September 13, 2007
Adjunct Associate Professor of Philosophy Kenneth Shouler, Ph.D.
presented an audience of St. John’s University students, faculty
and staff with interesting yet troubling statistics regarding the
steroid controversy that has embroiled the world of professional
baseball for the past few years.
Photo
Gallery
Citing statistics that appear in his book Baseball Doubt,
Baseball Certainty, Dr. Shouler points out that alleged
steroid users are typically athletes who have passed the midpoint
of their careers and are looking to enhance their productivity in
the game for as long as possible. He believes that we need to
keep this reality in mind and look harshly upon those athletes who
use performance enhancing drugs to achieve success.
“Steroid users are cheaters” noted Shouler “and we need to
strongly consider this when we evaluate a player’s
performance.”
Shouler pointed out that baseball is more dependent upon numbers
than most other sports, and that as fans we would do well to assign
a “mental asterisk” to those numbers and records generated by
players for whom steroid use has been alleged. He challenged
the audience to compare the steroid-using players of today with the
baseball greats of former years. “The true stars of baseball,
such as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron left the game
better than they found it. Can anyone say that about the
players alleged to have used steroids?”
Shouler believes that the game can recover from the steroid
controversy but only if Major League Baseball sets the right
example by strongly enforcing the rules that are already in place
to deter players from succumbing to the lure of steroids. “If Major
League Baseball and the owners continue to look the other way, this
problem’s still going to be with us.”
“Baseball Doubt, Baseball Certainty” was the first of the
2007-2008 Academic Lecture
Series, an ongoing series of informative presentations
co-sponsored by the President’s Multicultural Advisory Committee,
the Office of the Provost, Discover New York and Core Curriculum,
the Department of Student Life and Student Government,
Inc. For more information contact the Department of Student
Life at (718) 990-6567 or view the brochure – Academic Lecture
Series.