A forum on which I usually lurk had a liberal-type person (at least as defined in South Dakota) ask why on earth the federal government was messing around with steroids in sports, including congressional hearing and “policy” decisions.  Here’s my response, at least to start.  I’ll share any further thoughts and comments with both fora!  It is quite an interesting topic!  Let me see if I can muddle the waters more!

What a lot of people don’t know is that before the Continental Congress could get around to writing and approving the Declaration of Independence, they had to resolve a dispute involving the game and playoff schedule for the Colonial Rugby League in 1775 and 1776, approve drastic changes needed to the rules for Indian league lacrosse, and enact a new law regulating military sports athletes and prohibiting joint teams with other British military teams.  After all, they had to make priorities for what was important.  Sadly, that is no longer the case…

Seriously…

The basic question is, “Why is the government (Federal Government) involved in dealing with steroids in sports?”  This in turn triggered two questions, “Why is government involved in sports?” and “Why is government involved in steroids?”  More specifically, why is Congress messing with this?

As Alexander and Dusty indicate, you can’t find “sports” or “steroids” in the Constitution. Indeed, you can’t find medicine or food in the Constitution.  Setting aside the “general welfare” clause in the Preamble, the enumerated powers of Congress do not have anything close to any of this.

Just so you know, my position is that government shouldn’t have ANYthing to do with sports OR with medicine.  There is no authority in the Federal (or any State) constitution that I can find that says that sports are under any control of government.  Or that government is authorized to spend a DIME for sports or anything to do with it.  So why does Congress do this?

1. Me too ism “All the nations around us do this.” European and Latin American and even British Commonwealth countries not only interfere with and control sports, they usually have a “minister of sports” which regulates, subsidizes, prohibits, or otherwise mess with sports.  Many Americans want us to be like them; more than just taxpayer-subsidized stadiums, government-funded Olympic contenders and preparation, and high school/college sports (virtually 100% government funded).  They want the various Major League teams and management and organizations all to be absorbed into the government, so that the Baseball Commissioner, just like the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.  And funded by tax money (stolen money).

2.  Popular Sports are popular, and sports figures are popular.  Congressmen and other politicians want this popularity to rub off on them, so they get involved, directly and indirectly, with current sports questions and issues.

3.  “Circus” As with Rome (and other empires), sports serve as a distraction (and non-drug soporific) for the masses, either to keep them unaware of politics and public affairs or to sway them to one political faction or another.  While ALL sports serve this purpose to some degree, the BIG sports (baseball, football, basketball, NASCAR, maybe hockey)  that can be partnered and to some or greater degree controlled by government are best for this ongoing distraction.

4.  Money Sports in America are incredibly wealthy and flush with cash.  Not only do the salaries and awards given sports heroes help the “Circuses” aspect, but they and the money paid for tickets, endorsements, sponsorships and more provide multiple VERY lucrative points at which taxes, fees, and other revenue can be almost painlessly extracted from the population.

5.  Control (Microcontrol).  It s no longer enough for Congress or unnamed bureaucrats to dictate how much water our toilets use to flush, what kind of light bulbs we use, or the gas consumption of our cars and trucks.  Every, and I mean EVERY aspect of life must be controlled and regulated by Congress so we will not just elect them but pay the billions for their election campaigns and lavish offices and travel and lifestyle, and give an opportunity to bureaucrats to show us how they care about us and serve us.  Since sports are so popular and important to so many of us, it is one of the best areas in which government control and spending can be expanded.

6.  Promotion of immorality Sports players, especially the mega-heroes, are almost as worshipped as the Kardashians or Oprah or Justin Bieber, so it should come as no surprise that they are the modern-day equal of the Gods of Olympus – and about as immoral.  Children and young adults fawn on and worship all these “heroes” for their sports skills, so their dress, their lifestyle, and their morals are imitated with great joy and cost.  If Hussein Shabib XXIII can run the 100-meter in 6 seconds flat, and beds a half-dozen of his groupies of both sexes under the bleachers before and after his race, then his fans will imitate him. They might not do so hot on the running part, but the sex part they can do.  The more immoral a people, the more control they “need” and the more laws to be enacted and broken and punished.

Steroids are of course a “win-win” situation for government.  Not only are they intimately tied to sports (see above) but they are also a great spin-off (or sequel) to the “War on Some Drugs.”  Like the current push to fight the “War on Some Prescription Drugs,” this is perfect for our valiant drug-warriors in Congress, the thugs in DEA and all the other alphabet agencies, and all of those “fah the chillun” types to get money and power.