A Brief Description of Alex Rodriguez

The Major League Baseball organization is one of many sport organizations that takes a strong stance on athletes that use performance enhancing drugs. Mark McGwire played for the Cardinals in 1998. He had an amazing career as he broke the homerun record with 70 homeruns. Through his accomplishments, there was speculation that he took steroids. He was questioned about it in Federal Court and at first, he denied it. Later on, he admitted using Andro, which is a form of anabolic steroids. Another baseball player had a very similar story. Barry Bonds played for the San Francisco Giants. He likewise had very notable achievements, such as beating McGuire for the homeroom record and he passed Hank Aaron as the career all-time home run hitter.

In November of 2005, the Major League Baseball commissioner at the time, Bud Selig, finally got the tougher drug policy that he had been asking for. The process was expedited when Congress demanded the policy be strengthened. A failed steroid test would result in much more than merely missing a week of baseball.

Alex Rodriguez is the third baseman for the New York Yankees. He has been playing for the Yankees since 2004, but has been playing professional baseball since 1994. Alex Rodriguez can be considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of Hispanic descent and has broken records previously set Sammy Sosa, who is also one of baseball's greatest players of Hispanic descent.

Alex Rodriguez is an American beloved baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter. He has played 22 seasons in MLB for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. Here are top 5 facts you probably didn't know about Alex Rodriguez.

"Derek Jeter, a professional ballplayer for the Yankees…" are the exact words Derek Jeter, himself, used in his eighth-grade yearbook (Jeter xvi). For as long as he could remember, Jeter has longed to be a New York Yankee. Fifteen years after predicting he would be a professional ballplayer for the Yankees, Derek Jeter is now more than a Yankee. Jeter isn't only a Yankee; he is a family guy and a World Champion. His career started when he was five years old, and everything has evolved from there. Sports fans know what life for Derek Jeter is now, but what was life like before he became a world champion, superstar, and captain of the New York Yankees.

“Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, all of these baseball players have admitted to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs)” (“Performance Enhancing Drugs”). “Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris’s 37 year old record of 61 home runs. McGwire hit a total of 70 home runs in 1998. Sammy Sosa also broke Maris’s record with 66 homeruns.” In “2001 Barry Bonds broke Mark McGwire’s home run record by hitting 73”. “In 2009 Sosa, Bonds, and McGwire all admitted to using PEDs during their careers” (“Sports Tarninshed”). Many professional baseball players have admitted to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs through out their career. Performance Enhancing Drugs have given these players an unfair advantage

Icing to get on the field, Rodriguez went to his own doctor and got medically cleared to participate in the Teams practices again, against the teams wishes. General manager, Brian Cashman said that Rodriguez did not have the teams permission and he should “shut the fuck up.” On August 5 of 2013, the MLB made a decision to suspend Rodriguez for the whole 2014 season. In February of 2015 Rodriguez apologized, but it was too late. He had an alright season, but was removed as the starting third basemen and made the everyday designated hitter. Then 2016 came around, and it was a short one; Rodriguez started and batted cleanup for about half the year, he was then benched. On August 7, Alex Rodriguez was told he was going to be released by the New York Yankees and he can either retire, try to sign with another team, or become a special advisor in helping the development of the Minor Leaguers. Trying to save his image, Rodriguez went with the option of being a special advisor with the

Then two years later, he resembled an NFL linebacker. He played in an era that many sports writers have labeled “The Steroid Era” and with his sudden jump in production and size is a great piece of evidence that should be held against him. His statistics over a three year span had increased at such an amazing rate, one of the fastest rates in Major League history. Over the years of 1996 thorough 1999, Barry Bonds averaged 35 home runs per year (Elias). But in 2000, Bonds hit 49 home runs, then came out the next year and hit a record setting 73 home runs in a season, which is a great indicator that he used performance enhancing drugs over this specific time (Elias). The evidence that has been found and recorded on the topic of Bonds and performance enhancing drugs is plentiful, and all of this information should be used against him in a movement to convict him of robbing the game of baseball and hurting the structure of the game so many Americans love and enjoy.

