Steroids, Sports, Sophocles?

A sport is not only a national past-time, but a human past-time. From the fan’s perspective, sport captures a range of human emotion. A sport can rarely evoke pure joy or be truly tragic for spectator because its events are a natural cycle. Athletes break records, win championships, lose games and fade into the annals of history. Yet despite its temporary nature and seemingly purposeless place in society, it has held a place in every civilization in history. Since the Olympics, sport has symbolized a place where hope, trust, and honor are never lost. Cubs fans can repeatedly say “there’s always next year”, Patriots fans can worship Tom Brady, and one can appreciate the integrity of competitors like Tiger Woods. Yet the nature of sport is changing rapidly, perhaps even threatened, by the ongoing steroids scandal in Major League Baseball. Barry Bonds, former outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, has become the face of the tragedy consuming baseball. Perhaps the answer to why Bonds began using steroids is at the birthplace of sport, ancient Athens. Sophocles, an Athenian play-wright, wrote a tragedy about a king and his desire to return his kingdom to greatness. Sophocles’s protagonist Oedipus is in not athlete, but the internal conflict he faces in saving a country and the repercussions of his search for truth is eerily similar to the Bonds saga. The similarities and differences between Bonds and Oedipus’s characters and respective stories can explain Bond’s personal conflict and his role as the tragic face of baseball.
A similarity between Bonds and Oedipus is in their tragic flaws- their stubborn persistence was their eventual downfall. In 1997, Bonds had his batting average dive to an all time low of .281. The following year, Bonds bounced back and hit 37 home runs, but his accomplishments were overshadowed. While Bonds continued to dominate opposing pitchers, fellow players Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were chasing Roger Maris’s single season home record of 65 runs. Bonds standing in the league became to diminish compared to his competitors. Lance Williams, a San Fransisco reporter and author of Game of Shadows, a book which chronicled Bond’s steroid use, said “Bonds was astounded and aggrieved by the outpouring of hero worship for McGwire, a hitter whom he regarded as obviously inferior to himself… he knew he was on his way to the Hall of Fame… Bonds's elite status had slipped a notch. The game and its fans were less interested in the complete player…the emphasis was shifting to pure slugging” Oedipus of Thebes felt similarly about his kingdom. Once the glory of Ancient Greece, Thebes had suddenly become disease stricken and began to crumble. Oedipus voiced concern for his people and was upset by his inability to solve Thebes’s problems. In the opening of the play, Oedipus says to his people, “I pity you…my spirit grieves for the city, for myself and all of you… I grieve for these, my people, far more than I fear for my own life” (70-105). Oedipus says that he is “grieving” for the city, but only later does he show his determination to take responsibility for figuring out the problem that confronts Thebes: “I’ll start again-I’ll bring it all to light myself! Now you have me to fight for you…I am the land’s avenger by all rights…for my own sake I’ll rid us of this corruption… I defend myself…I’ll do everything” (150-163). His definite use of language-“I’ll do everything”-shows he is not casual about the issue. Jocasta, Oedipus’s wife, requests him to stop his search for when the cursed man mentioned in Apollo’s prophecy is more and more likely to be Oedipus himself: “It’s all chance, chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth can see a day ahead…Live Oedipus, as if there’s no tomorrow” (1069-1077). Yet despite Jocasta’s attempts, Oedipus continued on his search, replying “What-give up now…Fail to solve the mystery of my birth? Not for all the world!” (1160-1163). It is Oedipus’s very persistence in finding truth that leads to his collapse. His relentless questioning and search for truth is the reason he loses his kingdom and feels ashamed. Bonds situation was similar. Despite being a two time winner of the Most Valuable Player award, Bonds use of steroids was driven by a relentless desire to outperform players who were more experienced. Bonds was aggravated-a term that could easily describe Oedipus, who would not let go of his search for the truth “for all the world”.
Not only did Bonds and Oedipus share a common tragic flaw, they shared the quality of hubris, or excessive pride. When confronted by the prophet Tiresias, Oedipus refuses to respect him and demands the prophet tell him his fate: “Old man… You’ve lost your power…eyes blind as stone…You can’t hurt me or anyone else who sees the light-you can never touch me” (422-428). Oedipus refuses to heed warnings from Tiresias, which leads the prophet to comment, “Creon is not your downfall, no, you are your own” (432). Tiresias’s words are in direct response to Oedipus’s excessive pride. Bonds’s response to doctors who suggested that he might be taking steroids is similar: “Doctors ought to quit worrying about what ballplayers are taking. What players take doesn't matter. It's nobody else's business. The doctors should spend their time looking for cures for cancer. It takes more than muscles to hit homers. If all those guys were using stuff, how come they're not all hitting homers?” Bonds’s language, like Oedipus’s, shows he is attempting to scapegoat others and avoid his failures. He suggests that doctors are in fact wrong in questioning whether he is taking steroids.
The critical difference between Oedipus and Bonds is the way they deal with their failure. Oedipus takes personal responsibility for his actions, and pulls his own eyes out in frustration with himself. This act of self-mutilation is both grotesque and awe-inspiring. Oedipus’s willingness to take complete responsibility for his consequences allows us to truly admire him as a tragic figure. Had Oedipus not taken responsibility and continued to blame Tiresias, the reader could perceive him as arrogant or stubborn. Bonds, on the other hand, chose to deflect blame, claiming in court that his trainer gave him steroids without his knowledge when almost everyone is sure that Bonds knew what was in his regular injections.
Bonds refusal to admit to steroids use makes him not a tragic figure, but a player whose name evokes public anger and symbolizes the tragic fall of baseball. While the idea that Oedipus had killed his father and married his mother is repulsive to the people of Thebes, Oedipus’s acceptance opens the space for forgiveness and sympathy. Bonds’s drive and willpower to become the best player ever made him jealous of other athletes and led to his steroid use. Despite being a two time MVP, Bonds was unable to overcome his jealousy. But one should not criticize Bonds and Oedipus’s tragic flaws, but realize that the fundamental difference between them was one’s refusal to apologize. Had Bonds apologized, fans initial reaction would still have been shock. But the apology would serve as a reminder that Bonds’s use of steroids was inspired by something human-a desire to become something great. Barry Bonds represents the diminishing hope and trust in our past-time, and serves as a lesson to future steroids users.