Perhaps one of the most controversial topics in Major League Baseball is the discussion of the use of steroids and human growth hormones. Both are completely illegal in the sport, and come with drastic consequences. One would think a fifty game suspension as a first offense would scare players away, but for some reason steroids in baseball is occurring more and more often to the disappointment of Major League Baseball. The reason players take steroids in the first place is to enhance their performance on the field. Steroids make players stronger and they perform at a higher rate. Another use for steroids is to help the players on certain rehab assignments for injuries. Either way, it is still illegal and banned in the sport.
One of the biggest problems with steroids is that more players are testing positive every month. But the common defense for the players is that they took steroids before they were actually outlawed by the commissioner Bud Selig. The argument is that they took steroids while recovering from an injury before they were illegal, or that they took a certain type of steroid, one that was not already illegal and has now become illegal. It is a highly debatable topic when it comes to deciding on punishments. Most cases involve the first offense being a fifty game suspension, and the second offense being a one hundred game suspension, taking into account there are only one hundred and sixty- two games in a season.
The most well-known scandal is the Barry Bonds case. Barry Bonds was arguably the greatest home run hitter to ever play the game. He holds the all-time home run record, and the single season home run record. When he tested positive for steroids, the records he held became tainted. “When ...
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...ime during the offseason. “In addition to one mandatory test each season, players will be randomly selected for additional tests, with no limit on the number, and for the first time will be subject to random tests during the offseason”
Reference Page
"SI.com - MLB - Shadows Reveals Truth behind Barry Bonds' Steroid Use - Tuesday March 7, 2006 4:49PM." Breaking News, Real-time Scores and Daily Analysis from Sports Illustrated SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Web. 02 Nov. 2011.
"Manny Ramirez of Los Angeles Dodgers Will Serve 50-game Suspension for Drug Violation - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. ESPN. Web. 02 Nov. 2011.
"Mitchell Says Naming Names Was Right Decision - Baseball- NBC Sports." Sports News Headlines - NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA, NASCAR - Scores, Game Highlights, Schedules & Team Rosters - NBC Sports. NBC Sports. Web. 02 Nov. 2011.
Major League Baseball (MLB) has widely been regarded as America’s pastime for the longest time, however it is now becoming known as the sport tainted by one thing, anabolic steroids. An anabolic steroid is related to the natural steroid, testosterone. They are able to stimulate growth in the muscle tissue. They usually increase muscle mass and strength. The MLB has created some of the most historic American icons, such as Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Players like them showed us what it was like to play baseball the right way. They played with passion, heart, and above all they had fun playing. Players today in the MLB focus way too much on becoming the best player ever to play. They see what the greats did before them and they want to match them, so they turn to anabolic steroids. An example of this is Alex Rodriguez. In 2003 he tested positive for anabolic steroids because he was “naïve” and couldn’t take the pressure of his expectations of being called the best. He felt the pressure from the game and he turned to steroids. Anabolic steroids are ruining the game of baseball. They are tainting the records and the changing the game for the worse.
Baseball?s reputation has been painted with a red asterisk. The non-medical use of steroids has been banned according to the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990. Many baseball athletes have been caught or presumed illegal users of HGH or Steroids since the act passed in 1990. All these athletes have one thing in common, they want to have an edge or advantage on the game. Some athletes even admit to administering the drug to other athletes and themselves. Jose Conseco testified to personally injecting the steroids into Mark McGuire (Cote).
Barry Bonds Court Case Stirs Other Issues: A different perspective on the Barry Bonds steroid scandal and the suppression of hidden truths.
Verducci, Tom. “Why I’ll never vote for a known steroid user in the Hall of Fame.” www.sportsillustrated.cnn. A Time Warner Company, 08 Jan 2013. Web. 24 Jan 2014.
Jose Canseco was a former major league baseball player who admitted to using anabolic steroids. He wrote a book called “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big” where he claimed that eighty five percent of major league baseball players used steroids. His book became a New York Times best seller and lead to many congressional meetings in front of the House of Representatives where baseball players, including his former teammates, were asked to testify about their alleged steroid use. One player in particular who gained a lot of attention and trouble as a result of these actions was Roger Clemens.
The issue of performance enhancing substances in baseball has been mostly present over the past ten years. The reason for players taking steroids is simple, by taking steroids, hitters like Barry Bonds gained more strength to hit better averages and more home runs, while pitchers like Roger Clemens gained better stam...
The reports made by Canseco have sparked another issue as to where the integrity of the sport lies, which is very significant to sport management. Baseball is America’s pastime and it’s a shame to see how the image of the sport is being tainted by these allegations. Although baseball recently adopted a tougher steroid-testing program due to the BALCO trial, it will take some time for the MLB to rid themselves of these issues. With new stiffer testing, the production of the major leagues elite might decline in the upcoming years. Sosa and McGwire chased Roger Maris homerun record of 61 by totally eclipsing it, smashing 66 and 70 homeruns respectively. Maris’s record was one of the longest standstill records in baseball history before the record was broken.
Steroids need to be allowed in baseball because it will bring more excitement back into the game. “Steroids will cause baseball players to build more muscle which means that they will most likely increase their offensive stats. The stat that it will mostly increase is the homerun” (Vass). People that watch baseball unless they are die-hard baseball fans do not want to watch baseball to see a team play a good defensive game. They do not want to see a low scoring game. They watch the game of baseball hoping a player will hit the ball four hundred and fifty feet out of the ballpark. They want to see a player come up clutch and hit a walk off homerun to win the game for their team and their ...
history of sports, the Black Sox scandal is the most infamous in all of sports history. The Pete Rose
"Mitchell report: Baseball slow to react to players' steroid use." ESPN. N.p.. Web. 7 Mar 2014. .
Steroid usage is rampant in baseball and players make choices to use the steroids despite the fact that MLB banned the usage of steroids in 2001 (Drug Policy, 2014). MLB did not begin drug testing for steroids until March of 2003 or institute fines and suspensions until 2005 (Drug Policy, 2014).
Since at least the 1980’s performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) have been a major challenge in the world of Major League Baseball, and past trends indicate they will continue to pose an ongoing problem. A number of the most prominent and accomplished professional baseball players, such as Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Roger Clemens, are also the most famous examples of baseball players who have broken longstanding records, attracted countless numbers of fans, and allegedly have taken performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes who have been caught using steroids in order to increase and better their performance rates have been suspended, fined and traded from the teams on which they once played. Despite the punitive actions taken against them by the League and lawmakers, players continue to use performance-enhancing drugs and likely will continue to do so, because the associated athletic effects will draw more fans and bring more money to the individual player and franchise.
Vincent, Francis. "ESPN MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT: WHO KNEW?" ESPN MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT: WHO KNEW? Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, 7 June 1991. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Even before Alex Rodriguez “Bosch was connected to banned substances when Manny Ramirez was suspended for violating MLBs drug policy in 2009” (Elfink). Alex Rodriguez topped the name of all stars that were allegedly using these PEDs. The list containing the players involved included the 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun and All Stars Jhonny Peralta, Bartolo Colon, and outfielders Melky Cabrera and Nelson Cruz (Oz). The list also included minor leagues Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona. Although Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, and Yasmani Grandal were among the list of players associated with the Biogenesis Clinic but were not suspended because “they already served their suspensions connected to biogenesis”
First off, the MLB has grown in popularity over the years due to the use of steroids by many big name players. Many rules have been put into place to try to prevent performance enhancing drugs. S...