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The Mitchell Report, Performance Enhancing Drugs, and Professional Sports University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2016 It's a Whole New Ball Game: The Mitchell Report, Performance Enhancing Drugs, and Professional Sports Brian J. Schrader University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons, and the Rhetoric and Composition Commons Recommended Citation Schrader, Brian J., "It's a Whole New Ball Game: The Mitchell Report, Performance Enhancing Drugs, and Professional Sports" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1160. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1160 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. It’s a Whole New Ball Game: The Mitchell Report, Performance Enhancing Drugs, and Professional Sports __________ A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of Arts and Humanities University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Brian J. Schrader June 2016 Advisor: Darrin Hicks Author: Brian J. Schrader Title: It’s a Whole New Ball Game: The Mitchell Report, Performance Enhancing Drugs, and Professional Sports Advisor: Darrin Hicks Degree Date: June 2016 Abstract This dissertation investigates the findings of a congressional investigation into the use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in Major League Baseball, known as the Mitchell Report. It analyzes the primary arguments presented in the report, the argument for integrity, role models, and apology specifically, through the lens of governmentality and moral regulation. It argues that the report represents a distinct mode of governance that seeks to condemn PED use in a moralizing way. This mode of governance is characterized by its emergence from a variety of locations as opposed to the relatively simple use of the state and its legal apparatus. Importantly, one of those locations includes the individual subject who is urged to self-govern without the need of external threat or recourse. The dissertation also suggests that this mode of governance is inextricable linked to rhetoric and communication. ii Acknowledgements The successful completion of this project would not have been possible were it not for the support of several people whom I would like to mention here. First, to my committee for their support, criticism and feedback, the contributions of Bernadette Calafell, Joshua Hanan, and Linda Bensel-Myers were invaluable. Thanks to my advisor Darrin Hicks. To say that his support was critical to the completion this dissertation would be a massive understatement. I would like to acknowledge the faculty of the Communication Department at the University of Denver. Much of what I read and learned in my coursework at DU influenced this project and I value the time I spent learning from all of them. Thanks to my family - there are too many to list individually here. I must thank my wife Jill and my children Madeline and Sawyer for their unwavering love and support. Finally, special thanks to my long time friend, collaborator, sounding board, support system, and occasional editor, John Rief. iii Table of Contents Chapter One - Who's on first: The Mitchell Report’s historical and rhetorical significance…………………………………………………......……….…1 MR and Performance Enhancing Drugs…………………………………………..2 Communication, Rhetoric, and Sport……………………………………………...8 Chapter Summaries………………………………………………………............12 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….17 Chapter two - “Inside Baseball”: State Intervention and the Governmentalization of Sport…………………………………………………………...18 Governmentality and Moral Regulation……………………………………........21 Rhetoric and Governmentality..............................................................................26 Putting the ‘Moral’ in Moral Regulation………………………………………...29 Hybridity (Risk and responsibility)……………………………………………...31 Self Governance (Technologies of the Self)……………………………………..34 Nostalgia or Retraditionalization ………………………………………………..36 Governmentality, Moral Regulation, and Communication ……………………...37 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….40 Chapter Three - Governmentality and Rhetorical Constructions of Health Risk: The Professional Athlete as “Role Model”……………………………...…42 Rhetorical Constructions of Steroids and their Psychological Implications in Popular Discourse……………………………………………………………..46 The Mitchell Report and the discursive construction of health risk and role models……………………………………………………………………….49 Moral Regulation, Biopolitics, and the Governing of Role Model Responsibly...53 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….57 Chapter Four - For the love of the game: Nostalgia Integrity, and Fairness…………….59 The Argument in the Mitchell Report…………………………………………....59 Nostalgia…………………………………………………………………………63 Retraditionalization and Moralization of America’s Pastime……………………72 Integrity and Self-Help………………………………………………………..…75 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….80 iv Chapter Five - “I believe in the church of baseball”: Apology and the modern day confessional or From Apologia to Public Confession……………………...82 Apoligia…………………………………………………………………….....….85 Confession……………………………………………………………………….90 Reading the Mitchell Report as a Call for Confession…………………………..97 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...100 Chapter Six - Freak of Nature Science…………………………………………........…105 Limitations and areas for future development………………………….........…108 Final Thoughts…………………………………………………………….........110 References ……………………………………………………………………………...113 v Chapter 1 - Who's on first: The Mitchell Report’s historical and rhetorical significance Since 2005, 92 players have been suspended from professional baseball in the United States as a result of using performance-enhancing drugs or PEDs (“Steroid suspensions”, n.p.). Five of those suspensions occurred during the 2016 season. In what follows, I perform a rhetorical analysis of the controversy over the use of performance- enhancing drugs in professional sports through an investigation of the Mitchell Report, the US Senate's investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. In short, this dissertation explores the nexus of sports, politics, and popular culture. Throughout, I use the arguments contained within the Mitchell Report and the debates surrounding its publication as a lens to reveal the contours of moral regulation within contemporary governance. I will begin this chapter with a summary of the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball (MLB) as well as a timeline of events that led up to the investigation and publishing of the Mitchell Report. Included is a preliminary description my object of analysis, the Mitchell Report, as well as arguments indented to justify it as a worthy object of study. Following that section I will offer a brief overview of sports oriented research from the field of communication and rhetorical studies and make an 1 argument for the value of sports focused research. Finally, I will preview and briefly summarize the primary arguments made in the dissertation. The Mitchell Report and Performance Enhancing Drugs in Baseball On December 17, 2007 former Senator George Mitchell released a report detailing the findings of his nearly one-year investigation into steroid use in professional baseball. Senator Mitchell initiated his investigation at the request of Major League Baseball and its then commissioner Bud Selig1 after revelations of possible steroid use by some of the MLB's highest profile players. Mitchell was granted unprecedented access to Major League Baseball and produced a report that represents the largest and most comprehensive investigation into steroid use in professional sports. Despite suspicions about widespread use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)2, it took some time for the steroid discussion to gain momentum. Beginning with Mark McGuire, after a report surfaced claiming that the anabolic steroid androstenedione was seen in the star's locker after a game, Major League Baseball was suffering a crisis of confidence as big time baseball stars had their name added to the ever growing list of suspected cheaters ("McGwire uses nutritional," 1998). 1 Bud Selig has since retired. Rob Manfred has been the MLB commissioner since 2015. 2 I use the term performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to refer to the somewhat broad category of substances that are used to boost athletic performance. PEDs include several categories including steroids, specifically anabolic steroids which refers most often to substances that aid in the production of testosterone or "synthetic steroid hormones made to resemble testosterone", stimulants like ephedrine which can "increase endurance" and "reduce fatigue", beta blockers which can help reduce the symptoms of anxiety, and dietetics which function as masking agents. PEDs also includes things like synthetic human growth hormone which aids in muscle growth and erythropoietin which increases endurance by stimulating the production of white blood cells (Harris DATE?). Importantly, not all PEDs are illegal or even banned in all athletic competitions. When important, I will refer to a specific substance by name or category. 2 The Mitchell Report, officially the "Report to the Commissioner of baseball of an independent investigation
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