Today's athletes are bigger, faster and stronger than the athletes that preceded them. Athletes today, however, must cope with the witch hunt that some have labeled as the "Steroid Age."
The athletes that have been caught using Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) have tainted the world of professional sports in recent years.
In the 1990s when we were growing up, there were a few cases of PED use, but it was nowhere near the magnitude that we see now.
The PED use is most seen in Major League Baseball. Home runs are now viewed as a feat of steroids and not the feat of strength it used to and should be.
Players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa had great careers, but will forever be associated with the PEDs that were found in their systems.
It has so affected the history of baseball that Bonds' 756th home run ball sits in the Baseball Hall of Fame with an asterisk branded into its hide.
His home run that beat the long standing mark of 755, hit by former Atlanta Braves outfielder Henry Aaron, should have been a great event for the sport.
A couple of months ago, a company based in Florida told authorities that they provided PEDs to a few professional teams including the Washington Capitals of the NHL.
Part of the problem is the media's over-willingness to make the accusation of an athlete using PEDs.
Most recently, Raul Ibanez, a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, was accused of using PEDs by a blogger just because he has been having a career best first half of the season. He, in fact, has quietly been one of the most productive players in MLB over the past three seasons.
The Capitals have had a very competitive team over the past three to four years after being a mediocre team in the past.
They were an easy target because they have one of hockey's premiere athletes in Alex Ovechkin.
I don't even see how PEDs could help a hockey player perform better on the ice. PEDs can't help a player skate well or be a better stick handler. The only player on the ice that can benefit from PEDs would be the enforcers.
The National Football League has a strict drug policy, but its image suffers from players getting into trouble with the law.
Players like Michael Vick, Ray Lewis and Adam "Pacman" Jones are elite players, but couldn't handle the fame and fortune without committing crimes.
All the negative press that players like them receive degrades the image of their teammates and the organizations they represent.
Professional sports are not the only sports that have suffered.
On the collegiate level, recruiting violations and NCAA infractions have caused distrust among teams and conferences.
In particular, the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa has had to vacate 21 football victories from 2003-2005 for players violating the terms of their scholarships and purchasing textbooks for other students.
The University of Memphis and the University of Southern California have both had scandals arise on their respective basketball teams.
I would hope that the next generation of athletes learns from the mistakes the current professional athletes have made and will bring a sense of integrity and honor back to the world of sports.
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