Elizabeth Peterson

The Use of Steroids in Major League Baseball

Baseball, an American tradition. Baseball is one of the oldest sports that has continually developed throughout the ages. Going to a baseball game on a sunny afternoon to cheer on your favorite team: it's been passed down from one baseball fanatic to the next. The crack of a bat and a ball soaring out past the outfield is a sight and sound that every baseball fan lives for. Except, when did that sound become a reason for baseball fans to wonder? What are they contemplating? The use of steroids that has haunted the headlines for Major League Baseball over the past two years.

Titles such as "Baseball Set for Automatic Steroid Tests," and "Baseball to penalize steroid use," have been a few of the many articles that have flooded the media. Barry Bonds, one of the most infamous names in the game of baseball, has become of the most controversial players when it has come to using steroids. Other players such as Jason Giambi, third baseman for the Yankees, and Sammy Sosa, right-fielder for the cubs, and Gary Sheffield, outfielder for the Yankees, have also been subject to such allegations (Sheinin).

Why is Barry Bonds one of the most sought out figures for the use of steroids? Well, ever since his accusations of using performance enhancing drugs, Barry Bonds has, once and only once, been randomly tested for steroid use (Brennan). This is a problem because according to Professor Charles Yesalis of health and human development at Penn State, "we know that a non-positive drug test doesn't mean you're a clean athlete" (qtd. in Brennan). Alan Rogol, University of Virginia Professor, also adds that, "one random drug test, if it's negative, only means that the athlete has taken no long-acting steroids for the last three to nine months, or no short-acting steroids for a much shorter period of time" (qtd. in Brennan).

This type of very infrequent testing, does not come close to comparing to what other athletes have to undergo. For example, Olympic swimmers, weight lifters, and ice-skaters are tested all year round on a frequent random basis (Brennan). From my personal experience as a swimmer, swimmers are tested for steroids before their race on the pool deck. Why aren't Major League Baseball players tested in the same way? Over a nineteen-year career, Bonds has been tested once for performance enhancing drugs. Baseball fans have had to do some serious thinking about who's playing fairly, and who isn't. "It's hard to know what's worse: a grown man being so sheltered by his union and so out of touch with what many athletes go through for the privilege of playing a sport, or the millions of baseball fans who might never know if they've cheated or not" (Brennan).

All of this steroid testing began in 2003 when 84 out of 1,200 players had tested positive for steroid use (Sheinin). As of now, the union isn't kicking anyone out of the game. It took some convincing to even suspend players, when in other sports, you would be sent home from the Olympics if you tested positive for steroid use, or just completely humiliated that you wouldn't even want to show your face again. No, in baseball you are given a fine, but that's not even until the second infraction. Also, the second time you were found guilty of using steroids, it's then that your name is put out to the public (Brennan). How many players do we know of that have use steroids but cleaned up their act in time? Nobody will really ever know.

At the start of the 2004 season, if you were found to have tested positive for steroid use for the first time, you were "forced to undergo treatment" ("Baseball to Penalize"). For the second infraction you were fined up to $10,000 and put on 15-day suspension. Each time the test came out positive, the consequences would increase, but not by anything that a multi-million dollar Major League Baseball player couldn't handle. Even the Senate has recognized the problems with the use of steroids among sports, and came up with a Bill that would "limit the sales of steroid precursors such as androsrenedione," which has been widely used among baseball players ("Senate Panel"). This is a step that will help, but won't be everything that it needs to be until the players see what the direct effect of steroids can do to a player. Recently, something very tragic has happened to a great player.
Ken Caminiti, is a name everyone has seen in the headlines over the past few weeks. His sudden heart attack that took his life at age forty-one has left the world of baseball in complete shambles because of his link to steroids. According to an article in the New York Times, Dr. Elliot Pellman, a medical advisor for Major League Baseball states, " Caminiti's death is a terrible tragedy, but you hope that his death was not in vain. Anybody who trivialized the difference between steroids and drugs is missing the point." Dr. Elliot is also referring to the use of cocaine that Caminiti struggled with throughout his adult life (Anderson 2C). Caminiti's death should be an alarm for many of the Major League Baseball players. During Caminiti's MVP season while on steroids, he was hitting a career-high of .326 with 40 home runs and 130 RBI's, compared to other years with Texas, Atlanta, San Diego, and Houston batting an average of .272. Steve Finley, outfielder for the Dodgers states, "He was a great player, but he got mixed up in the wrong things taking drugs. It's a sad reminder of how bad drugs are and what they can do to your body. It's a loss all of us will feel" (qtd. in Walker).

