Many semi-savvy sports pundits have been talking for the last several days about why football fans don’t care as much about steroids as baseball fans, they particularly marvel at the fact that many of these carefree football fans are also, apparently, seething baseball fans.
One thing that seems to be missing from this argument, at least on ESPN, is the reaction of the fans (with the possible exception of 10 seconds spent on some online opinion poll). The fact is, they’d rather prognosticate how the fans feel than actually ask them, which is probably the right decision anyways.
The most common statement that I’ve heard used to explain away this disparity of care is that we expect our football players to be the ‘brute, do-anything-to-win’ archetypes, whereas baseball players are supposed to be ‘gentlemen.’ This insight, to me at least, comes off as hollow; however, the ease with which it can be explained and understood by the atypical sports fan probably has something to do with its prevalence.
I think the real reason that steroids matter more in baseball than in football is probably even easier to understand, but it’s harder to explain.
To understand the real reason, at least in my humble opinion, we first must understand how we can commonly define a ‘play.’ In both sports, the commencement of a play is decided arbitrarily by one of the players (in football, the QB calling ‘hike,’ in baseball, the pitcher throwing the pitch). In both sports, the end of a play is determined by the official (in football, the official blowing their whistle, in baseball the umpire calling time).
Now that we’ve homogenized the definition of a play, we have to look at two generic plays, one from each sport:
Football: 3rd and 5. 10 minutes left in the 3rd. Quarter; the Packers, down by 3, have the ball on the Oakland 20-yard line.
Baseball: Bottom of the 6th inning. Man on 2nd, 2 outs. Brewers are up 2 to 1 on the Mets.
In both of these hypothetical situations, there are a myriad of things that can occur involving every man on either field. However, here is where the variance of the sports reveals the true reason why steroids matter more in baseball.
Let’s say, Favre calls hike and throws a 20-yard out route to Jennings in the end zone, presumably, every player on the field can affect this one way or another. On offense, the line and running back (if this isn’t the 5 receiver formation) must hold to allow Favre the time to throw the ball. The other receivers must do a good job of baiting the DB’s to think that the play is to them so they don’t move off the receivers and try to offer help to the DB on Jennings. On defense, the line can try to sack Favre or flush him out of the pocket, giving him a bad angle on his throw, a good DB (most likely) a safety or a nickelback could disguise double coverage on Jennings and force Favre to checkdown to his next option, which may or may not result in success. The two linebackers (assuming this is a nickel defense situation) could drop into coverage or rush the passer, creating all kinds of havoc (although as far as I know, Oakland’s LBs suck). There is not a player on the field that doesn’t have to opportunity to make a difference, that’s 22 guys. Thanks to perfect execution, Favre hits Jennings in the end zone and the Packers go up by 4 after the PAT.
Now let’s talk about our baseball situation. When Sheets pitches the ball, the player will either swing or watch it go by. Before the play, hypothetically, everyone on the field has a chance to make a difference, that’s 11 guys. However, once Sheets pitches the ball, in reality, only 3 or 4 guys will really matter to this play. For example, if he flies out to right, the only people that made a difference during that play were Sheets (who threw the pitch), David Wright (who hit it) and Corey Hart (who caught it). That’s three guys. There is literally nothing that Rickie Weeks could have done during the actual play that would have made one bit of a difference, unless, say the ball bounces out of Hart’s glove and Weeks retrieves it, still though, once he throws it into whoever is now cutting off at second, even if we count the runner who now scored, that’s only six guys who made a difference in the outcome of the actual play. (For arguments sake, the catcher called the pitch, but nothing (no action or expenditure of motion) he did during the actual play made one bit of a difference.)
Now let’s add steroids to the fun, we’ll assume that in each sport, half of the players use, half don’t. In football, since every player matters on every play, essentially every football play all season has a relatively similar chance of being affected by someone on steroids, for arguments sake, in this case 50 %. If Derrick Burgess busts through the line on Chad Clifton (we’ll say Burgess uses and Clifton doesn’t) and sacks Farve, that outcome was 50% determined by steroids (Burgess’ decision to use or Clifton’ to not). Still, on that same play, let’s say Ryan Grant blocks a blitzing linebacker into Burgess giving Favre time to throw the TD anyways, if we are presuming 50% use, then Grant or the LB uses. So we’re still at 50%, and it’ll stay that way, no matter what, everyone matters on every play (somehow Randy Moss doesn’t understand this). Before the play 100% of the players on the field can possibly affect that plays outcome, during the play 100% of the guys matter.
In baseball on the other hand, let’s say the Sheets uses and so does Wright. Wright hits a home run, which means 100% of that play was affected by steroids. Let’s say one uses and the other doesn’t, now we’re at 50%, if both don’t it’s 0%. It’s that unpredictability, mixed with the fact that only 2 players were involved in the play, which makes users such a pariah in baseball. Before the play, 100% of the guys on the field can affect the play, during the play, well it's anyone's guess, if I guy strikes out looking, it's less than 10%.
In reality, baseball is the most individualized team sport that there is… This is the real reason why steroids matter more in baseball.
Of course, you won’t hear this theory on TV because it is too hard to explain and to understand something so basic seems like a forgone conclusion. I assure you that it doesn’t have anything to do with ‘gentlemen.’
But the only opinions I want to hear on this subject are from people like Brian Jordan, Deion Sanders (who I think is on NFL Network, which I don’t have) and Bo Jackson. I guarantee you these guys, who played both sports at the highest level, would offer you a explanation similar to the thesis of this essay.
The only reason that steroids matter more to baseball is the nature of the two games…
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