Bud Selig: Steroids Not Just MLB Problem, “A Societal Problem”

After the MLB All-Star festivities are over, it’s been reported that commissioner Bud Selig will make his decisions to suspend prominent players like Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun that are connected with the Biogenesis clinic in Miami and took performance enhancing drugs. For some people, that decision doesn’t come soon enough.

Selig took the time during his annual press conference the day before the All-Star Game to answer those critics.

"”People say, ‘Well, you were slow to react.’ We were not slow to react,” Selig said Monday in a transcript by the Associated Press. ”In fact, I heard that this morning, and it aggravated me all over again.”"

When questions were asked, an eight-year-old identified as Will asked how old he would be when there are no cheaters in the league.

"”Will, this is what I would say to you,” Selig responded. ”I used to object way back when, when people would talk about steroids. They’re not a baseball problem or a football problem or a basketball problem. They’re a societal problem.”"

The image of the game is most important to Selig, and he believes that there’s been too much focus to the negatives and giving it shouldn’t have a label like the “Steroid Era.”

"”Most players on their team didn’t do anything. They were as clean as could be,” he said. ”So the Steroid Era in short to some people implies, well everybody did it. That’s wrong, and it’s unfair.”"