Mad World
Roid Fraud
By Mark Madden

Scott "Bam Bam"" Bigelow passed away last month. He was 45.

Bigelow was another in a long line of pro wrestlers who died young. Such deaths have been epidemic in the past decade.

Wrestling is a killing machine. You need steroids to get big. You need painkillers to tolerate the in-ring physicality. You get addicted to one, or both. The combination wears out your heart.

So, where's the Congressional investigation?

Oh, wait, I forgot...they're only wrestlers.

What bothers me most about the ongoing effort to rid baseball of steroids is the hypocrisy. If the goal was really to save lives and protect the health of the athletes, the government would take a close look at wrestling. If the goal was really to keep young people from idolizing steroid-soaked monsters, the government would take a close look at wrestling.

If it could just be admitted that the idea of keeping steroids out of baseball is to preserve the so-called sanctity of a big, fat white guy's records, at least some truth would be told.

If only the lives of "legitimate" athletes concern you, consider the plight of the professional football player.

Football shortens lives. Andre Waters committed suicide, likely because of post-concussion problems. Ted Johnson suffers depression because of similar difficulties. Countless ex-players walk around unnaturally bent, if they can walk at all.

NASCAR, incredibly, may be inadvertently showing the way when it comes to battling steroids in sports.

In the week leading up to the Daytona 500, several NASCAR crews were found guilty of cheating. Among the punishments imposed: The deduction of points in the NASCAR standings.

You want steroids out of baseball and football? Do this: When a baseball player tests positive for steroids, his team loses 20 wins. When a football player tests positive for steroids, his team loses two wins. If the San Francisco Giants are 35-25 when Bonds gets busted, suddenly they're 15-45. If the San Diego Chargers are 6-4 when Shawne Merriman gets popped, suddenly they're 4-6.

Such sanctions could cost teams playoff berths. Championships. Millions of dollars. If steroids are something that absolutely must be eliminated, then it's worth changing the very structure of the game.

But if all you're doing is protecting some big, fat white guy's records, the measures we're talking about are far too severe. Which is why they will never be discussed, let alone imposed.

Punishing the teams for the actions of the individuals would get teams involved in the policing process. If the Giants could lose victories based on Bonds' steroids use, they would make sure he didn't use. Or they might not think keeping Bonds was worth the risk.

Amazing that such a relevant idea could be inspired by a "sport" built on the foundation of moonshine running, an illegal act. Ironic, too, because when it comes to eliminating steroids, baseball and football just drive around in a circle and chase their tails.

Mark Madden hosts a sports talk show 3-7 p.m. weekdays on ESPN Radio 1250.