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Ms. Christine Olding


English 21011
21 April 2016
Research Paper
The sport of baseball is one of Americas greatest past times. From the first Major League
games being played in 1846, till the present, the game has caught the heart and soul of many. I
have grown up playing it since t-ball and continue to play in college on Kents club team.
However the love of the game has not always been enough to keep it fair. Starting from the late
80s to the early 2000s there was a time known as the steroid era. Steroids also known as
performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) created an unfair advantage in the professional athletic
world and continue to do so even with players having to do mandatory/random drug testing.
The most common form of steroids used by athletes during this time was the anabolic
steroids. To try and restrain the use of steroids, in 2003 the MLB implemented a required test for
the use of these drugs to players, hoping this would be the end to PEDs. Unfortunately they were
mistaken, since 2005, 53 players have been caught using these PEDs, a statistic provided by
ESPN. The most concerning question is when is this going to stop? Due to PEDs giving the
MLB players an unfair advantage, the use of these drugs should be banned indefinitely keeping
the integrity of the game alive.
One of the main issues of athletes using steroids is that they are cheating and jeopardizing
the credibility of the game. Most commonly the word associated with PEDs is steroid, and
with that they are referring to an anabolic steroid. This type of steroid is a synthetic derivative
of the naturally occurring male anabolic hormone testosterone says Dr. Wadler, an expert who

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studies the use of drugs in sports. These types of drugs first originated in the 1930s when
scientist discovered that they could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscle in laboratory animals,
which led to abuse of the compounds first by bodybuilders and weightlifters and then by athletes
in other sports.
The use of this performance drug stems from the pot of gold mentality states Weiler.
The thought of wanting to win so badly that you will do anything imaginable to accomplish that
goal. These athletes are sacrificing not only themselves but the game, all on a drug that is
harmful in all aspects of life. These athletes are taking an unfair advantage upon the sport, the
other players, and their ability to make more money, all by using steroids.
The opinion of some is its their bodies, why should it matter? The answer to that is it
in fact does matter. It matters because steroids are not only illegal, but they cause serious health
risks. The negative side effects to taking these drugs are that an athlete may experience acne,
clotting disorders, weakened tendons, and liver damage. According to anabolic steroids and
sports. While taking steroids, men may also experience a feminization change found in an
article written by Dayn Perry. These are things such as reduced sperm count, developing
breasts, and shrinking of the testicles. With so many negative consequences, steroids have been
proven to be detrimental to an athletes body.
With all the negative side effects and dangers no wonder the MLB wants an indefinite
ban on steroids. They want to keep their players safe and give them the best opportunity for a
healthy career. Some areas of the body that are affected from the use of anabolic sterioids are
heart, liver, bones, skin, immune system and can even affect your psychological aspect. Your
blood can also beaffected and you can develop high cholesterol, obstructed blood vessels and
possibly a stroke can occur (Anabolic Steroids). This drug is illegal for a reason and is a

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distraction to the game. A concerning question is Knowing all the harm steroids can cause, why
do the athletes continue to take them? With all of todays performance training and dietary
supplements, there should be no need for steroids. Even exercising correctly with a healthy diet
gives you all the power and fuel needed to be at the top of your game. There are plenty of legal
supplements out there to help players increase stregnth and performance, but many players take
the more natural way. Some safe and healthier practices include trining safely without using any
drugs, eating right, plenty of rest, setting realistic goals, find professionals such as trainers and
simply talking to your doctor/ your teams doctors (Anabolic Steroids). With all the advancement
in technology and all the knowledge, players still want to have that edge that no other players
have even though there are smarter and more healthier ways of training.
The use of an illegal drug is already bad enough, but when you are putting your life at
risk then thats when the line is crossed. The game is chamging rapidly and the athletes have the
mindset that they need to keep up with all of the changes the game is going through, but is the
change better? Todays game of baseball is much quicker and more fast paced than it was just 5
years ago. Even without the use of PEDs, players are stronger, faster, more felxible, and the
recovery treatments are state of the art and the finest they have every been. So players are
advancing at an extremely fast rate and if you incorporate anabolic steroids into the picture, that
is when you can have athletes at their peek performance, but they look past their health because
they are performing so well.
The most common ways that athletes use/take steriods was from injection of a fluid or
from the consumption of pills. These two strategies were the two most common ways to take
anaboloic steroids, but the most recent supplement used that wasnt classified as a steroid until
an inccident occurred in 2013 was a deer antler growth hormone spray/lotion (Carroll). Deer

