Steroids or Gambling - What's Worse?

taxinvestor · 12-19-2007, 06:36 AM

Pete Rose was banned from baseball for gambling, should MLB consider the same sanctions for steroid users?

JDP · 12-19-2007, 07:40 AM

Gambling is worse. It undermines the integrity of the game.

Blitz71 · 12-19-2007, 07:46 AM

I voted steroids but should have voted them equally bad. Yes gambling can take away integrity but so does steroids. Unless they start keep 2 different record books; one for the old timers who earned their records in history and one for the guys who set records with the help of drugs.

dantodd · 12-19-2007, 12:43 PM

Steroids are one direction. You use them to be better, make more moeny and win more games.

Gambling has the potential to induce people to play worse than they are capable. Like the Black Sox Scandal. Or alter the outcome by poor decision making or one-sided officiating, like the NBA scandal.

That being said I have a lot of sympathy for Pete Rose, who appears to have playedworld class ball for decades and never bet against his team or had any reason to throw a game because of his gambling. I have no sympathy for the people who systematically used steroids for an edge or built their carreer on artificial strength, like Mark M., Barry B. etc. Those who used steroids for rehab fall in between in my mind, like Andy P. etc.

TheScionicMan · 12-19-2007, 01:21 PM

Minqua · 12-19-2007, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taxinvestor

Pete Rose was banned from baseball for gambling, should MLB consider the same sanctions for steroid users?

At this point they could not do it to the current group of players since the CBA does not list that as the penalty. MLB could try to have that added to the next contract, but good luck getting the players union to agree.

Pete Rose knew what the penalty was when he was gambling, agreed to the lifetime ban when he got caught and signed the paperwork, and needs to shut up about be banned and how unfair it is on him that other players are breaking different rules and not suffering the same penalty. Hey Pete, SHUT UP.

The rule says if you gamble you are out. It does not say if you use cocaine you are out, or if you use steroids you are out. Pete knew the rules, didn't care, and got caught. He has no one to blame but himself.

packie juppet · 12-19-2007, 09:01 PM

I would say gambling is worse.

If you're using any kind of performance enhancing drugs, you're doing so not only to gain an advantage over other players on other teams, but also other players on your own team(beating other players out that might be getting closer to taking your job).

The reward(s) or the positive end results that you inherit from the drugs are designed to give your team the best opportunity to win.

If you're gambling on your team or on other teams, you could influence more powerfully the outcome of an entire team(s) by intentionally tanking your individual performance. An entire season can be determined void by the action/inaction of one individual.

Still don't believe me...think about this...."Who does more harm to a sport?...a referee/umpire on steroids...or a referee/umpire betting on a game?".

taxinvestor · 12-20-2007, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packie juppet

Still don't believe me...think about this...."Who does more harm to a sport?...a referee/umpire on steroids...or a referee/umpire betting on a game?".

Does the NBA have better leadership than MLB? That ref scandal disappeared rather quickly.

TheScionicMan · 12-20-2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taxinvestor

Does the NBA have better leadership than MLB? That ref scandal disappeared rather quickly.

Think about WHO the guy was fixing the games for and it seems obvious why it didn't stay in the news very long...