In 1936, five of the best baseball players know in the United States were elected into the first induction class. Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, and Babe Ruth were the first players in Major League Baseball history to be recognized for their outstanding achievements. These five men, along with 301 other Major League Baseball players, have been elected into the MLB Hall of Fame in the span of 75 years, but how many of these players have “cheated” their way into this historical museum which is meant to honor only the best of the best players. A rule which bans any player from the Hall of Fame and removes any player already in the Hall of Fame that has evidence or admitted to using illegal substances while playing in …show more content…
“Baseball in America: A History” that Baseball originated before the American Civil War (1861-1865) as rounders, a humble game played on sandlots” (U.S. Department of State). The game was made to include the skills of cricket along with the mental judgment that helped make cricket a respectable game in England. Scoring and run-keeping allowed baseball to differ from other sports and helped people become interested. The first professional baseball team was created in 1871 and almost every major city had a professional baseball team by the early 20th century. Depending on where the team was from determined if they were a part of the American League or the National League. In a team’s regular season, they only play teams of the same league as them. At the end of each regular season, the team that has won the most games from each league wins the “pennant.” Those teams will then play each other to decide the best team overall. Whichever team wins a total of four games out of seven in the World Series is considered to be the best team in baseball for that year. This arrangement still stands today but now each league is subdivided and the pennant winner is chosen in a post-season playoff …show more content…
He won more than 350 games, was the American League MVP in 1986 and won seven Cy Young awards. While playing for the Blue Jays, a man by the name of Brian McNamee became the strength and conditioning coach. The Blue Jays had an away series June 8-10 against the Seattle Marlins. Jose Canseco, a player for the Blue Jays at the time, had a lunch party which both McNamee and Clemens attended. In a later interview, Canseco admitted to having multiple conversation during the beginning of the series with Clemens about the benefits of using Deca-Durabolin and Winstrol, both steroids that were and still are banned in the MLB. Near the end of the series, Clemens approached McNamee asking for help on injecting steroids. McNamee stated that towards the end of Clemens 1998 season, he showed remarkable improvements in his playing. "I put a lot of work into that career," he said. "I appreciate my teammates who came in and all the emails and phone calls from my teammates” (Duncan). Clemens did work hard in all his seasons and he should never have that credit taken away from him but in all truth, the steroids he took did help him to train longer and harder than his body would have allowed without the steroids, which in a way can be considered as “cheating.” Roger Clemens was an outstanding player and his achievements will never be over looked but that is hard when you know he had
Babe Ruth. Hank Aaron. Nolan Ryan. Cal Ripken Jr. These outstanding Major League Baseball players deservedly earned their spot in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Hank Aaron held the league’s home run record with 755 for 33 years, until it was broken by Barry Bonds at the height of the steroid era (Andy). Aaron has never been accused of steroid use; however, Bonds has. Nolan Ryan can be found at the top of the all-time strikeout list, but Roger Clemens is not far behind. Once again, the former has never been proven to have been on steroids, while the latter was found guilty. It is not fair to the players who achieved their greatness on their own merit to be surpassed, or even grouped alongside, those who cheated the game. The Hall of Fame needs to
Have you noticed the size of Barry Bonds’ entire body over the past couple years? His muscles grew big, and his endurance increased over time which allowed him to play baseball for as long as he had. Barry Bonds was a baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants for 21 years. He had to overcome some huge injuries, including a huge knee problem at the end of his career. The only way that he was able to lift so much while he still was recovering is a topic that has been discussed for a long time. Steroids are the only possible explanation. His era of play included such players as Sammy Sosa, who was caught using a doctored bat during a game and also Mark McGuwire, who has admitted to using steroids and performance enhancing drugs. Barry Bonds shares one characteristic between these players; he cheated the game. Although he has not been caught, Barry Bonds should be convicted of using Human Growth Hormones and Performance Enhancing Drugs such as steroids.
Baseball?s pride and joy the Hall of Fame is constantly the conversation of self-morals and integrity. The Hall of Fame has asked its voters to consider the players integrity and personality as a whole. The Hall of Fame committee asks that the voters wait until they see truthfulness, integrity, and contrition. Cooperstown is unique compared to the NFL?s Hall of Fame in that Cooperstown actually has a morals clause. This clause states what Cooperstown has been asking the public to consider in the overall integrity of the player. The bottom line is the public believes steroids are illegal and that in any case shall athletes use steroids to get an edge on the game (Cote).
Even though many people agree with famous baseball athletes using steroids being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, other people disagree for many reasons because steroids are an illegal drug and the use of this drug should not be rewarded with such an honor as being inducted into the Hall of Fame. There are very many people who vote for players to go in the Hall of Fame, but many people may have the same opinion as Tom Verducci who stated. When I vote for a player, I am upholding him for the highest individual honor possible. My vote is an endorsement of a career, not part of it, and how it was achieved. Voting for a known steroid user endorses steroid use.
