A player earning $24 million dollars per season in the twilight of his career will just do about anything to ensure longevity, including bending the rules. Seattle Mariner baseball second baseman and ambassador for the game Robinson Cano shocked the baseball community, as it was announced that the 35-year-old testing positive for a masking agent and will serve an 80 game suspension.
The disturbing news indicates that Cano’s indiscretions are just the tip of the iceberg in a formula employed by athletes across the sporting spectrum in using banned substances to elongate careers and fatten the bank account.
Fox Sports reports that tests revealed traces of Furosemide in Cano’s system. The drug is typically used to treat heart and kidney conditions by promoting urination and the removal of excess fluids and salts from the body, and is typically banned in professional sports, as it can hide the use of performance of performance enhancing drugs. Cano likely ingested PED’s during crucial off-season workouts, and utilized Furosemide, once he was alerted to the fact that he would be drug tested. The reality of Cano’s situation is that in all probability numerous other athletes employ similar methods to maintain performance excellence, which is a product of the expectations of franchises and fans, and a testament to the cutthroat mentality of sustainability at the highest level of competition.
As one of the greatest second baseman in the current generation of baseball talent and a borderline Hall of Fame future resident, Cano inked an epic ten year $240 million guaranteed deal with Seattle in 2013. For the critics of the ridiculous sums of professional sports contracts, at least he is taking aggressive measures to ensure that the team and the season ticket holders are getting their monies worth, even though he has crossed into the Barry Bonds territory of perpetual incredulity.
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