Baseball and Steroids

Ever since 1998 when Mark McGuire broke the record for the most homeruns hit in one season and tested positive for steroids, major league baseball has been under the spotlight about cracking down on players using performance enhancing drugs. Back 50-100 years ago, baseball was known for its hardworking, honest athletes. Some of the best players ever to have played the game, existed back then, many of whom set records that still exist today.

Personally, I do not understand why players today find the use of steroids a necessity to gain an advantage on the playing field. Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, and Babe Ruth, were three of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game, yet none of them took performance enhancing drugs to help improve their game. In 1941, Ted Williams had a batting average of .406 batting which included 37 home runs, 120 RBIs, 135 runs scored, and a .551 on base percentage. Today Ted Williams still holds the record for the highest batting average in one season (with a .406) and his .551 on base percentage record stood for 61 years before another player beat his record. Similarly, in 1927, Babe Ruth was the first baseball player to hit over 60 home runs in one season. His record was not over-turned until 1961 when Roger Maris hit 61 homeruns in a single season. Babe Ruth also held the record for the most career home runs with 714, which was not surpassed until 39 years later in 1974 when Hank Aaron hit 755 career home runs. Hank Aaron’s record stood for 33 years when Barry Bonds broke his record by achieving a mark of 762 career home runs.

It amazes me that players today find steroid use a necessity in order to be competitive. Within Major League Baseball steroid use has become such a problem that it seems almost all of the top competitors appear to be using them. In 2003, Major League Baseball did an anonymous steroid test to gain a perspective on how large the steroid issue really was. The players agreed to this test with the understanding that their names would not be shared with the public. In July 2009, the list of players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs was revealed to the public by an unidentified person, creating a great deal of controversy. From this point forward the media and baseball fans everywhere have scrutinized the players whose names appeared on the list. The releasing of this highly classified information led to the league cracking down on offenders. The commissioner of baseball was forced to put several new rules and regulations in place to catch players using doping as well as punish those who took steroids.