Whither the Drugs?

Drugs seem to be the ubiquitous presence in sports, albeit in many different forms.  Whether they are in form of performance-enhancing steroids, amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, or alcohol, we are never too far away from them. 

But I ask: why are there certain reactions to particular drugs but not to others.

Within the past couple of weeks, we have seen pictures of Michael Phelps taking a hit on a bong and listened to Alex Rodriguez confessing to PED usage from 2001-2003.  But we have seen a lot of acceptance of Phelps and hand wringing over A-Rod. 

Both did things that were illegal and harmful to themselves, but one gets a much bigger pass from the court of public opinion than the other.

It can’t just be that A-Rod is much more hated than Phelps; there is something deeper here.

I think it has something to do with the fact that many have tried to, or continuously do smoke marijuana, but don’t use anabolic steroids.  It seems that those who are defending Phelps for a little "recreational use" are also trying to rationalize their own "recreational use." 

It is easy to stand on the soapbox and bash A-Rod for using substances that they cannot and will not use, but when looking at Michael Phelps, it seems that a lot of people are seeing their mirror image. 

Self-criticism is not a normal human trait, and being exposed is the last thing we want to happen.

But enough of that, I want to know why the NFL gets no press whatsoever about drugs.  A friend of mine suggested that because we know what the penalty in the NFL is for using, no one reports it. 

I disagree completely.  It has to do more with the status of the NFL than anything else.  I would bet a serious amount of money that there are some massive skeletons in the NFL’s closet that would damage the league immensely. 

There aren’t enough people to investigate, because of media fools who stake their jobs on the NFL’s success (yes, you too, Peter King), and thus would turn a blind eye to it.

Something has got to give, eventually.  But will people care?  Don’t bet on it.