With all the pressing serious problems facing this country, and the world, one must register surprise that the US Congress apparently will hold hearings on the use of PEDs in professional wrestling. The New York Daily News says it will happen:
A congressional panel that grilled Bud Selig, Paul Tagliabue and David Stern about performance-enhancing drugs in sports two years ago will hold a hearing next month on steroids and professional wrestling.
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection will hold the hearing in late September, three months after World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Benoit allegedly strangled his wife and suffocated his 7-year-old son before hanging himself with a weight-machine pulley in his suburban Atlanta home.
"I am extremely concerned about the possible illegal and destructive practices by professional entertainment athletes that negatively influence the younger generation," said Rep. Bobby Rush, the Illinois Democrat who is the chairman of the committee. "We must make sure that today's wrestling sports heroes are not using illegal performance-enhancing drugs that, unfortunately, can and have led to their untimely deaths."
So there you go. We all complained and whined about the steroid use in pro wrestling; Congress picks up on a topic and runs with the publicity ball.
The Congressional committee should find a more proper investigatory mission than 'protect the kids' (unless you're a pro wrestler's kid). The superficial statement above by the great representative of Illinois doesn't impress us. The homi-suicide of the Benoit family, and the numerous steroid-related (possibly not directly caused) deaths of relatively young wrestlers however does concern public-health minded citizens.
We suspect an investigation will find a sport-wide mess of WWE pressure for revenue and attendance, and use of steroids, HGH, stimulants, pain killers and narcotics, benzodiazepines, alcohol, and anti-depressants that adds up to killer cocktails.
What you wont see in these hearings are the issues of pro wrestlers health care or pensions etc... So far Congressional reps will only address steroids.
If they addressed the labor complaints that many ex-pro wrestlers are talking about on CNN then congress may have to answer the questions about why 45 million other americans dont have health insurance or pensions etc...
That wont happen, these hearings are a distraction from real issues. Not only in pro wrestling but in America itself.
Posted by: keith | 08/31/2007 at 16:39