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have one of the fastest growing organisms on their body and that is their antlers. Specifically,
male whitetail deer lose their antlers every year around February or March depending on the area
or climate they are living in and start to regrow their antlers in late April to early May. While
they are grwoing, there is a soft, velvetty substance on the antlers and all that is is blood flow
throughout the antlers. Antlers can grow up to a of an inch each day depending on the genetics
of the deer (Knox). So if antlers can grow that fast over a 4 to 5 month period, why cant the
human body do the same thing. That is where this debate came out in 2013 when Ray Lewis was
accused of using deer antler growth substances in the form of a spray. For awhile, nobody in the
professional athletics had really had a problem with this substance until it had a dramatic affect
on the users. So this type of steroid is now illegal in professionals sports including baseball even
though it was once considered a natural substance years back (Carroll).
The blame is put on steroids because in 1975 there was roughly 8,500 runs scored total
in major league baseball (ESPN). By the year 2000, the runs increased to an estimated 10,200
(ESPN). There is a correlation to steroids in this because when the 2000s hit, when the steroid
era started booming. Since the year 2000 there has been about 75 players caught using PEDs
(Perry 149). Some are skeptics but the numbers dont lie and from the facts, you can conclude
steroids may have had an effect on the increase in runs scored. When bigger and faster athletes
are developing, their ability to hit the baseball further increases as well. Baseball is a timeless
game with excitement all around and records to be broken.
The most obvious reason for the use of anabolic steroids is for more power in a swing
and even greater arm strength for pitchers. A perfect game or even a no-hitter for a pitcher is
exciting to all, but the one thing that gets people out to the ballpark is the homeruns. There is just
something about a ball hit over 400 feet that people just love and that is the biggest cause for the

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use of steroids in the MLB. OPS is a stat category used in the baseball that includes a players onbase percentage and their slugging percentage in one specific stat. This stat is specifically used to
see the offensive production of a player and is a far more useful stat than how many hits a player
has or how many homeruns a player has. A perfect OPS is around the 1.000 mark and the better
players in the league come in around .900 OPS. According to this specific study, they considered
1985-1993 to be the Pre-Steroid Era and the Steroid Era to be between 1994-2004. Now
obviously more cases of steroid use have come out since 2004, this is just for these specific time
frames. During the Pre-Steroid Era, the average OPS were around .736 and during the Steroid
Era the average OPS were around .784. So you can see the average OPS increased by about .048
between each era (Grossman 4 & 5). Obviously the game has changed a lot since these two time
frames, but there is clear evidence that steroids do in fact have some sort of impact on a players
offensive performance.
Not only is the game in all its glory cheated by the use of performance drugs, but the fans
are cheated as well. To some fans, the use of steroids may not bother them because they are
getting a good show and entertainment, but to others who actually understand the game and truly
have a passion for the game want to see the game played at its best without help from PEDs. The
fans have taken the biggest hit during the era of steroids due to fact that the game is semi
rigged, baseball is about those close games and pitcher duals says (Verducci 136). Although the
fans in general are hurt by the use of steroids, the younger fan are the ones who are the most
negatively impacted. When watching baseball as a kid you feel a connection with your favorite
player and there is no worse feeling than seeing a headline of your favorite player who you
admired as a kid using something that is illegal in the game you have loved for so long.
When you later find out that your hero wasnt whom he was really putting out to be

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you feel crushed, even fans that are 60 years old and have followed the game their whole lives
feel the same way. The fans are truly impacted from the use of a banned substance in baseball
and for people that have grown up around the sport their whole lives, its disappointing to see.
Records are a part of the game and when records are being broken set, it is a very
exciting thing to watch and be a part of, players and fans included. In 2007, Barry Bonds broke
Hank Aarons homerun record with his 756th homerun with Hanks record being 755 homeruns in
a career. Yes, this was a very exciting time in sports because this was the first person in history to
have a new career high of homeruns since Hank Aaron, but Bonds was accused of using anabolic
steroids during his career and many people say he doesnt deserve to hold the record because of
this incident. Hank Aaron set this record fairly without the use of PEDs and earned this title,
although many people have mixed feelings about the situation, no recent reports have come out
since Bonds retired (Curry). Last year Derek Jeter retired and finished his final game at Yankee
Stadium with a walk off, game winning hit and as fan of the game, that was one of the coolest
things to witness live on TV and actually see one of the greatest baseball players of all time go
out in such a fashion. Derek Jeter is a prime example of what hard work and determination can
do for the game of baseball without the use of PEDs.
It is disheartening that prestiges awards are belittled due to PEDs. Why ruin a great
record that great ones before worked so hard to get and by taking away from those who pushed
and conquered. A record is meant to be broken, but with fair intentions. Working hard for
something creates sacrifice and steroids are just an easy way to get there. When fans go to a
baseball game they want the real deal. They want the pure athletes to step out on the field and
give it all they have and prove their worth through the hard work theyve put in during the off
season through their work ethic.