Ken Caminiti was one of the outspoken players for the harmful uses of steroids before his death. He was once quoted saying, "I did it wrong. My body shut down and stopped producing testosterone." After his accusations of using steroids and his career started to deteriorate, Caminiti was found on the disabled list for various reasons (Anderson 2C). Ken Caminiti was a figure that many players and fans looked to as a role model. His death is a reminder of what steroids can do, and how they can destroy your body.

The issue of steroids in baseball has greatly impacted the lives of the players and the fans. When sports fans open up the Sports section, they don't want to read another headline about who's been accused of steroids. Unfortunately, this issue is being added to media coverage more and more because the baseball union isn't cracking down as much as they should on the steroid issue. They think it's an "invasion of privacy." As far as I'm concerned, and any other concerned baseball fan, steroid use is detrimental to the sport of baseball. People don't want to worry about whether their favorite player is a cheater or not. Quite frankly, this is becoming a morality issue.

In the articles that I've found, many of the viewpoints discuss the fact that baseball isn't even close to comparing to other sports when it comes to the issue of testing for steroids. The frequency and accuracy for steroid testing needs to increase, and this has been the major theme in all of the articles that have discussed this issue. Bob Selig, commissioner of baseball, has been quoted throughout almost all of the articles about the steroid issue. Unlike the union, Selig is for a much stricter testing policy. According to an article by Hal Bodley, Selig has a desire to "get the union to agree to a policy that requires year-round testing and disciplinary action for the first offense" (Bodley, "Baseball Had Banner"). Since the union thinks that frequent drug testing is unnecessary and an invasion of privacy (Bodley, "Decision"), Bud Selig's take on this is the exact opposite.

What is the point of making the use of steroids among baseball players such a big deal? The use of steroids among baseball players was starting to grow in the 2003 season. More and more players were being accused, putting their reputation on the line as well as their team's, and the honesty of the sport of baseball. If people were looking through a newspaper, sports magazine, or internet site that was discussing the topic of steroid use in baseball, they would see names such as Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Jason Giambi, and many other players that have been accused of using steroids. Some of these players have been accurately accused, but others have been misleading. Gary Sheffield, one of the most vocal players about his steroid use, has testified to using an illegal testosterone-based cream in the 2002 season (Toronto Star). Other players have gotten to the point where they have publicly accused other players of using steroids. For example, Tim Montgomery accused Barry Bonds of using steroids, and Barry Bonds denied it (Bodley, "MLB"). What is a person who is reading about this supposed to think? This has caused many controversies in the baseball world.

If a player is performing exceptionally well, other players have free range to accuse that player of using steroids because there isn't a set rule for testing. The reason that the union needs to make stricter policies for this is because the way baseball is being covered in the media isn't the way that it should be. There should not be weekly articles about a new player who is being accused of using steroids. Anyone can open up to that sports section, and even if they aren't a baseball fan, their opinion of the sport of baseball has automatically changed. Anyone can turn on ESPN and see a new media brief about a new accusation a baseball player having to deny or accept their accusations of using some type of performance enhancing drug.

I think overall, the players' union, along with the support of the baseball clubs, needs to make a set, mandatory, year-round random drug testing crucial. The coverage on this issue needs to be lessened, and the purity of the sport needs to return. I've only discussed the media coverage on this issue for the past two years, and that's because testing only began in the 2003 season, and the penalties began in the 2004 season. This is an issue that is affecting the world of sports and the lives of baseball players. It's an issue that many people are finding new reports on every day, and it's a terrible way for players to try and enhance their performance.

Annotated Bibliography

Anderson, Dave. "Is Anybody Listening to Caminiti's Alarm?" New York Times. 13 October 2004, 2C.
This is an article from the New York Times, and it talks about Ken Caminiti and the affect his death had on the baseball world, and how hopefully it will lead to stricter steroid testing. It also talks about how hopefully this will be an alarm for the players and the union.

