Obama vs. Bush on Steroids: Two Different Approaches to a Pseudo-Controversy—Or is Major League Baseball Steroid Use Really Worthy of Note in a State of the Union Address?

Since Sports has such a unique impact on American life, it is appropriate to use sports as a gauge to ascertain the effectiveness of each presidential administration...The Bush administration used sports as a means to punish “offenders,” while at the same time, using the specter of steroid abuse as a means to de-emphasize the real turmoil in Iraq. The Obama administration, on the other hand, has used sports as a metaphor to educate and, also as a bully-pulpit to reinforce “good” values.