Can we believe in the goodness of any sports star anymore?
Reigning Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun, accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs, is guilty, guilty, guilty — in the court of public opinion, that is.
This is all that Major League Baseball needs right now. It's a shining symbol of a new post-steroids age that turns out to be as scandal-ridden as Rafael Palmiero, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemons, Mark McGuire, et al.
Braun, the National League MVP for the 2011 season, tested positive, it was reported recently.
Baseball authorities should deal severely with Braun, if the charges hold up. I would like to see Major League Baseball take away the MVP award that he won for the last baseball season — under false pretenses, we now see.
How can the baseball lords allow this breach of faith to be rewarded?
Even if Braun is suspended for 50 games at the start of the 2012 season, as appears likely, that punishment is not enough. I'm not looking for blood. I want justice.
I don't want future baseball fans 50 years from now to look at a list of MVP winners and see Braun's name alongside the plethora of players who honored the sport's rules.
It would be a case of justice being served if Braun was stripped of his place in history.
It happens all the time to Olympic winners when they have abused the rules. Despite the protests of Marion Jones, Lance Armstrong, and the like in sports, we find ourselves worrying about the veracity of our heroes.
Isn't it about time for us to believe again in our sports idols as worthy role models?
Jon Friedman writes the Media Web column for MarketWatch.com. Click here to read his latest column.
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