Bigger, Stronger, Faster

Persuasive Essay

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.

The sport that has gotten the most attention on the subject of steroids is Major League Baseball. Due to the suspected prevalence of them from the late 80's up until the present day, the so-called baseball purists now question all the records and achievements of suspected users from that period. Meanwhile, these same purists celebrate the same achievements of an athlete like Babe Ruth. Former player Gary Gaetti said, "I don't know if they should test or not but I don't think it's fair to Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and those guys ... but take it to the next step, what is the purpose of the testing and what are you going to do about it?" he said, adding he was never on the juice." (Maxwell 1). He played his entire career in a game with no African-Americans, they were forbidden from playing in Major League Baseball even though many of them could have competed with the players of that time. So tell me what's worse, achieving something against the best competition while using steroids or doing it against the best white competition naturally? It is humorous to consider the latter a better choice. Making an argument for it would also concede that steroids are worse form sports than segregation was. The sanctity of Major League Baseball was lost long before Barry Bonds took his first performance enhancing drug.

Since when do team owners care so much about the long-term health of their players? By the time they finish playing out their careers, some can barely walk or lift their arms above their heads due to the rigorous demands of their employer. Players are expected to play hurt or they will be categorized as "soft," and "soft" players do not get the same respect from their team's owners. If a player wishes to put something into his body, it is his choice. After all, "Professional baseball players are competent adults who are capable