Tyler Walker
Gibbs
English 102
October 24th, 2014
Roid Rage The game of baseball has seen a lot of controversy over the past decade or so, which people call the Steroid Era. The search for abusers of performance-enhancing drugs has been reminiscent of a witch-hunt and players have fell under more and more scrutiny. The use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball has a long history but is something that must come to an end. The use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs causes gives players an unfair advantage over their peers that cannot be ignored. Since the beginning of the sport, baseball players have been using performance enhancers to gain an edge over their opponents. In the early days, the testosterone of different kinds
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Barry Bonds holds many different records including most career home runs and overtook McGwire to hold the record for most career home runs in a single season. All of these accomplishments are called into question, however, when you take into account the players steroid use. Bonds and McGwire both had their skills boosted through the use of anabolic steroids throughout their careers and that is an advantage that wasn’t standard across the league. It isn’t fair for players relying only on their natural talents and skills to compete against records held by steroid abusers. It’s a difficult situation for the MLB to handle as no one can be sure of how much of the players accomplishments are due to the advantage given by their drug …show more content…
In an interview with USA Today, Jose Canseco said “I don't recommend steroids for everyone and I don't recommend growth hormones for everyone. But for certain individuals, I truly believe, because I've experimented with it for so many years, that it can make an average athlete a super athlete. It can make a super athlete incredible. Just legendary.” (USA TODAY). Canseco’s description of the effect of the drug on an athlete makes it sound as if steroids are a super drug. It’s possible that steroid use is the common factor between the incredible careers of players like Bonds, McGwire, and Rodriguez. Something that can affect a player’s skills that dramatically should never be legal for a player to use. There’s no question
The Major League Baseball organization is one of many sport organizations that takes a strong stance on athletes that use performance enhancing drugs. Mark McGwire played for the Cardinals in 1998. He had an amazing career as he broke the homerun record with 70 homeruns. Through his accomplishments, there was speculation that he took steroids. He was questioned about it in Federal Court and at first, he denied it. Later on, he admitted using Andro, which is a form of anabolic steroids. Another baseball player had a very similar story. Barry Bonds played for the San Francisco Giants. He likewise had very notable achievements, such as beating McGuire for the homeroom record and he passed Hank Aaron as the career all-time home run hitter.
Another issue is players who have broken records and tested positive for steroids during the period they broke the record. “Although increased speed and arm strength have also been linked to the use of steroids, home run statistics have glaringly
Since Major League Baseball all-star Ken Caminiti openly admitted to Sports Illustrated to have used steroids during his career, steroid use as a muscle and performance enhancer has been uncovered and become a big issue Major League Baseball is wrestling with. The “ongoing and delicate subject, baseball’s dirty, little secret that is no secret anymore,” is a huge and growing problem (Curry B20). Now that light has been shed on the issue, critics are beginning to realize the magnitude of this problem and do not like it. Steroids are a cheating virus that is spreading quickly. Users cheat other players, themselves, the fans, and the game itself. Action must be taken to rid Major League Baseball of this virus
Are the Major League Baseball record books tainted? Can a single drug change the way a baseball fan looks at the record set by Barry Bonds or opinions about a man who hit 762 homeruns (Pitch 1)? Steroids have the ability to turn an average player into a player that can qualify and succeed as a Major League Baseball player. They also provide the “good” player the ability to become a “great” player; a “great” player to become a “superstar”. But more importantly in regards to the player’s performance, steroids give the injured player the ability to heal more rapidly, therefore returning to the playing field quicker
Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. The author examines the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
Thesis: Today I am going to persuade you all about the use of steroids in Major League Baseball, persuading you why steroids should not be allowed in Major League Baseball. I have a call to action for all of you to help others if they are considering using steroids, and next time you watch a MLB game to realize the impact of steroids.
