Effects of Steroids on Baseball Players

The use of steroids among major league baseball players has grown significantly in recent years. So much so that in August 2002, players and owners agreed to their first joint drug testing program 1985. This joint drug program would call for anonymous testing to begin in the 2003 major league baseball season. Steroid use was growing so rapidly among the players that the league had to resort to this random testing program. The fact that steroid use is and was so widespread really forces other players who are clean to consider taking these drugs, just to keep up with those who are. This existing problem really begs to ask the question, Should steroids be legalized in professional baseball? The fact of the matter is that illegal steroid use is really hurting the game right now so possibly, legalizing this steroid use could potentially help the game.

Steroids have affected the game hugely in the past and are still affecting the game right now. When the Mitchell Report came out in 2007, an independent investigation into illegal use of steroids and other substances by players in major league baseball, named for the former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell who fought for the investigation, many people were shocked at a lot of the names that were on the list. Players such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Mark McGwire, who were players that many little kids looked up to and saw as heroes, were on that list. As fans of the game, it was hard for many of us to swallow the fact that many of our heroes were "cheating." The fact is that "cheating" like this has always taken place in baseball and other professional sports, (McCallum) and it will continue to happen despite these random drug-testing programs being implemented. It is tough when athletes in such a competitive sport are not given the choice on whether to take an enhancement drug when so many of their colleagues are doing steroids. Many feel like they have to keep up, and keep their "edge" on others, although they do not really want to participate in steroid use.

There is the fact that while the steroid era was taking over, the game of professional baseball grew more exciting and attendance was up(Sojo). Then, after the investigations and drug testing caused steroid use to decline among the players, attendance dropped(Baskin). It makes you wonder if maybe steroid use in baseball wasn't such a bad thing after all. It made the game more exciting to watch for us as fans. More homeruns were hit than we had ever really seen in past years. It's a tough call but the truth is, steroids arguably made the game more entertaining. Maybe this is why the testing that was instituted in 2003, and further amended in following years, is still less stringent than many policies found in other professional sports. It has also been reported that the Major League Baseball Commissioner, Bud Selig, has tried to implement more stringent testing and penalties than those