A Game Forever Tarnished

A Game Forever Tarnished

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about performance enhancing drug use in the MLB

Central Idea: Steroid use has increased tremendously in the past 20 years and now there are even investigations and reports to show this.

INTRODUCTION:

I. Gain Attention & Interest: A game that was once pure, fun, and a favorite American pastime is turning into one that is full of drugs and deceit.

II. Reveal and relate: Steroid use has increased tremendously over the last 20 years. The biggest stars are even being implemented with steroids or performance enhancing drugs.

III. Credibility Statement: There was even a report done by former United States Senator George J. Mitchell on steroid use in the MLB.

IV. Preview Former Senators Mitchell’s report as well as the MLB’s drug testing policies and are two main sources that will help me inform you of the topic of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.

V. CONNECTIVE: To start off with, Performance Enhancing Drugs use was becoming such problem in the Major leagues that commissioner Bud Selig ordered for a report to be conducted investigating performance enhancement usage. George Mitchell selected, and did a 20 month investigation, reporting his findings in something known as the Mitchell Report

BODY:

I. The Mitchell Report was released on December 13, 2007. It is 409 pages long and contains names of players linked to performance enhancing drugs as well as Mitchell’s recommendations to commissioner Selig.

A. There were 89 players in total that were named in the report by Senator Mitchell. Some of the names that were found on this list are huge stars in the league. This is very detrimental to the sport because some of these athletes are the face of the sport. Clemens, Gagne, Tejada, Palmero, Pettite, Bonds. However there is proof to back up many of these claims.

1. Checks

2. Money Orders

3. Package Slips

B. Many named in the report admitted to using the drugs.

1. This gives the report and Mitchell more credibility the fact that most of the people admitted to drug use after they were cited here.

a. Makes people like Roger Clemens look worse.

Andy Pettite also makes Clemens look bad

CONNECTIVE: Steroids are becoming such a problem in the MLB that they were forced to impose stricter policies for those who failed their drug tests.

II. There