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Why Steroids Are Bad for Major League Baseball

After MLB's labor dispute in the mid-1990s, many people think that Major League Baseball has been in the era of "steroids" since then. Many major leaguers high profile have been accused of steroid use and some, like José Canseco, even admitted openly, crediting the use of steroids throughout his career. In fact, Conseco wrote a book called "Juiced," that documented the use and impact of steroids in baseball.

According to Canseco, up to 85% of MLB players currently playing today are use drugs to improve performance. Book by José entitled "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big" many familiar names players who used steroids during their careers.

Another player, Ken Caminiti, came forward about his steroid use and detailed the damage drug has done to his body. Caminiti admitted that his body had mostly stopped producing testosterone in the testes and which have become much smaller. As a matter in fact, his body was only 20% of normal level of testosterone. And although Ken Caminiti clearly knew the damage he did to his body, still admitted that he would have done it all again if I had another chance. Ken finally died of his steroid use. (from Wikipedia)

Several MLB players ones have passed accused of using these drugs improving performance. Names like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi have been tarnished by the claims. Your records and awards have come to the question because it did not succeed, of course, but with chemical assistance banned by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.

A company known as BALCO, the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative has been cited as a central source of steroids to athletes in many sports. BALCO was a nutritional supplement based American company run by Victor Conte.

BALCO made and marketed a steroid called "the clear", also known as THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone, which was created by a chemical BALCO named Patrick Arnold (Washington Post)

In 2003, the role of business in a drug sports scandal was investigated by two reporters, Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada. The scandal was referred to as the BALCO case and focused on clear distribution of several high profile athletes in America and Europe over a period several years by Conte, Greg Anderson, weight trainer and Remi Korchemni, a coach.

The research was aided by a council of the U.S. Coach Trevor Graham Olympic Sprint in 2003. Graham supplied a syringe containing traces of the substance known as "the clear". A test for whites is developed and some 20 Olympic class athletes tested positive for drugs. Marion Jones, Olympic track star, just admitted to using steroids after years of public denial. She said she used to prepare for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the IOC has taken away all his medals. (from The Washington Post)

Later, a search of BALCO facilities uncovered a client list with names like Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Gary Sheffield and several other MLB players.

Arizona D-Backs pitcher Jason Grimsley house was searched in 2006 by U.S. federal agents and Grimsley admitted that he had amphetamines, steroids and human growth hormone. In the end, Grimsley was released from his contract with the D-Backs and suspended for fifty games by MLB.

After all this time, the use of steroids is still an important issue in the MLB. And since Barry Bonds has been mixed up in it and broke the home run record This year, the story still has the legs. Maybe MLB should establish tougher penalties for steroid use. For example, to publicize the suspensions in the capture of any player during regulated unannounced testing. If the player tests dirty again, his contract is void and prohibited in Major League Baseball for life.

The punishment must be severe enough for these players to the detriment of the use of doping substances. Indeed, baseball has been criticized for being so cavalier about steroid use and not distributed sufficiently severe penalties. But it's not just the players and their families who hurt. It is the fans and children who look to these players as role models.

All players in the farm leagues and minors are harmed as well. In its quest to achieve that dream of a billionaire major league contract, they have to perform at the same level or better than the athletes presently playing. That creates huge pressure to use steroids that can be difficult to overcome. Some say the use of amphetamines is widespread among players in the minor leagues and that steroids are also used much.

One thing that makes sense is that if only some players are using performance enhancing drugs while the rest are not, the former have an unfair advantage, what which makes fair competition impossible. And sports are defined by fair competition, that is one of the biggest reasons people love sports. Life is full of grays, but the sport is black and white. There is always a clear winner in the final and everyone expects that the winner won the success of a fair and ethical manner.

Or none MLB players must be using steroids or all should be to make it fair. Although many people say that achieving new records while using steroids, such as Barry Bonds allegedly using steroids while achieving the new record all-time home run should not count, others argue that he was batting against many of the pitchers on steroids also. Therefore, everything evens out, they say. But we know that pitchers were using steroids and which were not, so is almost impossible to determine what is fair.

Unfortunately, athletes like Ken Caminiti die because of steroid use. Children lose their parents, wives lost their husbands, Major League Baseball increasingly loses its good reputation, and the fans lose respect for sports figures to admire. There are probably many reasons why baseball players choose to use steroids. They may feel strong pressure to be the best and win.

They may perceive this pressure from society, from the fans or their families and friends, or themselves. Could it be that are driven into steroid use due to greed, or could even be that they think all the players around them are using steroids and feel they have no choice but to participate and if they are to compete successfully. An easy shortcut like using steroids should be very attractive for many ball players.

Because steroid use is a relatively new phenomenon, and there are numerous subjective issues to be hashed out, Major League Baseball is still seriously struggling with the whole theme. The MLB has been unable to stem the tide, has not been able to successfully reduce their use or make it so undesirable that the players choose to abstain. It has proven difficult to determine where the line should be drawn. After all, one could argue that the team has improved over the years, and that things like foot wear are so technologically advanced today that also enhance performance. Fairness is essential in sport, so the use of steroids some players still have a terrible effect on baseball.

About the Author

Jason OConnor owns and operates runs http://www.GetRedSoxTickets.com, where you can buy
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