Hall of Shame Baseball has always been known as “America’s Favorite Pastime”. Over the past decade, the game America knows and loves has been exposed as a game full of cheaters. Major League Baseball (MLB) has had over one hundred players test positive for performance-enhancing substances over the past fifteen years. Performance-enhancing substances increase a player’s ability to produce better stats to help his salary.
What has changed the way America’s pastime is looked at forever and prompt worldwide discussion? Joe Jackson and his seven teammates changed the face of baseball forever during the intimate scandal of 1919. No other time in baseball history did Americans question the state of the game. Pete Rose had also brought a debate like no other before in baseball. Since his banishment in 1989 the country has been split on the issue. Gambling by these men and others has caused great problems in baseball. The game of baseball has been destroyed by gambling.
Baseball, America’s pastime, got its start in England in the mid 1800’s. A couple of years later, America got its first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. As baseball’s popularity increased, the business associated with it boomed. Each year the World Series became the most anticipated event in America and 1919 was expected to be the biggest yet. Record attendance at games and more revenue following World War I gave the 1919 World Series an edge in profitability. However, at the same time "the lines between gamblers and ballplayers had become blurred." While some gamblers were former baseball players, other current players were big gamblers. Thus the scandal of 1919 and years to come was conceived.
In terms of racial inequality in baseball there have been many eras of integration. Baseball originally is seen as America’s national game belonging to the white men of America. However, throughout history there have been steps taken in recognizing and integrating those groups deemed “less favorable” by the American community. These groups include German immigrants, Irish immigrants, African Americans, Latinos, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and Asians. America used the game of baseball as a tool to indoctrinate the American ideals and values of teamwork, working hard, and collaborating for the greater good into the cultures of the “uncivilized world.” These groups used baseball as a medium to gain acceptance into the American community as racially equal counterparts.
Baseball has been of the longest living sports in our world today. The game started with the idea of a stick and ball and now has become one of the most complex sports known in our society. Several rules and regulations have been added to help enhance the game for everyone. Although baseball has endured several issues during its history and development of the game the game has still been a success throughout the world.
People frown upon steroids in baseball because they say they are an unfair advantage even though they can be used as big advantage. Steroids have always been looked down on because people say that they are unfair and unsafe to use. So far players that have used steroids in Major League baseball have been healthy and the only side effects of them have been success. Steroids have become a huge part of baseball since the 1990’s. players feel like they need to use them to stay competitive. Steroids help increase muscle mass and help athletes train harder and faster. This results in better play on the field. Most steroid users in the MLB (Major League Baseball) are pitchers and homerun hitters. Steroids need to be legalized in Major League Baseball to bring more excitement into the game so that more people will watch, it will level the playing field for all the players, it will keep athletes healthy during the long season, and it will be more efficient since the consequences for using the substance does not keep players from using them.
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.
...hese drugs to be better players in the Major Leagues and it's likely because of that they are not getting the votes to get into the Hall of Fame and will only be remembered for cheating, not for their accomplishments. Cal Ripken Jr., has shown us that you do not need drugs to be an everyday player in the Majors and be a Hall of Famer. Major League Baseball is cracking down on performance enhancing drug use as the years go on with harsher punishments for offenders of the drug laws. This is the first time the MLB has added a life-time ban for players who continue to use steroids after being caught. Why take the chance to use these performance enhancing drugs if it only ends in failure? Neither heaven nor hell would question my word that cheaters never win, and if you use performance enhancing drugs to be better at anything you will forever be labeled a cheater.
There was a time in major league baseball that consisted of batters hitting home runs at an incremented rate into the cheering crowds engendering more than 1000+ home runs per season. This magnificent period is acknowledged as the “steroids era”, which occurred late 80’s through early 2000’s in which players used performance-enhancing drugs that resulted in a higher amount of home runs hit per season. Despite steroids ruining one's reputation, vocation, and health many baseball athletes abuse it in order to enhance one's athletic performance and gain an edge in the game. Certainly by utilizing steroids athletes have a higher probability of hitting home runs, however with this “glory” comes negative health effects.
Baseball was first introduced into the American culture, by English immigrants in the early 18th century, and its popularity slow grew. It wasn’t until the Civil War the popularity of the game spread, and both Union and Confederate soldiers played baseball during lulls in the fighting. After Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, soldiers from both the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) and the Army of the Potomac (Union) played baseball. (Schackelford Jul 4, 2009) This was the beginning of the American people love of Baseball began. It was also the first mention of baseball being the national game. During the bloodiest war in our countries history Baseball was there to help the two sides heal. It was another fourteen years till 1879 when Football would be invented.
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.