How Has the Use of Performance Enhanced Drugs Affected Major League Baseball?
Baseball players have always had a competitive nature, pushing themselves to be the best in the league. Over time players have found new and improved ways of bringing their talent to the next level. Steroids have always been prevalent in professional associations, but it wasn’t until recent years that the MLB has cracked down on players use of these performance enhancers. The consequences players face after years of this drug abuse are numerous. Players such as Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa are two famous athletes, breaking and holding league records, but have been linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, or PEDs. The increasing use of PEDs in the MLB has turned this wholesome American Pastime into a game of artificial talent.
PEDs are used to increase player abilities, giving them an unfair advantage over their opponents. It had become apparent that the MLB has zero tolerance for steroid use. In 1991, steroids were added to the Major League’s banned substance list. It wasn’t until 2003 however that mandatory testing of players began. In 2003, former Major League player David “Boomer” Wells estimated that up to forty percent of MLB players used steroids. In 2005, Oakland Athletics outfielder Jose Canseco estimated that an astounding eighty percent of players used steroids (Carise). It’s often speculated why athletes are willing to risk their careers and reputations by using PEDs. Many athletes only focus on the benefits of taking PEDs, wanting to be able to train harder and recover quicker than what they can naturally do. These players are willing to accept the many consequences that come with the drugs to gain a few rewards.
The benefits of PEDs are few compared to the harmful effects. These enhancing drugs appeal to athletes because of the ability to increase muscle and body size in a short amount of time, as well as an increase in healing rates. While PED use has some non-threatening reactions such as acne and excess hair growth, serious side effects include increased risk of cancer, heart disease, infertility, development of breasts, etc. In addition to these facts, players can also experience muscles ripping away from tendons and joints that can no longer support them. These consequences can lead to career-ending and life-threatening results (Collier).
At the start of Barry Bonds Major League baseball career in 1986, his listed weight was 185 lbs. He hit for a high of .223 batting average, with 16 home runs in his first season. At the beginning of his career, it was evident that Barry Bonds wasn’t a home run hitter or a high average hitter. Around 1993–2000, it was speculated that this was the era Barry Bonds started to take performance-enhancing drugs as he played in a career-high 159 games with an increase in weight to 210lbs, as well as having a high of .336 batting average along with 46 home runs (Ernst). He set the single-season home run record with 73 in 2001 and the all-time career home run record with 762, and he reached base more often than any player and won a record seven MVP awards along the way. This sudden increase raised many speculations of his involvement with the usage of steroids. With this dramatic increase in Bonds’ career statistics, commentators and news reporters suspected Bonds of using stanozolol, a popular substance in the MLB during that time. Even with the speculations, Bonds was never found guilty of PED usage. While some fans still credit Bonds’ skills to the use of enhancement drugs, others believe his success was due to natural talent. Even though the substances do allow the player to have tremendous gain in muscle, some natural skills are still accounted for when playing baseball at the professional level. In the article “Do Steroids Help Barry Bonds Hit Home Runs?” by author Robert Nishihara, he states that,” Similarly, a power hitter cannot hit a home run if he cannot hit the ball. And hitting a baseball is a unique skill in the world of sports. It is a powerful act that does not require extraordinary muscle strength. Instead, it is primarily dependent on technique, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination, not brute strength. It is a correlation that, so many people are failing to make these days” (Nishihara). Bonds used his blend of speed, power, and precision about the strike zone which contributed to his success at the plate. Although the claims against Bonds were never proven to be true, negative effects still followed behind. One of these effects left him excluded from Hall of Fame recognition supposedly because of his connection with PEDs.
Sammy Sosa, another Major League Player who was proven with the use of PEDs, had a historic season in the late ’90s. Before 1998 Sosa had never hit more than 20 home runs or driven in more than 80 runs in his career, nor had he hit over .300 batting average. Sosa wasn’t a power hitter until 1998 when he became a free agent and had a chance to receive a multi-million-dollar contract. This was also the last year before the MLB banned PEDs. That year Sosa hit 66 home runs, drove in 158 runs, and had a batting average of .308. Sosa signed a five-year $64 million contract. When the MLB started testing for PEDs in 2003, a New York Times report came out, naming Sammy Sosa as one of the 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Even after testing positive, Sosa claims the league didn’t have enough evidence on him, and he was clean. However, since the MLB was testing year-round, Sosa went right back to his 35 home runs and 80 runs batted in, along with his batting percentage dropping 47 points from a .308 to .253.
Other athletes such as Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa have unpurified the spirit of the game. Since 2003, over 175 major leaguers have been suspended as a result of PED use. These athletes have altered record books by unfairly surpassing historic legends. Athletes cheating with the use of drugs have changed the image of both the game and players. What many people fail to remember when discussing steroid usage in the MLB is the number of children who look up to these players. Kids seeing their heroes using artificial enhancers to succeed begin to believe they need to do the same to achieve the same accomplishments. Not only does it affect the fans, but players being suspended affects the team itself. One player being caught using banned substances places a bad name on the team they come from as well as the team’s operators and directors. When a player violates these rules, the head of operations must speak on behalf of the organization, apologizing for the un-sportsman like conduct. One example of this can be seen when Baltimore Orioles Owner Peter Angelos on MLB.com gave a press release on 08/01/2005, wherein he stated, “I am truly saddened by today’s events. I have known Rafael Palmeiro for many years. He is a fine person, a great player and a true asset to his community. I know from personal experience that his accomplishments are due to hard work and his dedication to the game. I know that Rafael will accept the penalty under Baseball’s important Drug Policy and that he will return to be a productive member of the Orioles.” A single player’s actions can also take a toll on team success during the season.
While the MLB steroid era only lasted from the late ’80s through the late 2000s, the use of PEDs is still a reoccurring issue today. Already in 2017 two reports of players being sanctioned for violating MLB substance policy have surfaced. Each season the MLB has raised the length of suspensions as a punishment to show the league has zero tolerance for performance altering substances. As a result, the use of PEDs has affected the Major Leagues in a negative way. The use of PEDs has risk players health as well as the reputation of the organization. Also, what people forget is that upcoming athletes and children are the main targets that are affected because they view them as their role model. The major league believes you can take credit for your athletic accomplishments, but only if as they are caused by you and not PEDs. If you’re only able to hit 50 home runs relying on the banned substance, then it’s questionable whether you’re responsible for your achievements and can be exalted into the Hall of Fame.