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Baseball is a game watched with family and friends but according to ESPN 42.86% of
fans are less likely to buy a ticket because of the knowing use of PEDs. Steroids ruin the body
and mind, but should not ruin the fan experience. As fans purchase their tickets they shouldnt
think about the steroid users, they should think about the great game of baseball. Steroids are an
impact in some many aspects. If all athletes in the game would obey the rules just imagine the
way the game could be.
With all the good that baseball has to offer, it also possesses its downs. In baseball there
are things that cannot be controlled and that is why baseball is a great sport. Essentially, there is
no play clock to run out the game. It is one of the few sports where you have to man up and play.
If you want to get outs, you have to pitch the ball. There is no other way around a batter unless
you walk them and give up runs witch is obviously not the objective. Baseball is also a sport
where just one person can take over and win a game. You need at least 9 players on a field and
every single one has to contribute in some way, shape or form in order for your team to be
successful. Teamwork is essential in the game of baseball and life lessons are learned because it
forces you to be work through tough situations and forces you to keep your composure in tight
game situations. When it comes down to things the game can control, why not control it? There
are many things in baseball that you cannot control but steroids are one of those things. Thats
why it should be banned indefinitely in the great game.
Next time you perform a task that involves your mind and your body with a goal, think to
yourself if you are really being true to your goal. Your perspective might just change. When you
know youve done something fair and succeeded, you get that feeling of anythings possible if
you put your mind to it. Although, there are those particular players where morals mean nothing
to them and they feel no guilt of using PEDs to enhance their game and for those players, that

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may never change and that is why they will not last in professional sports because leagues such
as the MLB, NFL and NBA have a no tolerance rule about steroids. Thats the goal with ending
steroids in baseball.
Baseball is Americas pastime and always will be, with such a large fan base the game
has been able to be carried on throughout the decades. Like every other professional sport, the
game is evolving and making changes that some people agree with and some dont, but that
wont stop people from watching because this is a sport that is loved by many and not only in the
U.S. Not only do many admire baseball but the game is exciting and timeless. Of course there
will always be people who say baseball is boring and not fun to watch, but there are also people
out there such as my self who actually understand the game of baseball than just meets the eye. I
actually understand why the game can be somewhat slow at times because I know the situation
and can relate because Ive played my entire life. When you have a passion for something, you
enjoy the slow or boring parts because you have a passion for that certain thing and want to
continue to learn about the game.
Around the 1930s steroid were created, changing the way of the game forever. Once
players of the MLB started to use these PEDs the game became unfair. The game became unfair
due to the fact that players were now given an unfair advantage by becoming stronger without
putting in the work. As a baseball player, work ethic and passion for the game is the greatest
motivation there is and some of the best players in the game today do not use steroids and that is
why they are the best. They have the desire and passion for the game and that goes hand and
hand with a great work ethic in order to be the best. Bottom line, the use of steroids is
detrimental to the health of the players and the integrity of the game, and that is way they should
be banned.

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Sources
"Anabolic Steroids and Sports: Winning at Any Cost." Anabolic Steroids and Sports:
Winning at Any Cost. N.p., n.d. Web.. 2015.
Carroll, Will. "Ray Lewis and Deer-Antler Spray: Just What Is This Stuff?" Bleacher
Report. Web
Curry, Jack. "Bonds Hits No. 756 to Break Aarons Record." The New York Times. Web.
ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, n.d. Web.. 2015.
Grossman, Mitchell, Timothy Kimsey, Joshua Moreen, and Matthew Owings. "Steroids
and Major League Baseball." Web.
Knox, W. Matt. "About Deer Antlers." The Izaak Walton League of America. Web.
Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web.. 2015.
Perry, Dayn. "The Problem of Steroid Use in Major League Baseball Is Exaggerated."
Opposing Viewpoints Sports and Athlete. Detroit: GreenHavenn, 2005. 145-155.
Print.
Verducci, Tom. Steroid USe in Major League Baseball Is Widespread" Opposing
Viewpoints Sports and Athletes. Detroit: GreenHaven, 2005. 135-44. Print.

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