Penalties of Steroid Use in Professional Baseball Players

Amber B.
Professor Simpson
Engl 1302-8451
2 November 2012
Penalties of Steroid Use in Professional Baseball Players What are the limits professional athletes will go to, to be the best? Professional baseball players all over the United States strive to be the best, but does that mean they should take performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, to achieve their goals? According to many people’s opinions, steroids are considered cheating and the use should not be allowed in a professional league. Penalties of steroid use in professional baseball players should be stronger, because the players that use them have an unfair advantage to their game. Steroids are a way of cheating and making the playing level unfair. Major League Baseball is one of the most known sports for the use of steroids in its players. Not many people were aware of how many professional baseball players were using steroids until BALCO, Bay Area Lab Cooperative, came out with a policy banning steroids in 1991. “During the BALCO steroid scandal, allegations that top baseball and football players had used illegal performance enhancing drugs were brought to light. Major League Baseball had an established steroid policy which was created in 2002” (Baseball Steroid Suspensions 1). Offenses for using these performance-enhancing drugs include a 50 game ban for the first offense, 100 game ban for the second offense and lifetime ban, with the possibility for reinstatement, for the third positive test (“Steroids and Major League Baseball 3”). There should not be a first, second, and third chance to be able to play baseball again, once a player has cheated and used steroids. Once a player is caught taking the steroids once, that player should be immediately kicked out of the MLB. It would make players think twice before even attempting the drug, especially knowing they can get tested any time.
Professional baseball players convicted of using steroids should not be considered for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Baseball Hall of Fame has been around since 1936. In that time, multiple players were part of the ‘steroid era’. How can a professional player who uses steroids be compared to someone who does not? A steroid user has an unfair advantage of being better. As of today, former player Barry Bonds, of the San Francisco Giants, has the record for an astonishing 762 homeruns. Former player Hank Aaron, best known playing for the Atlanta Braves, has a record for a whopping 755 homeruns. The difference in these 6 homeruns that separate first place from second place, is the fact that Hank Aaron did not partake in the use of steroids, unlike Bonds. It is unfair to Aaron, who did not use any other source to help him but his own hard work, to be second to Bonds, who had ‘help’ from steroids. Barry Bonds, or any other steroid using player, should not be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It is sad to think professional baseball players try to cheat by using performance-enhancing drugs when they know millions of kids look up to them. Think of a child who looked up to Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees who did everything he could to try to become like him. He played his hardest at baseball and never even thought of doing drugs because “Mickey would not”. Now think about how crushed that kid would be if he found out Mantle used performance-enhancing drugs to make himself better. That kid would be crushed. This is simply another reason why any professional athlete who uses steroids should have bigger penalties than a 50 game ban.
Some people may argue that it is perfectly acceptable for professional baseball players to use steroids. They may think these performance-enhancing drugs are made to help out athletes everywhere. Steroids may help with a man’s playing ability, but they do much more than just make them play better. “In men, steroids can cause acne, testicular atrophy, decreased sperm count, gynecomastia (enlarged breasts in men), high blood pressure, increased LDL (bad) cholesterol, decreased HDL (good) cholesterol, fluid retention, abnormal liver function, and prostate enlargement, just to name a few” (Side Effects of Steroid Abuse - Steroidabuse.com 1). Other people may argue that steroid in baseball may increase revenue for the games being held. When players are winning and hitting grand slams each game, it is obviously going to attract many fans, which means more money for each of the stadiums. Is it worth all of that money to see your favorite player, who you ‘love’, hurting himself on the inside by taking these drugs? How does it make that young kid that aspires to be like the ‘user’ feel when he finds out that the player is not playing his heart out, but cheating and using steroids?
Penalties in steroid use in professional baseball players are not good enough. These performance-enhancer users are cheating. It is an unfair playing ground when two people like Barry Bonds and Hank Aarons are competing for the most homeruns. If one is using steroids, you can’t be sure if Barry Bonds should be on top. Once a player takes steroids, he should be automatically not considered for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. These users should not even have a 50 to 100 game ban on their record, but should be banned from baseball all together. Kids can get their dreams crushed of their favorite baseball player tricking them into thinking they are the best, but in reality are cheating and taking roids. Steroids may help a player be the best, but they hurt themselves on the insides such as acne and high blood pressure. If the MLB had more severe punishments for steroids, it would be a fair game to all baseball players.

Work Cited
"Baseball Steroid Suspensions." Baseball Steroid Suspensions. Baseball Almanac, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. <http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/steroids_baseball.shtml>.
Grossman, Mitchell, Timothy Kimsey, Joshua Moreen, and Matthew Owings. Steroids and Major League Baseball. N.p.: n.p., 2011. Print.
"Side Effects of Steroid Abuse - Steroidabuse.com." Side Effects of Steroid Abuse – Steroidabuse.com. Association Against Steroid Abuse, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. <http://www.steroidabuse.com/side-effects-of-steroids.html>.

Cited: "Baseball Steroid Suspensions." Baseball Steroid Suspensions. Baseball Almanac, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/steroids_baseball.shtml&gt;. Grossman, Mitchell, Timothy Kimsey, Joshua Moreen, and Matthew Owings. Steroids and Major League Baseball. N.p.: n.p., 2011. Print. "Side Effects of Steroid Abuse - Steroidabuse.com." Side Effects of Steroid Abuse – Steroidabuse.com. Association Against Steroid Abuse, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.steroidabuse.com/side-effects-of-steroids.html&gt;.