Re: 2013 Milwaukee Brewers - Cheaters, Underachievers and Disappointments Oh My!
Thanks for the info. It really is an interesting topic, even without Braun's problem. Why doesn't MLB just let WADA handle their testing? Maybe not the penalties, but at least the logistics of testing.
I really don't want to clutter up this thread, but Braun aside it is indeed a fascinating topic. It's not quite as simple as just signing things over to WADA, though. WADA is more or less a governing body that implements a code, and governing bodies of sports can either choose to become signatories of the code or not. In the case of sports that are represented in the Olympics they more or less have to sign on, though enforcement of said code runs a real gamut depending on the governing body that signed on.
WADA does do some limited testing in its own right, but it's usually highly targeted. The real testing will come from either a national anti-doping body (USADA, CONI, AFLD, etc.) or at times from the organizer of an event. ASO handling testing in the Tour de France would be an example of this. The whole thing is a mess, but the real takeaway here is that WADA is an organizational structure that sets guidelines and standards and works with other agencies and entities to help properly enforce those guidelines and standards.
For all the good that is in WADA, the entire system is corrupt thanks to monetary, nationalistic, and all sorts of other reasons that it would take a book to explain.
As for MLB, it's free to become a WADA signatory any time it chooses, but it doesn't. Some might say this is because the union is being constrictive in its stance, others who are more cynical would say it's because MLB management doesn't actually care enough to draw a hard line. If you plant me in the cynical camp, I'd contend that much like many other governing bodies in other sports, MLB doesn't actually care about being proactive on the matter but that it just wants to appear forcefully reactive when necessary.
If I want to be really cynical, I'll tell you everything we've been watching for the last 20 years is a complete farce. Half the NFL is on the junk, probably 40% of baseball and nobody wants to know what the Olympics are all about. And I'm not trying to be melodramatic here...the information is all out there should anyone wish to go find it.
Now, whether that actually matters and whether anyone actually cares...I'm not so sure. I think I do because I'm a fan of reality, but when the last clean Olympic medal winner in the 100m might well have been Calvin Smith in 1988, it's hard to take it seriously. Thing is, when so many fans become emotionally invested in the relatively meaningless endeavor that is sport...there's no need for any governing body anywhere to take things seriously. And MLB and NFL are at the top of that list in our country, and if we want to talk internationally, the IOC is the worst of all.
On good accord I have it from a major league pitcher who is a friend of a friend:
"If people knew what went on in MLB clubhouses they'd be stunned"
