It’s Outta Here
From “practice makes perfect” to “It’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings,” most of life’s lessons can be taught through sports. Throughout the years, athletes have provided some of the best education.
On April 15th, Major League Baseball celebrated the life of Jackie Robinson, who was the first athlete to break the color barrier in baseball. He paved the way by ignoring death threats and playing in a baseball game. And while some people may have considered it a risky situation at the time, Robinson changed the course of sports history, and those same people applaud him now.
But one recent athlete who will never be applauded for his decision to retire from baseball taught us a valuable lesson.
When things get tough, just quit.
On April 8th, Manny Ramirez, an outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, decided to retire. This instantly sparked the argument of whether or not he should be in the Hall of Fame. However, that same day, it was revealed that Ramirez had failed a drug test, testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. As part of the MLB’s failed attempt to curb steroid use, they issued Ramirez, who has already served a suspension for drug use before, a 100 suspension. Instead of taking his punishment and sitting out for the large majority of the season, he decided to retire and flee the country.
We’ve been taught our whole lives to take responsibility for our actions. If we break the rules, we have to accept the punishment. I guess in the sports world the regular rules don’t apply. Instead, Ramirez can just take the easy way out, and still get rewarded.
The part that makes this the toughest to take in is that Ramirez will no doubt be voted into the Hall of Fame. His time as a Boston Red Sox outfielder rocketed him into fame. He’s been to the All-Star game 12 times and has a World Series MVP award. His hair, which was usually worn in long dreads, made him likeable.
But Ramirez played throughout the steroid era. And for someone who put up numbers like he did, there was sure to be doubt in everyone’s mind. That’s why on May 7, 2009, it came as no surprise that Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for using a woman’s fertility treatment drug, which helped re-establish his testosterone level. But Ramirez stuck with the punishment, and sat out for 50 games. I know if I ever got caught cheating, that’d be the last time I would cheat. It wasn’t enough for Ramirez though, who went and got caught cheating again.
Ramirez should be banned from the Hall of Fame, and from ever being involved with the MLB again. However, Ramirez will get to take an honorable exit from the game by retiring. He’ll be considered one the game’s greatest players, and his life will be great. Should he choose to return to the sport, he will have to serve the suspension. Baseball just handed him a “get out of jail free” card.
So the next time you get caught cheating on your test, just quit. If you cheat on your girlfriend or boyfriend, just quit. It worked for Ramirez, why shouldn’t it work for the rest of us?

hrrutt@mesastate.edu