A Brief Note On Media And Cheating

Most Athletes Do Drugs, But Who Really Cares Athletes using performance enhancing drugs have always been in the media. When a beloved athlete is caught using drugs the media tears them apart. Any one’s favorite athlete could become nothing to them after a drug test. The articles “Cheating and CHEATING” by Joe Posnasnski and “We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals” by William Moller, show two sides of the effects of media as well as fame for athletes. As mentioned, “Cheating and CHEATING” by Posnanski gives its own side to the effects of media. It is a response to Pete Hamill’s review of James Hirsch’s book on Willie Mays. His point is pretty clear. Posnanski believes that baseball was never innocent. He is a fan of baseball,

In “Cheating and CHEATING” by Joe Posnanski, he is responding to Pete Hamill and arguing against him, unlike Moller’s article that is a personal experience. Posnanski tells facts on cheating in the baseball games such as “Leo Durocher and the Giants, who rigged an elaborate sign stealing system”(556).He mentions drugs and tells just what he’s read about which is the good and the bad side of them. His article is centered on Willie Mays as it should be as a response with him being the focus. Moller on the other hand, author of “We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals” had actually taken Ritalin a handful of times to study with and personally felt the effects kick in “hypersensitized, stuffed-up, sweaty, wide-eyed mess, but I studied until I heard the birds chirping. And I aced my test” (Moller, 545).He sees personally the pull of drugs to perform better in scholarly work for himself and understands personally why the baseball player’s would do the same. The down side and health effects almost seemed to not matter when one is doing so well in their career or life. He talks about different types of performance enhancing drugs that he or his friend used and why they are prescribed. Moller says there is Ritalin, its effects already mentioned above, steroids which Alex used as well as not just a drug and just to get ahead “resin on his baseball “ that hides substances that effect the movement of the ball(Moller,550).There are other drugs too that he mentions from pro athletes such as Adderall and andro. He also shares that “after Ritalin was outlawed in MLB, the number of baseball players being diagnosed with ADD jumped