Monday, 8/25/97 Baseball’s heroes no role models in sport’s
implicit double standard COLUMN: Phillip’s arrest soils already
dirty image of all-American pastime
Just when you thought that our national pastime was back on its
feet, once again a controversy tarnishes Major League Baseball. A
long three years after the players’ strike shortened the 1994
season, it appeared that the fans had forgiven baseball and
returned to the stadiums to support their favorite teams. Drawn to
the ballparks by potential record-breaking seasons and furious
pennant races, the fans once again embraced the national pastime.
In particular, the added attraction of inter-league play and the
potential record-breaking seasons of hitters like Larry Walker and
Tino Martinez have had a tremendous impact on the revival of the
game this season. However, there is a sad realization that baseball
is indeed still a troubled game. Last week, fiery Angels utility
man Tony Phillips was arrested in a Orange County motel room for
possession of illegal drugs. Major league baseball is no stranger
to drug controversies. Phillips is the latest in a long line of
baseball players whose names are connected with illegal drugs. In
the 1990s alone, there have been six players who have violated the
league’s drug policy, most notably current Yankees Dwight Gooden
and Daryl Strawberry. However, the Phillips case hits hard because
it comes at a time when the game of baseball had just begun to
regain the confidence of the fans. Over the past few years, the
Major League Baseball’s fan base has steadily dwindled from the
popularity it has enjoyed over history. Rising ticket prices, huge
player salaries and players’ less-than-stellar off-the-field
behavior have all contributed to the slow demise of baseball. It
has become obvious that the fans who once crammed into stadiums are
starting to become disillusioned with the game of baseball.
Phillips is just another slap in the face for the MLB. It is
obvious that Phillips broke the law when he was caught with the
cocaine. He did what he did. However, if one looks beyond the scope
of his actions and analyzes the reactions of the Angels and the
League, we can see a much bigger problem because of the way the
whole situation was handled. The first act by the Angels was to
suspend Phillips with pay. Again, rather than dealing with the
situation, the Walt Disney Company, who happens to own the Angels,
preserved its family-friendly image by using his "suspension" as a
means of sweeping the problem under the rug. Then the players’
union steps in, filing a grievance on Phillips’ behalf to get him
reinstated on the team. Again, in layman’s terms: We’ll deal with
this problem later. Right now making millions of dollars and
winning an American League pennant is more important. Although
Phillips’ arrest is an atrocious act in itself, the bigger issue is
the baseball’s message, sent out to the young impressionable fans
who follow the game and see the players as role models. By allowing
Phillips to return to the field, the league is essentially saying
that making money and winning games is more important than holding
the players accountable for their actions. The inability of Major
League Baseball to punish those players who engage in questionable
acts has been evident the last couple of years. We saw their
ineptitude in the numerous times that Steve Howe was allowed back
into the league. We saw ineptitude when Roberto Alomar was allowed
to play in the World Series after spitting in Umpire John
Hirshbeck’s face. If you can hit the ball or pitch with any sort of
consistency, all will be forgiven. In order to rectify the
situation, it would be wise for MLB to take a stance and use the
Phillips case as a precedent in their policy concerning drug abuse.
If they continue to ignore all the problems in the hopes that they
will go away, the deterioration of the game will not be far behind.
The handling of the Phillips situation really epitomizes the
problems not only present in the world of baseball, but the
universal problem that the entire sports world faces today. The
almighty dollar accounts for the fact that athletes, who make
insane amounts of money, are held to a different standard than the
general public. Whether it be the Michael Irvins, Isiah Riders or
Tony Phillips of the world, it is obvious that there is a problem
with the double standard that is present in the world of sports.
Tim Yun Previous Daily Bruin Story Title hopes fall down a
notch