It's a silly argument. If it was Jason Giambi that was a few home runs away from tying Hank Aaron's record, he'd be the object of our scorn instead. Does your guest forget that we've pretty much discounted McGuire and Palmeiro as well? Race is not the issue, cheating is.

Sent by Brian Biggs | 2:41 PM ET | 05-21-2007

Fans pay to see the long ball. If the seats don't get filled the owners are not happy...see the connection?

Sent by Christine | 2:46 PM ET | 05-21-2007

For every caller that calls in to say it is not related to race, please ask them if they can name any of the white players who are being investigated for suspicion of steroid use. I am sure that very few of them can because their names are not mentioned in the negative during every news broadcast. No evidence has been found that Bonds has used steroids.

Sent by MC | 2:51 PM ET | 05-21-2007

Many of Bond's problems have more to do with his repellent personality than with race--if Ken Griffey Jr. were breaking the record, as it seemed he once would, everyone would be delighted. Support for Bonds, however, is more akin to that for George W. Bush--no matter the preponderance of the evidence, his supporters are blindly loyal.

Sent by Wayne Bernhardson | 2:54 PM ET | 05-21-2007

I don't think Bonds-bashing is a race issue. I think he's not warm & cuddly and people would rather have some other type of player overtake Aaron's record.

Sent by joan | 2:56 PM ET | 05-21-2007

Unfortunately, some of the vitriol aimed at Bonds is due to his dismal relationship with the press. He has a reputation for arrogance, haughtiness, and downright pugnaciousness that makes the press against him seem like one bit "gotcha."

Sent by Susan Wood | 3:07 PM ET | 05-21-2007

I think Mr. Zirin's premise is flawed. The reason that white players aren't facing the same steroid scrutiny is that that the guy who is chasing one of the most hallowed records in baseball is black. Mr Zirin seems to be looking for an issue where none exists. Using his logic, why are white fans and journalists almost unanimous in their praise for Hank Aaron's accomplishments and class? I certainly hope no ill-will on Barry Bonds, but if he breaks Mr. Aaron's record, it will certainly be a tainted moment. Barry Bonds is a highly talented jerk who didn't NEED to cheat to be an elite baseball player. Regardless of the color of his skin, Barry Bonds represents everything that is wrong with the greed, money and ego that surrounds professional athletes.

Sent by Nate Heck | 3:11 PM ET | 05-21-2007

The piece takes itself much too seriously. Even after Bonds breaks the record, America will be pretty much the same as before.

Rather than showing poor race relations, the in-your-face approach of much of the media more shows that the level of "sports journalism" is fairly abysmal.

Sent by Barry | 3:14 PM ET | 05-21-2007

Dave Zirin is off his rocker about race being an issue. Bonds is a cheater, plain and simple, that is what baseball fans are upset about. Sammy Sosa, Palmiero, McGwire, even Ivan Rodiguez will have their careers evaluated accordingly. Mr. Zirin's problem is that he tries to apply legal standards and language to an association which is not accountable to those standards. Baseball violators are not tried in a court of law. They are tried in a court of opinion. Ultimately, Bonds et al will lose in the latter. And Henry Aaron will remain, to most fans, the greatest home run hitter of all time. Long live King Henry.

Sent by Brian Polet | 3:19 PM ET | 05-21-2007

I pay for Giants season tickets to see great baseball, and that includes Barry hitting homeruns into McCovey Cove. He is a very well paid entertainer, and he can do whatever he needs to maintain that ability to entertain me. Besides...steroids or not, nothing but the grace of God and hard work allows him to have the eye, hand speed, reflexes, or consistency he has. Go Barry...755+

Sent by Roger | 3:29 PM ET | 05-21-2007

The issue is both more complex and more simple than Mr. Zirin suggests. First, the fact that an ESPN poll shows a racial divide with regards to Bonds is hardly surprising. You could poll Americans on any subject and there would be a racial divide. So, in that sense, the issue is far more complex than Bonds. To suggest that we can read anything into those poll numbers - other than the obvious fact that whites and blacks have differing (and equally valid) perspectives on everything in America - is a tremendous stretch.

