Why are MLB recruiters doing DNA Testing?
I have been reading headlines about DNA Testing and baseball for a couple of weeks. Apparently, the MLB has been faced with the need to do DNA relationship testing in the cases of potential players from Latin America. But why? I mean I understand drug testing, but I needed to do a little more digging to understand this new screening process.
Apparently there have been problems in the recruiting process in the Domincan Republic regarding age claims. “How does DNA testing help determine age?” you might ask. I asked the same thing knowing that it could not. Apparently, paternity and maternity tests are done to determine if someone is in fact the child of the alleged parents as claimed. They also run occasional bone scans to help determine an age range.
In an article I read that the Yankees voided a contract with a potential player after he did not pass the DNA testing. It doesn’t go into great details. The player was claiming to be 16. This whole thing is strange to me. Maybe I don’t understand all that goes into recruiting a baseball player from a foreign country. I am curious how old the player turned out to be, this detail was not mentioned.
There have been more than a few eyebrows raised at MLB using DNA testing as a resource in these recruiting investigations. As DNA analysis becomes more advanced the information we can discover far surpasses potential relationships. DNA can now be used in part to search for potential future medical issues. I can definitely see the concern in a career like athlete being discriminated against with these types of test results.
And when the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 which goes into effect on November 21 of 2009 it will be unlawful to request the DNA of an employee or future employee. There are likely loopholes for this clause in the law, but it puts my concerns at ease for now.
Hope that answers some questions for people who may have been confused by headlines like me. If you want to contact me for questions, post ideas, or anything else feel free to leave a comment or follow me on twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/askkate
