Opinionated Piece

Greg Twarozek

Opinionated Piece

                                                Steroid Use in the MLB

            We all know what happened to Alex Rodriguez years ago. Does Barry Bonds ring a bell? It’s pretty hard to forget Mark McGwire. The Steroid Era would change Baseball forever. Major League Baseball is hyped up for all the wrong reasons.

            Baseball is a sport that has arguably produced some of the greatest superstars of all time. It is a sport that has captured some heroic feats and athletes all over the world have left their mark on the game. From Mark McGwire to Sammy Sosa and all the way to Barry Bonds in the late 2000’s, there were plenty of brand names that would make baseball into America’s pastime. Unfortunately, these players were just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Steroid era. Players that were once perceived as role models, turned out to be cheaters whose legacies will forever be tarnished.

            The “Steroid Era continues to hang over the MLB” was an article written by Steve Keating that explains the era and how it impacted professional sports. He said it began back in the 1990’s and it continued into the early 2000’s. Keating says that 13 players were found as cheaters in the MLB, from past All-stars to MVP’s. The article which explains the era and the incidents of doping in the history of the MLB showed that no good deed goes unpunished. The MLB needs to do a better job with its own drug testing.  Keating said that if the process is fixed to rid athletes of doping, then suspensions will decrease and the respect for the game will only increase.

One of the things mentioned was Senator George Mitchell and how he was brought in to do a report on the athletes like Rodriquez, and Barry Bonds. The investigation led to a 20 month, 409 page document known as the “Mitchell Report” which identified 89 players, including Roger Clemens as steroid users. Selig said it was “a call to action” and he vowed to clean up baseball but years later more doping scandals occurred. Keating stated names in the article like Manny Ramirez who was found guilty in 2011, but retired before he got suspended and current players like Ryan Braun and Melky Cabrera were each suspended 50 games as a result of the Biogenesis investigation. The era pushed athletes to the brink and it was an issue that had to be dealt with. Near the end of Keating’s article MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said “Major League Baseball is proud of the enormous progress we have made and we look forward to working with players to make the penalties for violations of the Drug Program even more stringent and a stronger deterrent.”

Stephen Schwartz, who is a professor in the sociology and natural sciences department at Buffalo State College said he is against steroid use and that it’s very dangerous. “While steroids are legal, if provided by a doctor they are too big of a risk in the game of baseball.” He said it’s when steroids are abused, that they become illegal. Schwartz said using these drugs is only setting a bad example for kids. “It’s all about the win at all costs mentality for some of these athletes, and a lot of the times, it’s the parent’s problem.” I asked Schwartz about the health risks of steroids and he said “Athletes use steroids to gain an edge they are willing to sacrifice their bodies, not realizing the consequences that lie ahead.”

Joel Reed, who is the athletic director for the Charter High School for Applied Technologies, said “Steroids bring out the worst in people.” He said steroid use starts in the lower levels of baseball like the minors and it leads up the major leagues. When asked if they should be legal, Reed said “No, because no kind of accomplishment would be genuine.” He later added that “You can’t choose a professional athlete as a role model anymore.” Steroids are a documented health risk, and when I asked him about the athlete’s decision to use them he said “Many athletes have a certain level of anxiety that makes them want to be better. None of them believe they will ever get caught, and as long as they have a successful career, they don’t care about the long term health effects.”

So take me out to the ballgame, buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks. Root, root, root for the home team, if they don’t win it’s a shame. The last line of one of our favorite songs has taken on a new meaning with the steroid controversy.