Here's how it's more simple than the racial issue. Regardless of Bonds' background, Bonds (no news here) is known as one of the surliest men in sports. In a sport in which the writers carry great weight in the court of public opinion, Bonds does himself no favors by treating the media the way he does. I used to be a sportswriter in the Bay Area. Admittedly, I didn't have too much interaction with Bonds - I covered other things - but I heard the war stories about dealing with him -- and FWIW, I heard these war stories at a paper whose baseball writers were two Hispanics, a black man and a white man. They were unanimous on their opinion of Bonds - he was the biggest jerk in all of sports.

This isn't about Bonds being black. In fact, it's only partly about his potential steroid use. It's that he's about to break a record owned for the past 75 years by two beloved American icons (Ruth and then Aaron). Who wants a jerk to replace them as Home Run King?

Sent by dave | 3:36 PM ET | 05-21-2007

Barry Bonds is not Jackie Robinson.

Sent by LeRoy | 3:41 PM ET | 05-21-2007

A racial angle in this story exists, but not as popular opinion might suggest. According to the poll, most whites won't overlook the fact that Bonds is a creep and a cheater and most black fans will. That doesn't eliminate the simple fact that he is a creep and a cheater. Sometimes racial angles are not the same old boilerplate script of oppression of a minority by a majority. Sometimes, as is the case here, the racial angle is the minority giving a pass when a fellow minority cheats. But some people (like MC who posted at 2:51) can't resist the reflex to play the race card in typical fashion. No white players investigated? Ever hear of Jason Giambi? Mark McGwire? Please. And no evidence Bonds is a cheater? Are you kidding?

Sent by dxp | 8:32 PM ET | 05-21-2007

I think Dave Zirin is right about his comment about Gold's Gym-- if steroids made the man, many more people would be looking at 700+ home runs. Even now, when it's clear he couldn't possibly be taking anything untoward, he continues to paste the ball over the wall(s) and the number keeps on increasing. It's the skill, not the 'roids. They may have helped him bulk up, or, it just may have been his work ethic and LEGAL substances that did the trick. It is possible if you work hard enuf. In no doubt is his skill as a hitter. His like only come along it seems once in a generation, and we are fortunate to be able to participate in his accomplishments. I had giant qualms when he was first hired by the Giants for the then (to me) unbelievable sum of $25Million-- no way did I think anyone was or could be worth that much. And tho I still think that way, it's clear that certain powers that be in the Giants' heirarchy saw something that has stood the test of time and Barry has been the player they said he would be and he continues to be. I'm now a big fan (if there was any doubt).
Go Barry. Go Giants.

Sent by c woof | 9:36 PM ET | 05-21-2007

Jerk ... maybe. Cheater ... the jury is still out. If more people were more objective and less emotional about Bonds career and pursuit of the HR title, we would realize that over the last few years, Bonds has been under incredible pressure (boos, jeers, investigations, witnesses, ill-wishes, threats of death and bodily harm to him and family, etc.) ... greater pressure, even, than Aaron. More importantly, it is obvious that his every move, dietary habits, and pharmaceutical ingestion are closely monitored; yet, he is still gracefully and pugilistically crushing homers and getting on base. Also note that he has not shrunk over this period of time - maintaining what appears to be the same weight and mass (as opposed to the documented loss of weight, mass, and strength men experience when they quit 'roids, hormones, and other enhancers).

I say all this to make the case that there is current evidence to suggest that Bonds blew up from weight lifting and legal diet and supplements. I have rarely heard this case made in mainstream media. Why? Race apparently is a reason. Not many white fans want to talk about how Bonds has maintained his size, mass, strength, focus, coordination, bat speed, and stats because these facts tend to disprove the allegations.

Meanwhile, it is arguable that Bonds has the sweetest swing and fasted bat in the history of the game. I love watching him swing at strikes, watch balls, and wait until the last nanosecond to whip that bat around. Take away the hatred of "the black jerk" and respect him for what his profession is, baseball player, then we can really appreciate at least the last few phenomenal years of Bonds' career.