It was a warm, sultry night in September. The fans were crazed in anticipation as Mark McGwire stepped to the plate. With a gentle stretch, he paused, patiently poised, waiting for what would eventually be the greatest hit baseball had ever seen. The pitcher, Steve Trachsel, came set. He shot a determined look to the dirt. In a rivalry such as this (Cubs, Cardinals) he did not want to be the one to give up the great number 62. He cocked his arm back, to let loose what would be an eighty-eight mile an hour fastball that most men would not see fly by, but Big Mac was not most men. With one mighty swing, sixty-one was no more, ney sayers were silenced, and the game
The abuse of steroids among players in Major League Baseball is corrupting the image of America's Pastime as well as endangering the health of those who use the illegal substances. The lack of testing and punishment for the use of illegal substances like steroids in the Major Leagues portrays a negative image to aspiring young athletes. They see their role models using steroids and becoming better athletes rather than seeing suspensions for the illegal behavior or the negative health effects.
“Going, Going, Gone, Home Run!” everyone knows what this means when an announcer says it. The game of baseball is a different sport, unlike basketball and football; you do not necessarily need strength to be dominant. So, why are steroids a big issue in baseball? Steroids, in particular, anabolic steroids, build up cellular tissue or muscle. However, they do not give you the necessary skills to play the game. I am almost certain the world’s strongest man could not hit a home run on a major league field, so why punish those who have used steroids? Steroids are not like magic and transform and average man
When you were a kid, didn’t you want to play a professional sport? What would you give to be one of the best athletes in the world? Would you risk your reputation? Your health? Would you be willing to die? Although many studies have come out saying that steroids diminish one’s health, people still take them hoping to be the best. Imagine if you were a 28 year old who left college early because a pro team “guaranteed” you that you would play in the big leagues. Yet you just got stuck in the minors, and the only way you could get to the big’s was to take a pill that made you super-strong and super-fast. It would make sense to just take it. But what if that pill shrunk your testicles, hurt your heart and vascular system, and made
Baseball is America’s national pastime, but it has still faced controversy. Major League Baseball and its players have faced one huge problem, steroids. Performance enhancing drugs such as testosterone, human growth hormone, and androstenedione are all factors of the horrible period in baseball known as the “Steroid Era”. Almost all of the home run leaders, prime pitchers, and many all-stars at the time had one thing in common; they all used steroids. This still is a problem and Major League Baseball and its officials need to be stricter and tighten drug tests, and ban steroids for good.
Major League Baseball (MLB) continues to be widespread throughout the United States. Baseball players come from countries across the globe to compete professionally in one of the most physically and mentally challenging sports in the world. These physical and mental demands place enormous amounts of stress on professional baseball players. Stress not only to stay healthy, fast, and strong, all qualities which help athletes perform, but stress to perform at their highest level against competition. Often times millions of dollars are at stake for players, and any advantage to achieve more money is widely sought after. Well, what is the best way for Major League Baseball players to gain this competitive advantage? Steroids. Also commonly referred
However the spotlight that steroids find themselves in are in professional sports, mainly Major League Baseball. Steroids have been an on-going issue with Major League Baseball. The MLB has been tainted in one way or another since the game began. However, now the game has been tainted with drugs that are giving some players an advantage over others. These players are also taking risks with drugs because they are constantly trying to attain a drug that does not get detected when they get drug tests. The MLB should outsource their drug testing policies to an independent organization like the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest between players and the MLB. In 1994-95, the MLB suffered a strike that resulted in the cancellation of the post season. Afterwards, fans were deterred from the sport. So in 1998,
Steroids are a hot topic of debate and controversy in the world of athletes and sports. Steroids fall under the umbrella of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and are a dark cloud that have been hovering over the sports world for a long time. In the world today, steroids are the most relevant in major league baseball. Many baseball players, such as Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, and Mark McGwire, just to name a few, have ruined their reputations because of steroids. There are repercussions for PED use in major league baseball, which have cut down on the substance abuse by players but have nowhere near eliminated the problem.
Professional sports are a competition between the greatest athletes in the world. And when I go to a game, that’s exactly what I expect to see. Sports are entertainment. There is no room for purity and respecting the limits that athletes had in the past. Modern athletes should utilize all the resources that they have available to them. This includes steroids, which enhance an athlete’s performance. After all, performance is what really matters.