Performance Enhancing Drugs and Major Leage Baseball
Robert Partridge
TR Composition II 2:00
22 November 2011
P.E.D.’s in M.L.B. Big muscles and performance enhancing drugs have changed the game of baseball forever. Performance enhancing substances, stimulants, and drugs of abuse are banned by Major League Baseball. According to the Los Angeles Times, there are a total of 58 substances, 30 stimulants, and 7 drugs of abuse that Major League Baseball has banned players from using. Performance enhancing drug usage was speculated as a problem, but wasn’t showcased on a national level until ten players were called to testify in front of a grand jury that was investigating Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) of running a high volume steroid distribution ring. Jose Canseco releases his autobiography, titled “Juiced,” and tells that he actually injected Mark McGwire with steroids and also introduced them to other players. The House Government Reform Committee conducted a hearing scolding Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for having lenient penalties for positive steroid tests. Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada release a book titled “Game of Shadows” that cites legitimate BALCO transcripts and court documents. After MLB Commissioner Bud Selig read the book “Game of Shadows,” former Senator George Mitchell was appointed by Selig to conduct an investigation into the history of drug use by players in MLB and the effectiveness of the MLB Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program (Mitchell 2). Performance enhancing drugs such as testosterone (the main male hormone), drive muscle growth (Egendorf 15). Anabolic steroids were developed in the late 1930s to treat hypogonadism. Hypogonadism is a condition where the testes don’t produce enough testosterone to normal growth, development, and sexual functioning (Kiesbye 15). Russian weight lifters in the 1954 world weight competition introduced anabolic steroids to international athletic competition when they found that they could use them for a competitive
TR Composition II 2:00
22 November 2011
P.E.D.’s in M.L.B. Big muscles and performance enhancing drugs have changed the game of baseball forever. Performance enhancing substances, stimulants, and drugs of abuse are banned by Major League Baseball. According to the Los Angeles Times, there are a total of 58 substances, 30 stimulants, and 7 drugs of abuse that Major League Baseball has banned players from using. Performance enhancing drug usage was speculated as a problem, but wasn’t showcased on a national level until ten players were called to testify in front of a grand jury that was investigating Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) of running a high volume steroid distribution ring. Jose Canseco releases his autobiography, titled “Juiced,” and tells that he actually injected Mark McGwire with steroids and also introduced them to other players. The House Government Reform Committee conducted a hearing scolding Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for having lenient penalties for positive steroid tests. Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada release a book titled “Game of Shadows” that cites legitimate BALCO transcripts and court documents. After MLB Commissioner Bud Selig read the book “Game of Shadows,” former Senator George Mitchell was appointed by Selig to conduct an investigation into the history of drug use by players in MLB and the effectiveness of the MLB Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program (Mitchell 2). Performance enhancing drugs such as testosterone (the main male hormone), drive muscle growth (Egendorf 15). Anabolic steroids were developed in the late 1930s to treat hypogonadism. Hypogonadism is a condition where the testes don’t produce enough testosterone to normal growth, development, and sexual functioning (Kiesbye 15). Russian weight lifters in the 1954 world weight competition introduced anabolic steroids to international athletic competition when they found that they could use them for a competitive
Cited: Bouton, Jim. Ball Four. New York: Wiley Publishing, Inc, 1970. Canseco, Jose. Juiced. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2005. Egendorf, Laura K., book editior. Steroids. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Kiesbye, Stefan, Book editor. Steroids. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Mitchell, George J. Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball. Document. Unknown: DLA PIPER US LLP, 2007. Press, Asssociated. "McGwire apologizes to La Russa, Selig." New York, 11 January 2010. Schmidt, Michael S. "New Contract Will Enable Baseball to Test for H.G.H." New York Times 19 November 2011. Unknown. "Baseball 's Banned Substances." Times, Los Angeles 2011. Williams, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance. Game of Shadows. New York: Gotham Books, 2006. Wilson, Duff. "McGwire Offers No Denials at Steroid Hearings." New York TImes 17 March 2005.