(Thumbnail image: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
“I wish it never came into my life, but we’re sitting here talking about it. I’m so sorry that I have to. I apologize to everyone in major league baseball, my family, the Maris’, Bud Selig. Today was the hardest day of my life.” (CNN)
In an interview with the MLB Network, Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids on and off for more than a decade, including 1998 when he broke the all time record for most home runs in a single season. McGwire’s admission has the media discussing the motives behind the announcement and what it means for his future.
We look at perspectives from CBS, ESPN, The Chicago Tribune, ABC News, and CTV.
Baseball columnist Scott Miller tells CBS that it was McGwire’s new job that prompted him to finally come clean.
“He accepted Tony LaRussa’s invitation to become St. Louis' hitting coach for this year, but he was never going to start his job as the Cardinals' hitting coach without some kind of a further explanation than what his testimony to Congress was five springs ago.”
Tim Kurkjian of ESPN says its good that McGwire came clean, but that he should have done long ago in 2005 when he testified in front of Congress.
“That day did not help his perception nationally in any way... If he had used the statement he used today that day, he would be in much better shape today. He would probably be coaching in the major leagues right now, he might even be in the hall of fame right now.”
Others believe McGwire’s admission has actually hurt him more than it has helped. The Chicago Tribune quotes MLB Network Analyst Mitch Williams on "The Mully & Hanley (radio) Show" as saying:
“With his admission, I don't think the Hall of Fame is even a consideration. Him doing what he did (Monday) was his way of saying the Hall of Fame doesn't mean anything to me. And to me, that's a good thing. I don't think anyone that admits, who is proven guilty of using them belongs in the Hall of Fame."
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and sports analyst Rob Becker look at how McGwire’s admission is just the latest one that reflects a larger trend in society.
ABC: “The arte of the apology has become one that is a significant one in sports and I guess all across society today...People are fed up, how many more times are we going to hear this? You know it’s a combination of fed up and numb. I think a lot of baseball fans are numb to it.”
CTV: “The concern I’m having right now is this idea that as long as you admit to it, well then that’s okay, everyone accepts you and all is forgiven. Is that the way society works now?"
So was McGwire’s confession a smart move? Now that he's come clean, should he be seriously considered for the Hall of Fame?
