ARCHIVE 2/28/08: ‘McMahon Botches His Spot, and Congress Is Back’ at SLAM!
May 13, 2009ARCHIVE 2/28/08: Author Muchnick To Discuss Congress and Pro Wrestling in Radio Interview
May 13, 2009
Footnotes on Yesterday’s Congressional Steroid Hearings
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
I commend the complete coverage of the steroids-in-sports hearing of the House Energy, Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommitee at both Jason Powell’s PROWRESTLING.net (http://prowrestling.net) and Wade Keller’s Pro Wrestling Torch (http://pwtorch.com).
One significant quote missed by me yesterday was from Congressman John Dingell, the Michigan Democrat who is chair of the entire House Committee on Energy and Commerce (of which Congressman Bobby Rush’s subcommittee is just one part). Dingell said:
“Sometimes the outcome is incomprehensively tragic, such as the tragic event last summer when World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife and 7 year old son, and then committed suicide. Shortly thereafter, WWE suspended 10 WWE performers tied to an alleged steroid ring. This has to stop.”
This tells me two things. The reference to Benoit echoes Rush’s, which shows that the committee leadership’s education level and persistence on a now eight-month-old media story is higher than we could have assumed.
Also, it looks like Rush has key support for reporting out of House Energy, to the full House floor, legislation requiring sports (and sports entertainment?) to elevate their drug-testing protocols to Olympic standards of independence and transparency.
Irv Muchnick