"Baseball to Penalize Steroid Use." St. Petersburg Times Online. 14 November 2004. Ebscohost. 26 October 2004.
This article was from 2003, and gave a lot of information when the use of steroids in baseball started to become a problem. Give interesting figures, and why steroid testing began in the sport of baseball. It was basically an informative article.

Brennan, Christine. "One Clean Test from Bonds Pales in Comparison." USA Today. 30 September 2004. Ebscohost. 20 October 2004.
This article compares the once a year random drug testing of baseball players compared to other sports. Gave the authors opinions about this topic, and how it's a disgrace to the sport of baseball.

Bodley, Hal. "Baseball Had Banner First Half, Selig Says." USA Today. 14 July 2004. Ebscohost. 20 October 2004.
This article talks about Bud Selig's views on the steroid issue. He wants a stricter policy, and the union doesn't. This is an informative piece, and the author isn't biased one way or the other.

Bodley, Hal. "Decision on Expos Not Expected Anytime Soon." USA Today. 30 July 2004. Ebscohost. 20 October 2004.
Article ,again, gives a lot of Bud Selig's views on this issue. He was a former player, and he's talking a lot about the way the union used to be, and how it is now.

Bodley, Hal. "MLB Can't Discipline Without a Positive Test." USA Today. 25 June 2004. Ebscohost. 20 October 2004.
The last paragraph in this article is really informative because it gives the new consequences for the players using steroids. It also gives different perspectives of what the union thinks about it. This is a mainly informative article.

"Senate Panel OKs Steroid Precursor Limits." Community Custom Wire. 30 September 2004. Ebscohost. 21 October 2004.
This article is talking about the Senate, and how they're taking action about limiting and eliminating the sales of steroids. The author portrays this small article as totally informative.

Sheinin, Dave. "Baseball Set for Automatic Steroid Tests." Washington Post. 14 November 2003. 20 October 2004 <http://www.washingtonpost.com>.
This is a more in depth article about the penalties and regulations about the use of steroids. It was written in 2003, and talks about the upcoming 2004 season. This is an important article because it will constitute what players will take it seriously and which ones won't. The ones that think they can get away with it are covered in later articles about using steroids.

"Sheffield in Clear Despite Admission." Toronto Star. 6 October 2004. Ebscohost. 21 October 2004.
Article about Gary Sheffield, and it talks about how he is one of the most controversial players with steroid usage. Also gives some insinuation about how the MLB isn't happy that he is so open with his usage of steroids.

Walker, Ben. "Ken Caminiti, 1996 National League MVP, Dies at Age 41." Healthcare Custom Wire. 11 October 2004. Ebscohost. 22 October 2004.
This article is completely about Ken Caminiti, and his previous use of drugs and steroids. It also has other players talking about him, and it also gives comparisons about his statistics when he was on steroids compared to when he wasn't. This is an informative piece.

Writers memo:
1) I still need to add a few more details about different figures in baseball that are being accused of steriods.
2)The use of steroids in baseball has greatly impacted the lives of players, fans, and the overall outlook of baseball.
3)Write more
4)Do the first few paragraphs seem like I'm covering enough of the media perspectives? How much more should I add?
5)I added part two to the paper. Did I cover the second part correctly and add all the stuff that's supposed to be in it?
6) Added more small details to make the paper transition and flow a bit smoother. I also did the annotated bibliography and cited credited all the pieces in my paper. All I have left is to revise.
7) How do I site my source in the paper if I don't have an author? Also, I have two articles by the same author, how do I site that in my paper?
8) I had to go back through my works cited and fix the publishing date. There were also a few parenthetical documentation problems through my paper that I had to fix. Other than that the paper was done, and nothing else was really changed.
9) I tried really hard to get the ideas separated, and to get them to flow together in this paper. This paper was very interesting to write, but I had so much information in front of me that I had to group the information that was relative together, and then get rid of some of the interesting information that wouldn't helped very much in the paper. I also worked specifically on my transitions because I felt like in this paper it was especially important to make it flow so it would make sense while still having interesting content.