Baseball traditionalists got wind of this after a while though and charged the mound in essence to prove doping was wrong. That doing steroids undercuts baseball as a whole and its records left behind by legends. The medical community as a whole would later back this up and told of the serious side effects that ranged from male breast development to mood swings that would be later known as ‘roid rage. This would not be good for the public because the fans emulate what their idols do and if that’s what they believe needed to be done to be more like them they would. Eventually in almost every high school in the country, young athletes are told about these health risks associated with using Performance-enhancing drugs.

Alex won his third AL (American League) home run title in a row and won his first AL MVP award in 2003. However what people didn’t know is that A-Rod tested positive for two anabolic steroids. Rodriguez showed up on a list with another 104 players in the MLB (Epstein and Roberts). If you ask me I think that all of the players on that list should’ve got suspended including Alex because 2003 ended up being one of his best years as a pro. Without those anabolic steroids I don’t think that he would’ve produced like he did. However according to Epstein and Roberts “Though MLB's drug policy has expressly prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991, there were no penalties for a positive test in 2003.” Even after this news comes out the New York Yankees trade for Alex send Alfonso Soriano to the Rangers in one of the biggest blockbuster

players who admitted to taking these performance enhancers. Luckily for him he took these steroids in his 2003 season with the Texas rangers, and the MLB didn’t start testing until the 2004 season. So he couldn’t get in trouble really for taking the drug the previous season. Alex Rodriguez still to this day catches a lot of grief for his past actions when he was juicing. I believe this was a really smart choice for Rodriguez to come out saying that he did take performance enhancers in 2003. He was able to keep his name for the most part; he is still respected amongst the baseball world. Rodriguez still may suffer the ultimate punishment for his actions even though he did do the right thing by coming out and admitting that he cheated the game. Rodriguez may not make it to the hall of

“Bacsik 3-2 again. There’s a swing and a high fly ball, right-center field. Back it goes. Racing back, Logan jumping up, and that ball is gone! (Four-second pause) No. 756. Barry Bonds stands alone. And on the night of August 7, 2007, in San Francisco, California, Barry Lamar Bonds has hit more home runs than any major leaguer in the history of baseball.” (Times Union, ESPN). Barry Bonds hold the record for the most homeruns in baseball. His legacy is very well known, but it is also tainted. Barry Bonds took performance enhancing drugs, to get to where he is today. Performance Enhancing Drugs are hurting sports, and people. It defines the word “cheating” in all aspects.

After tons of investigation and trying to buy the documents MLB suspended Alex Rodriguez on August 5, 2013 for the 2014 season (211 games). Twelve other players connected to the Biogenesis scandal were given a 50 game suspension. Rodriguez received a longer suspension because of “his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years” and “for his attempts to cover up those violations and obstruct a league investigation”, according to MLB. The only player ,out of thirteen, to appeal

A prime example of steroid controversy on the Hall of Fame ballot is Mark McGwire. McGwire (pictured left) hit 583 home runs, including what was once a record of 70 in the 1998 season for the St. Louis Cardinals. McGwire’s career was tainted when he was caught with Androstenedione in his locker during the 1998 season. Androstenedione better known as Andro, is a steroid precursor which is banned from baseball. When McGwire was questioned about steroid use at a Congressional hearing on March 17, 2005, he repeatedly said, “I’m not here to discuss the past” (qtd. in McGwire Unlikely). This damaged McGwire’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame ballot by raising the suspicion of drug use, influencing BBWAA writers not to vote for him. McGwire has received close to a 25 percent vote on the ballot the three-years running up to 2012. Not nearly the 75 percent needed for induction. Several BBWAA writers discussed their stance on McGwire’s silence at the Congressional hearing; that it was a tacit admission that he used steroids while playing. McGwire needs to clarify his past and explain whether or not he used steroids, in order to maintain his integrity and character. When evaluating McGwire’s 16 year

In 2013, 12 Major League Baseball players each received fifty game suspensions without pay for using performance enhancing drugs. Big names such as Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez were on this list. Testosterone, an illegal substance, is what is found in the performance enhancing drugs. Testosterone increases male characteristics such as body hair, aggression, deepening of the voice, and of course massive muscle growth (“Steroids” par. 1). Some professional athletes claim to use performance enhancing drugs to recover more quickly from injury; others take them because they have not seen the positive feedback in working out, without the use of the steroids. Steroids may be referred to as 'roids', juice, hype, or pump and they are