In recent years, Major League Baseball has suffered through widespread use of steroids among its players. Some of baseball's most cherished story lines of the past decade have been tainted by performance-enhancing drugs, including the accomplishments of record-setting home run hitters and dominating pitchers.
Fay Vincent, baseball's commissioner from 1989 to 1992, tried to crack down on steroids in his last year in the job. In June 1991, he sent every major league club a memo saying all illegal drug use was "strictly prohibited" by law, "cannot be condoned or tolerated" and could result in discipline or expulsion.
The next year, Bud Selig became commissioner and through the 1990s, Selig and the players union acted as if steroids were not a big deal. "If baseball has a problem, I must say candidly that we were not aware of it," Selig said in 1995.
Baseball first tested for steroids in 2003. If more than 5 percent of players failed the tests, penalties would be imposed starting in 2004, which is what subsequently happened. Roughly 100 players tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. The penalty for a first offense was treatment, and for five violations, a one-year suspension.
The results from that season were supposed to remain anonymous. But for reasons that have never been made clear, the results were never destroyed and they have come to be known among fans and people in baseball as "the list." Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Jason Grimsley and David Segui are just a few of the superstars.
In late 2005, baseball toughened its penalties, and by early 2006 appointed George Mitchell (the Mitchell report) to conduct an investigation of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the sport.
Through the 2007 season, that inquiry loomed over what should have been one of the great moments of baseball history: Barry Bonds's overcoming Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. In 2007, Bonds was indicted on federal perjury and obstruction of justice charges related to his testimony in a steroids case and now is awaiting trial.
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With all of the attention that steroids has gotten over the last decade and more recently with the Bonds trial coming up, one can't help but wonder what the big deal is. Steroids have become a part of baseball whether we like it or not as fans, but how can fans really be mad when our sports heroes are doing exactly what we want them to do?
Because of steroids, players pitch faster, and hit the ball harder which makes the game more exciting, not to mention it gives them the competitive edge to win. The fact that steroids are not even more rampant is simply because of the harsh penalties that are handed out now. Besides, since when are we as a people opposed to enhancing our bodies; you can't turn on a TV without seeing an ad for better sexual performance, creams that make skin look better, hair loss solutions, etc.
If we as Americans are allowed to take a pharmaceutical aid, why shouldn't professional baseball players?
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