Steroids in Mlb

Opening day isn't even here yet, and already we have enough controversy to last us the whole season. At a time when we'd much rather be thinking about the smell of fresh cut grass, hot dogs and pennant dreams, we're forced to deal with a far darker issue. Now more than ever, there is alarming suspicion concerning apparent steroid drug use in Major League Baseball. As an avid baseball watcher and player of the game for twelve years this scandal is of great concern to me. In the time to come I will be informing you of how steroid use has tarnished baseball's image, allowed for more records to be broken unfairly and the harmful effects it has on your body.

Firstly, steroid use has tainted out national pastime and tarnished the game of baseball forever. Since random drug testing for steroids has been imposed since 2003, many of the

players have come forward and admitted to using or denounced any link to abusing the muscle enhancing drugs. In an interview with 60 Minutes on February 13, 2005, Jose Canseco an all-star player back in his day, admitted that he would never have been a major league-caliber player without using the drugs. Then there are famous players like Mark Mcguire, and Barry Bonds who have been exploited by others for using steroids, but repeatedly deny the accusations. In a recent ESPN.com poll, 93% said that using steroids is wrong and taints the sport. Baseball, unlike any other sport needs people to believe the players are faithful and in backing of playing fairly, since so many people see themselves through them. If professional players are doing it, younger players are seeing it as ok to cheat to get an edge.

Secondly, using steroids has unfairly helped players smash records, making them huge stars. One of the biggest records broken was the single season home run record, by Mark

Mcguire. Although he has not been accused of using steroids, he did admit to using a non steroid supplement that helped him unjustly break the record. The prior holder, the famous Yankee Roger Maris was dead at the time but his family did not want to see the record broken by a so called steroid user. Another famous player as of recent, Barry Bonds who has been the main player behind the current issue, is also in lieu of breaking a legendary record of the most homeruns in a career. Now the biggest star in baseball because of the eminency of breaking this record, do we consider it a fraud or fair play. Bonds is, at minimum a liar and a fool, and at worst, could go down as one of the biggest frauds ever.

Lastly, although steroids have enhanced athletic performance unjustly,