What Do Jason Giambi And AIG Have In Common?

I was overcome by the irony while watching the New York Yankees game on the evening of Tuesday, September 16, by the juxtaposition of Jason Giambi and AIG.

First baseman, Giambi, hit his 208th home run as a Yankee, moving him into 10th place on the team's all-time list. Giambi has admitted to using steroids and human growth hormone to improve his performance. His admission was no surprise considering the abundant usage of drugs in pro sports and is a terrible example to set for the youth who seek professional athletic futures.

On the same day, the US government agreed to an $85 billion bailout of AIG, the country's largest insurance company in terms of assets. They have been loosing tons of money mostly because of the mortgage meltdown. Both Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers bought large amounts of insurance from AIG seeking protection from their exposure to the bad mortgage market.

Here's the irony. Giambi's record-breaking home run sailed right over the outfield fence precisely above the AIG advertisement in Yankee stadium. Maybe AIG should go on steroids for a while like Giambi did. Maybe Giambi should become a spokesman for AIG. My point is that both steroid use and greed in the financial markets are examples of poor ethics. Unless the business ethics of this country and our world improve we are in for a really bad ride. The big picture has become quite twisted.