PEDs are everywhere, the age of denial is ending

I'm fairly obsessed with sports. That is probably an understatement. I relate to things in my life according to sporting events. Fall is football, summer is baseball, and the period between the two is known as dead time. Though hockey has become part of my sports watching schedule since the 2010 Olympics. The 2014 Olympics will only entrench hockey into my sports watching. I digress since this post is about the worst part of sports: PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs).

Yesterday, Ryan Braun accepted an MLB suspension for the rest of the season. He is in the prime of his career and has sort of/basically admitted to using PEDs to enhance his baseball performance. Other MLB suspensions are imminent. Braun is definitely not the first person to use PEDs and most certainly not the last. Recently, The Tour de France concluded to little fanfare. Cycling  has taken a hit in popularity due to the PEDs admission of Lance Armstrong. It is a sad thing because cyclists are athletes who abuse their bodies the most. The fact that most of them felt they needed to go a step further to even compete is really what this PEDs situation is all about.

I cannot even begin to comprehend how it must feel to be innately good at one thing. Then to watch your superiority pale in comparison to others. To decide what to do next rests on the strength of your character. I'm not saying if I was a supreme athlete, I wouldn't take PEDs. I'm simply just acknowledging it is an unfathomable decision. There is nothing brave about admitting the truth with your back against a wall. There is nothing admirable about accepting consequences while previously accepting millions of $$$. Obviously this does not only apply to sports.

It seems like the age of denial regarding PEDs is coming to an end. As a sports fan with wide open eyes, it is something I've been waiting for since the Sammy Sosa/Mark McGwire era. Though I have spent the time between that baseball season and now cheering on various sports games, I have always felt uneasy being obsessed with something where cheaters prospered. Maybe now, I will be able to fully enjoy watching sports. At least, that is my hope.