Don't Release the Other 103 Names

Now that Alex Rodriguez has come somewhat clean about his steroid use, the dominant opinion in papers and on the airwaves has been the desire to release the other 103 names from MLBs 2003 testing. At first I thought this was a good idea but the more I think about it, the worse it becomes. There seems to be the notion that revealing this list from 2003 will remove many of the shadows that have been cast over the game for the last decade or so. I believe that was the hope of Bud Selig's office when they commissioned the Mitchell Report. Obviously, that hasn't happened, and it won't happen with these 103 names, either. We know that Alex Rodriguez's name will be on that list. We also know that A-Rod was rather stupid for allowing himself to be tested positive, considering that he and the rest of the players were made aware that these tests were coming. Just because A-Rod and 103 of his co-workers were stupid doesn't mean everyone was. This is not a complete list. It is a snapshotof 2003 that doesn't encompass anything that happened before it. What happens if Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds aren't on the list? What if Palmeiro doesn't show up? What if some of the most suspected of users don't appear? McGwire wasn't even part of the testing at that point. Revealing the list will not eleviate most of the doubts that we have at this moment. The questions will continue on. Others have expressed the opinion that it is not fair to Alex Rodriguez that his name was the only one to be revealed. It is unfair because someone broke the law in order to expose A-Rod's positive test. A-Rod wouldn't have to worry about such things if he hadn't done steroids in the first place which, despite the fact that there was no program in place in Major League Baseball, were illegal in the US. Beyond that, being that it was unfair to Alex Rodriguez to subject him to this scrutiny over what was supposed to be an anonymous program, how is it fair to the other 103 players to give them the same treatment? Because A-Rod was outed, so should the others? One player was screwed, so screw them all? This really gets to the heart of my third and major point. These tests in 2003 were done on the basis of being anonymous. If they weren't anonymous, the players union would never have agreed to do it. That much we can all agree on. Revealing the other 103 names would set a precedent not only within Major League Baseball, but in sports and society in general that would be damaging. In this Information Age, we believe we are entitled to know everything, even if it is not our right. As fans and paying customers of Major League Baseball, we deserve to know that what we're seeing and paying for is legitimate, whether it be in the day to day games or the breaking of a hallowed record that has stood for years. By demanding that these 103 names be released, we are infringing on the rights of those players who believed they were protected while submitting to a test, in essence demanding that their agreement be violated. What right do we have to step into this scenario and tell these players that they no longer have that right? Let's not confuse our anger with the state of the sport with what is right and wrong in this scenario. We all want this steroid era to come to an end. We're all frustrated that it was allowed to run as rampant as it did from the nineties into 2003. That inaction falls squarely at the feet of the commissioner's office, who were undoubtedly aware of the problem and were too afraid of the player's union or of interrupting what was an increasing cash flow to derail the game with such action. It's easy to blame the players, too. After all, if the owners were greedy, certainly the players were thinking of their own success when taking steroids. But the players were working within a system that allowed them to get away with such usage without penalty from the league. Known usage of cocaine could get you suspended, but as the Mitchell Report suggested, even being found with illegal steroids in your car couldn't force a suspension. Why would the players not do steroids? We live in a time where privacy is at an all time low, from government policies to the omnipresent media. It may just be a matter of time before the entire list is illegally leaked, much like Rodriguez's name. And if or when that does happen, it will be just as wrong as it was this past week. If the union is forced to release these 103 names without their consent, it closes the door further on any perceived right to privacy people have in this country. That you could submit to a test or program anonymously only to have your name revealed out of your control is a scary thought.