The NBA’s Real Substance Abuse Issue: Booze

Over at HoopsHype, Sporting News regular Sam Smith has a simple, but bold, thesis to advance: “Booze, not pot, the real problem.” This is all coming on the heels of Joakim Noah’s arrest for weed possession, which lends itself more to jokes about his draft suit than anything else.↵

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↵Smith makes the point that, whether or not Josh Howard should’ve touted his toking during the NBA playoffs, pot’s just not that big a deal. The league tests for it, so no one’s use is getting out of control—you know, to the point where it might actually affect their ability to show up on time or pay attention in the huddle. But there’s no regulation on athletes drinking, and let’s be honest, that’s where the real damage occurs:↵↵⇥I know of several players now around the NBA who tell me teammates have serious drinking issues. They say the team and their agents know. But no one wants to do anything for fear of losing, A. The player as an asset; B. The player having a chance to get a better deal or new contract when his current one expires.↵↵There’s some gossip-y allusions to MJ and Pippen, and the obligatory sad, sad, mention of Vin Baker. But the logic is irrefutable: Alcohol has been abused since mankind began. Drunk driving kills and maims. Hangovers really cut into one’s ability to play. That gut will wreck your conditioning. Acting it while intoxicated is the number one source of public NBA misbehavior. ↵
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↵If the NBA really cared about its players, or frankly, its own long-term future, they’d be pro-pot and get draconian about drinking. But the demon weed comes from the streets attached to a gun, while hard-working fans love beer, and hard-working beer companies sponsor every sporting event in existence. So we all know how that’s going to turn out every single time.↵