Dunlap: Do We Really Care About HGH In The NFL?
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - Do we care?
That's the real question and, perhaps, the biggest question.
Do we really care what these NFL players --- these goliaths and behemoths of men --- have running through their bodies when they take to the playing fields to try to knock the living snot out of each other?
After some consideration, I'm starting to heavily lean toward the fact that I don't care what's roaring through their veins, what is streaming through their bodies.
They can pump themselves with this, inject themselves with that, infuse their physical beings with whatever-the-heck substance they want and, the dirty truth is that I'll still watch.
I won't be turned off at all.
I will still use them (maybe selfishly) for my entertainment.
I will still make them a huge part of my Sunday.
I will still consider them our modern-day gladiators.
I'll still yell at the TV, have a beer or two as I see them risk their lives and take to Twitter or texting a friend when an NFL player makes a big hit or grabs a huge touchdown.
These men --- sad as it might seem --- have become more machines than anything to me and, if they are willing to put some seedy substance into their body, who am I to be turned away by the theater they provide?
You see, this is all coming to light (again) with the latest developments in the did-he-or-didn't-he saga involving Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and human growth hormone.
According to the Associated Press, the NFL is in the middle of reviewing allegations made against Manning --- by television network Al Jazeera --- about a month ago. The review, initiated weeks ago, won't be completed by the time Manning competes in the upcoming Super Bowl and, it should be noted, Manning has wholly dismissed any allegations against him as "complete garbage."
But what if they are true?
Or, forget Manning, what if it comes out that a bunch of guys are using HGH around the league and it comes to light while they are playing or just after they retire?
Would this really diminish the product for you?
Will it kill your experience?
Would it put a damper on what you watched, the moments you realized as a fan, the fun you had consuming all of it?
I know my answer. It wouldn't change it one bit.
Now, if HGH is illegal in the NFL, certainly the league has to punish those caught using it as they are in violation of the rules, but the whole crux of this matter is, do we really care if the NFL allowed their participants to use HGH?
For me, I wouldn't care. It would be up to those guys. Their choice, their body. Just give me a good show.
That said, while I'm not a proponent of HGH in sports, I'm not exactly going to be shocked if Manning or another big-time player is found guilty of using and I sure as heck am not going to demonize that person.
It's time more people start thinking like me and understand these men, these products (if you will) are there to provide us entertainment.
No more, no less.
Give me a good show.
And right now, the NFL is providing one hell of a good show --- and it doesn't matter to me if it's done in the HGH realm either by hook or by crook. After all, the main duty of many of these men is to hit each other with as much force as possible.
The brilliant reporter and writer Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com joined "The Fan Morning Show" on Wednesday and was asked about HGH in the NFL. I thought he summed things up with perfection.
La Canfora said something about if the American public really "wants to know how the sausage is made" as it pertains to the NFL players getting so big, strong and fast and doing what they do on Sundays.
Tell you what, after a good think about it, I don't care in the least how the sausage is made.
Just keep giving me heaping helpings on my television and I'm all good.
I have a feeling I can't be the only one who feels this way.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.