrounding Manny Ramirez’s steroid use.