Alex Rodriguez and Steroids: What the MLB Players' Association Should Do

I turned on my computer this morning and found the breaking, yet not really all that shocking, news that Alex Rodriguez reportedly tested positive for steroids in 2003.  This made me think of The West Wing.

Yes, the TV show that went off the air in 2006. 

Here is why.

In the final season of the show, there is an issue that is hurting one of the presidential candidates’ campaign, and he can’t get past it. After days of his aides telling him to side-step any question in the hope of the story going away, the candidate decides to ignore all this advice and moves in the complete opposite direction—he holds an “until they drop” press conference.  

He answers every single question any reporter may have. He answers them fully and honestly. He answers them all. At the end of the press conference, the reporters are worn out. In this way, and only in this way, is he able to put the issue behind him and move on.

This is what the Major League Baseball Players Association needs to do when it comes to steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, hold their own “until they drop” press conference. 

The MLBPA needs to get past this—tell all players to admit completely any performance enhancing drug they may have used prior to the league instituting its drug testing policy. Not each player admit it individually, but do it together, as a union, in one concerted effort.  

The sheer number of players could be staggering. Numbers aside though, wouldn't this answer the major questions now being pursued by the press and fans—who did what and when?

The Players Association then could publish this list of players—this is all the players that used something, this is what they used. And then answer any and all questions about why they used—it helped them player better, it helped them play 162 games a year, it helped them earn more money and secure contracts. 

I’m not saying any of this should create sympathy for the players. It shouldn’t and it likely would not. But these are the same questions that are addressed and answered now, but in one player at a time when new revelations are revealed.

This duck-and-cover approach, where players are just sitting at home, hoping their names are not mentioned, is not working.  

The steroid story is not going away any time soon—not with arguably the three greatest players of this generation—Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and now Rodriguez—currently all making front-page news for their reported steroid use. 

But if the Players' Association was to take this action, and once it is all out there, what else is there to do? The PA should adopt a completely open and honest policy for all past steroid use, and a zero tolerance policy for any current or future use. 

Up until now, the strategy for the players has been to deny, deny, deny. Stonewall and then deny some more. What this has led to is players being picked off one by one. And just when you think the tip of the iceberg was Bonds, here comes Clemens. And when you thought Clemens was the tip, here comes the news about A-Rod. 

Does the MLBPA believe it will end with A-Rod? Will he be the last star to have his name dragged through the headlines? Absolutely not. Now with A-Rod caught, reporters will set their sight on finding out the dirt on another star.  

And it is not just the stars who are getting caught. Will there be another Mitchell Investigation-type report where players are named, stars and non-stars? MLB itself likely would not do such a thing again, but it is not out of the question that some other outlet, maybe even the federal government, would take such action. 

So why, then, is the Players Association continuing to keep up with this same failed strategy. Why not hold their own version of an “until they drop” press conference? It would give people the answers they want—who used what. 

It would be embarrassing, it would be painful, and it could get ugly. But when it was over, what next? 

Investigative reporters would need to find something else to look into. Full disclosure would mean no more breaking stories of yet another baseball player who used steroids in the past. If reporters still wanted to stick to the steroid-story, they would have to move past the individual players and on to the larger picture of how it was allowed to happen, and how it can be prevented.

Admitting everything would allow the clean players to stop being guilty by association, and it would also stop a few players from being singled out for something many others did as well. 

From the perspective of the Players Association, whose ultimate job is to protect the players, I don’t really see an alternative.