It’s Time To Allow Steroids in Major League Baseball
Juice, gym candy, pumpers, whatever you may call them, all mean the same thing, steroids. While steroids in Major League Baseball have been a part of the game for what seems like ages, many still hold the stigma that steroid use is the reason for many athletes phenomenal success. Steroids do indeed offer a competitive advantage to people who use them. Steroids increase recovery, help players gain supernatural levels of strength, all while the athletes do not need to put in any extra work to achieve these goals. The times have changed; people are starting to shift their viewpoint on the sport itself. Fans want to see more home runs; players want to stay healthy throughout the season. It has been proven that while steroids do offer a benefit in the amount of power that can be produced when the ball is hit, steroids are not the main contributing factor to any specific players greatness. It is all true, steroids provide a competitive advantage, but it is time to allow regulated use of steroids in Major League Baseball.
Being the biggest, most energetic, and fastest player on the team does not matter if you are hurt. Human Growth Hormone is an active recovery agent, meaning that HGH is now being used to treat injuries and replenish muscle that is broken down through the use of repetitive movements, much like what happens in baseball. Human growth hormone is naturally produced in the body, and isa hormone that stimulates cell regrowth and tendon regeneration. Other anabolic steroids, such as testosterone, can generate more force on the tendons because the muscle gets bigger faster than usual. According to an article published by medicineatmichigan.org, “HGH doesn’t markedly increase muscle strength or mass. Instead, HGH prevents the degradation of muscle and helps protect tendons and ligaments.” Even though human growth hormone is not a steroid, many people often group them because of the use of both HGH and anabolic steroids together, so for this article, we will put HGH in the same category as a steroid. Even though HGH may not necessarily improve performance, it is still banned by the MLB, and it is time to lift that ban. Human growth hormone can keep the players healthier for longer, which is what every fan wants to see.
In a study conducted by the University of California, 303 athletes were chosen to partake in receiving growth hormone injections, but out of that 303, 137 were administered placebo in place of the real human growth hormone injections. The study concluded that after 20 days of injections, the athletes gained an average of about 4.5 pounds of lean muscle mass (Harvard Health Publishing). To put that in perspective, experienced athletes who have been training for five years or more can expect to put on 1–2 pounds of lean muscle mass a month even with proper nutrition and supplementation. 4.5 pounds of lean muscle mass in under a month is incredible. According to the study conducted by the University of California, “it did not translate into improved performance. Human Growth Hormone did not produce measurable increases in either strength or exercise capacity” (Harvard Health Publishing). The muscular gains did not produce any change in either their strength or exercise capacity. While the subjects receiving the injections did indeed gain more muscle and recover better, it did not necessarily transpire onto the field or in the weight room.
Not a lot of people will admit to it because the use of performance-enhancing agents in sports is still taboo, but the fans love to see it. According to author Ben Lindbergh, the fans want more home runs, faster runners, and athletes who look like they are from another planet. Anabolic steroids will certainly help that. In the steroid era of baseball, seats were filled in stadiums that were barely seeing spectators. The Cardinals were a horrible team, but Mark McGwire’s monster success in 1998 filled the stands with people eager to catch a home run ball, and fans from other teams fanned in to see Sosa and other legends alike, play America’s game. Perhaps two of the biggest names in baseball have admitted to performance-enhancing drug use, those two players were Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire (Ben Lindbergh). Sports are all about intense competition, especially for the viewers. Think about it, if you allow regulated performance-enhancing drug use (meaning every athlete has the opportunity to use the same PED’s as each-other,) then the skill level will most likely remain a constant, but parameters such as contact power with the ball, and speed reached while running bases will be faster. Performance-enhancing drug use will result in more home runs, more stolen bases, and athletes who look otherworldly. Let’s face it, baseball, along with all other sports, are games of offense. A double play does not bring in the same amount of viewers and as many good ratings as a game-winning grand slam would. For instance, look at these home runs and tell me that they do not send a chill down your spine:
Athletes cut corners wherever they can manage to without getting caught. That is not to take away from any of the hard work they have done to get to that point, but if there is something that athletes can do to have an advantage over a teammate or any of the competition, you better believe the athletes will do whatever it is without a second thought. Joe Solberg states that “athletes are more willing to endorse rule-violating practices or to circumvent rules to gain a tactical advantage.” Athletes need to be the best, otherwise they will not keep their job, and they will do whatever it takes to get to the next level. According to Mike Hogan, in his article: “Should Baseball Give In and Allow Steroids?” He states: “Catchers make balls look like strikes, infielders make missed tags look like outs, outfielders make traps look like catches, and baserunners in double-play situations aim their sliding feet at the second baseman instead of the bag.” Along with these little tricks the players learn, they also learn about performance-enhancing drug use, and how to get away with it. In the same article, Mike Hogan goes on to claim, “The tests are erratic and imperfect, and they cannot keep up with the creation of new chemical compounds. For every guy you catch, there are three more getting away with it.” This quote can backtrack to fans wanting PED usage to be allowed. There is nothing more disappointing going to a game and then hearing the teams favorite player was banned for PED use when it is known that his teammates, as well as the other side, are using as well. PED use should be regulated, and every player should have the opportunity to use the same PED’s as one another.
Now there could be a few arguments against performance-enhancing drug use in Major League Baseball; it puts players’ health in danger. However, while certain steroids have been found to have potentially detrimental effects when used for prolonged periods, performance-enhancing drugs such as human growth hormone are proven safe when used as advised. While no studies have shown any deadly side effects from human growth hormone (Arlene Weintraub), Harvard’s Mens Health Watch states that: “Patients can experience side effects that include fluid retention, joint and muscle pain, carpal tunnel syndrome (pressure on the nerve in the wrist causing hand pain and numbness), and high blood sugar levels” (MedSport). These side effects are generally short-lived, and are a small price to pay for athletes who need to get back onto the field faster. Author Jacob Beck states that if there is going to be an argument about player safety, it has to be looked at from all of the other perspectives as well as how the supplements can damage the athletes body. Pitchers stand directly in front of batters capable of hitting a ball with an exit velocity of up to 121.7 miles per hour, according to MLB’s Statcast. To add, a large number of pitchers end up needing Tommy-John surgery to repair their elbows, and a lot of catchers end up having knee issues that render them close to immobile later on in life. It no longer makes sense to ban a recovery agent that could help the league’s top players in the game for longer periods of time. Regulate the use of PED’s along with human growth hormone. Find a safe balance that eliminates the “performance-enhancing” side of the drugs and use them specifically for recovery purposes.
Steroids in professional baseball have been a prevalent issue since the early 1990s when athletes started destroying records and hitting the ball harder and farther than before. Since then, many tests have been implemented to keep the game as pure as possible. Athletes do what they can to weasel their way around the rules, trying to gain a competitive advantage wherever they can. Since baseball is not just a game of size, it is important to note that steroids can only do so much. Sure, they can help improve exit velocity when you hit the ball and diminish fatigue, but remember, professional baseball players do not usually have a problem with their mechanics. If the athletes did have problems with their mechanics, they would not be playing at a professional level. Regulated PED use can only benefit the game. PED use will bring in more money by filling the stands with spectators eager to catch the next home-run ball or see the future legend in the making. The players want it as well as the fans. Players get to stay on the field longer due to better recovery. It’s time to allow improved performance-enhancing drugs into Major League Baseball.
Works Cited
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