Sent by Chuck Malone | 12:25 AM ET | 05-22-2007

I kicked this around in my head for quite a while. I don't follow baseball, but Bonds does seem to go for less-than-likeable behavior. Should that matter? NO. Should the accusation of steroid use matter? Not unless all athletes are held to the same standard. Shouldn't Floyd Landis be subject to the same level of public censure? It's the same steroid cloud hanging over both athletes, after all. What's more, Landis seems to be a pretty flaky, not-too-likeable guy, so why no huge outcry there?

I have to conclude that there IS a double and very racist standard operating here. It seems that at least in sport, society STILL won't tolerate uppity African-Americans.

I don't know why this racist double standard should persist, but I think that part of it persists independent of racism. We expect athletes to be gracious and well-mannered, paragons of good behavior and inspiring to our children. If anything, I think we expect it more now than some 40 or 50 years ago. That I blame on the co-opting of sports concepts by management types. Not only did they usurp the concept of a team and teamwork, but they twisted that concept into a sporty version of "go along get along".

That phenomenon has perhaps allowed a racist double standard to persist long after it has been largely (but not completely) banished from wider society. Just as in business,the only people allowed to be "aggressive" are white males. It would seem that's true in sport, in spite of increasing physical demands that require any athlete be almost single-minded, obsessive, and even aggressive.

It's time to stop holding Bonds (and other athletes, male and female) to a standard he shouldn't have to aspire to. Isn't enough that he's a great baseball player? It should be.

Sent by Lisa Miller | 1:29 AM ET | 05-22-2007

Wake up people. All Zirin is doing is assuming the role of contrarian. Why? Because it is lucrative. By playing the race card and by defending Bonds, Zirin gets invited to be on shows like TOTN. He will get far more attention for his asinine assertions regarding the Bonds controversy than he could every hope to garner otherwise. This is a very old and well-used trick; it never ceases to amaze me how few others recognize this gambit.

Sent by Leon | 2:05 AM ET | 05-22-2007

I believe that race is an issue in the results of the polls conducted by ABC/ESPN. Otherwise how can 76% of whites believe Bonds did steroids vs. 37% of blacks. I cannot understand how an unbiased observer could fail to acknowledge the possiblity that he is guilty of using performance enhancing drugs. I think that much of what Mr. Zirin was saying was in itself biased. He did not acknowledge the fact that many of Mark Macguire's acomplishments have now been forgotten and his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame is now very much in question. And my final thought is that if Hank Aaron thinks so little of Bonds as to be absent when his record is broken there must be a reason, as the presence of the former record holder is a tradition of baseball.

Sent by Adam | 9:56 AM ET | 05-22-2007

A number of factors to consider. If Bonds used steroids, were there not steroids that were legal under the law at the time, as well as those that were illegal? At that time was their usage not to a certain extent customary among players in the league? And throughout those years their use was not proscribed by the league rules. Barry may be singled out mostly because persons do not like the way he engaged with the media. But isn???t behavior a matter of personal free choice, so long as not outside of league rules? Whether one personally finds Barry pleasant and otherwise likeable, aren???t these qualities of personality diminished if we expect everyone to exhibit them?

On a separate topic, I think the decision about whether Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame should be placed in the hands of those that vote and who take character into account when registering their votes. This decision ought not to be arrogated to the discretion of a single individual, meaning the commissioner.

Sent by RON RYAN | 4:14 PM ET | 05-22-2007

The truth of the whole issue is that most of the other athelets who have been challenged with using steroids has admitted it, even if it was belated, i.e. Palmeiro. But Bonds has refused all the way that he has not used any. How can anyone person, that was a mid-30 HR hitter make such a jump to hitting over 70 in just a couple of years. Nobody could with out help from strength increasing substances. Just to drop it all a little bit further Steroids can also increase hand-eye coordination. Now why in the world would Bonds need that. He was already a .300 hitter, he simply wanted be getting paid the big bucks and he figured the long ball was the way to get it, so he pumped up the quickest way possible. Hank Aaron, played for the love of the game, not for the money. He endured far more tremendous hate and bigotry than anyone when he approached the Babes record. But, he always played with class and respect. Bonds only returned this year to try and prove that he is the best, and in so doing has only proven himself to be the most egotistical individual this game has ever seen.

Sent by Aaron Burtram | 12:53 PM ET | 08-05-2007