The Daily Gist: With Ben Istiphan

In a recent interview, Alex Rodriguez admitted he took steroids back in 2003. I suppose that Rodriguez felt that it was now best to disclose himself with dignity and respect, in order to avoid a disgraceful and embarrassing confrontation with congress in the future. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that the onus is still heavily placed upon the players. Major League Baseball is a business, and the objective of every baseball owner is to sell as many seats as possible, at any cost. If performance enhancing drugs equates to more home runs, which thus leads to a high attendance at games, then you can see why an owner would turn a blind eye.

As long as the owners increased their profits, the players could take all the drugs they wanted over the years. If acting now is a means for bringing back the credibility to America’s favourite pastime, then a broader perspective must be examined. The use of steroids in baseball has become so prevalent because of the enormous financial compensations that dictate the game. When success and money become so intertwined, athletes will find ways to gain the advantage. No ball player wants to be the skinny dud earning the league minimum.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, 6O minutes of intense smash mouth football, or as others see it, a night filled with beer, munchies, outrageous television commercials, and Bruce Springsteen.  The game itself is just another element that adds to the entire Super Bowl experience. In the end, we all need a reason to party on Sunday, followed by an excuse the next morning when we try to explain to the boss why we can’t make it to work. Yes, the capitalist holiday we refer  to as the Super Bowl has been successfully disguised as the biggest and most exciting sports event of the year. I hate to sound like a hypocrite, but I will be tunning in to the game. It’s hard to resist pop culture. However, I would like to ask a question on behalf of the millions watching the game tonight… who’s playing?

Stephen Harper has recently stated that the federal government will not be funding cost overruns on the Olympic village in Vancouver. The city is clearly cash strapped, while a large number of housing units are still to be completed. These housing units are expected to be transfered to the public sector after the games in order to provide affordable housing. A good way in order to look after the less fortunate, but there was an even better strategy a few years back… not hosting the games to begin with.

If the objective was to provide affordable housing, then a large sum of the funds that are being used to build the Olympic village would have been allocated directly to the public sector at the start. Instead, the city of Vancouver put all their eggs in one basket, while attempting a last-ditch effort to formulate an under-funded social service scheme.

I thought I would talk about sports for a change. Mats Sundin, former Maple leafs captain, has just signed a deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Last year it was almost safe to say that Sundin would retire as a leaf, but I guess the chase for the elusive Stanley Cup is too overwhelming to resist. Vancouver will be Sundin’s third NHL team, but more significantly, it will also be the third Canadian team he’s played for as well.

One may ask, what about the American teams? It is important to note that Sundin is from Sweden, a social democratic country. Canadians aren’t social dems, but we have something that the Americans don’t, which also reminds Sundin of home….. universal health care. Having been more susceptible to injury as of late, I’m sure Sundin will be happy with his decision as he receives another puck to the face. Come on… did you actually think I was going to completely avoid politics?