For any of you following the sporting world, or really even just the news, you know that two of the big stories out right now are that Olympic hero Michael Phelps smoked some weed at a party and Alex Rodriguez used steroids for at least 3 years.
While the A-Rod story is much more recent and the hysteria is still only building, I find it very instructive to look at the punishments handed out in these two cases. Phelps was handed a three-month suspension from the governing body of his sport, while A-Rod has yet to get any more punishment than the usual flack he gets for being a vain, self-serving choke artist.
So just to recap: Phelps uses a relatively harmless drug used by roughly 40% of our population (according to most reputable social data) and receives a three-month suspension from his sport. Rodriguez uses a highly-damaging drug that is both illegal and specifically banned from his sport, and has yet to receive any punishment.
In addition to Phelps' punishment, 8 other people (identified through photos) have been charged with either misdemeanors or felonies, while those who supplied A-Rod have escaped both detection and punishment.
Again to recap:
Smoking weed: 9 people punished extensively
Using steroids to score a $252 million contract: 0 people punished
Is it not time to at least start a conversation about where our nation's priorities are on drug use?
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