There is no question about it: Barry Bonds is going to break Hank Aaron's home run record (755) this year. He may even break it before graduation, if he's pitched to more than once a game. For non-baseball fans, Bonds' approach to this milestone is met with frustration by many sports fans over his "alleged" -- he used them -- use of steroids. Rather than cheers, Bonds' home runs at opposing ballparks are met with signs reading only *: a call for the asterisk that many want put next to his name in the record books.
The Bonds situation raises many debates: Should all athletes be tested for steroids? Should Bonds not be allowed to play based on convincing evidence, but no proof? Are old records, made in an era when men like Babe Ruth got big by eating hamburgers, bound to be shattered by chemically enhanced players? All questions are in need of answering. But there is one that I keep coming back to, and one that I see driving these debates: Are professional sports pure athletic endeavors or simply a form of entertainment?
Sports have always held a majestic aura. The two narratives creating this aura go something like this. The first: Look at the heights, lengths, speeds, levels of endurance and so on that human beings can reach through sheer discipline and a burning drive to push the human body -- what makes us all human -- to its maximum. The Olympics, long seen as a testament to human achievement, are where this narrative reaches its apex. The second: Look at the purity of this game, how its players compete, how they elevate their team to reach these great lengths, heights. This second story is especially prevalent when the boys of summer take the field to play America's pastime.
But let us be honest with ourselves. Though these narratives may rest somewhere deep beneath sports, they are not always visible on the surface. For many people, myself included, sports are a form of entertainment. We follow teams because we want to see them win. We watch the playoffs, in any sport, because we love the high level of play and that fact that these athletes are really playing to win. We watch highlights and talk sports because it's a fun distraction from life more generally. We are seriously entertained by sports, not by nostalgia or some romantic ideal about human achievement.
In light of this, another question arises: Are the professional home-run hitters, slam-dunkers and goal-scorers performers whose show is athletics? The language we use to talk about sports would certainly suggest that they are. Athletes put on "strong performances," the major leagues of any sport are referred to as "the big show," and talk of the playing surface or event as a "stage" are not too far off. Heck, we buy tickets to these events where we eat hot-dogs and drink beers with our buddies while watching.
Which brings us back to Barry Bonds. How, you ask? If we see sports as entertainment and its players as actors, can we really blame Barry for wanting to put on a good show? Chicks, and dudes for that matter, dig the long ball. Yes, a proportionally few hardcore baseball fans like nothing more than a 1-0 pitchers duel. But most people just want to see the ball fly out of the stadium, preferably hit by a member of their team. And that's what Barry Bonds delivers: a consistently great performance chock full of long balls for an otherwise alright team.
So, what's my opinion on Bonds' breaking the home run record? I think it's going to happen without the world, or baseball, shattering into a million pieces. When it does, it may provide a nice moment of reflection for American sports fans. Clearly, Barry is not alone in his use of steroids to make himself a better hitter and thus, a better showman. His home runs bring people out to the ballpark, help his team win games and entertain.
I'm not saying I like the guy. I personally think he's a cheater. But, I realize that sports have surrendered their purity for big players, big games and the big bucks of prime time entertainment. I see why he's a cheater. I also see that the Red Sox game has started and that my boys are down 2-0. Go Red Sox!