Steroids : The Corruption Of Baseball

Steroids have a long-term, negative effect on the human body. These effects range from cardiovascular problems to mental and psychological issues such as rage and anger problems. Steroid use has been linked to increased alcohol consumption, marijuana use, cigarette smoking, and narcotic use (Buckman, Farris & Yusko, 2013). Many athletes may not be aware of the lasting effects steroids can have because all they are worried about is their performance, not their health.

     It was a warm, sultry night in September. The fans were crazed in anticipation as Mark McGwire stepped to the plate. With a gentle stretch, he paused, patiently poised, waiting for what would eventually be the greatest hit baseball had ever seen. The pitcher, Steve Trachsel, came set. He shot a determined look to the dirt. In a rivalry such as this (Cubs, Cardinals) he did not want to be the one to give up the great number 62. He cocked his arm back, to let loose what would be an eighty-eight mile an hour fastball that most men would not see fly by, but Big Mac was not most men. With one mighty swing, sixty-one was no more, ney sayers were silenced, and the game

The steroid era has been a big thing the past ten years in major league baseball. A good example from the steroid era would be Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez. In August 2013, Alex Rodriguez was suspended from baseball for 211 games for multiple use of steroids. Using steroids never helps you in the end. It only hurts your career during the time you play and hurts you after your career is over. Alex Rodriguez was one of the greatest baseball players of all time until everyone found out he was cheating and using steroids. Using steroids ruined the career of many professionals especially Alex Rodriguez. Steroids possibly ruined his chances to go to the hall of fame after his career is over. There is nothing good that happens when you use

Furthermore, steroids are terrible for the sports world in general. Athletes who abuse steroids cheat the game and themselves. “The use of performance-enhancing drugs by professional athletes, or doping, has been acknowledged as a problem since at least the 1960s” (Performance Enhancing Drugs In Sports Fast Facts). Many superstar athletes had their reputation completely ruined because of being caught of cheating the game they play. Steroids are ruining professionals sports the more and more athletes decide to abuse performance-enhancing

Baseball is known as America’s pastime and is one of the most popular, respected sports on earth. Since the beginning of the sport, it seemingly advances with technology every year making faster and stronger players. The use of steroids became rampant and spread among players and has carried them away from the true history of the game they play. Controversy still today runs around the sport today about fines, punishments and record breaking. The past two decades of Major League Baseball have been tainted because of the use of performance enhancing drugs, also known as steroids, causing the loss of many fans and the true meaning of America’s favorite sport.

Since Major League Baseball all-star Ken Caminiti openly admitted to Sports Illustrated to have used steroids during his career, steroid use as a muscle and performance enhancer has been uncovered and become a big issue Major League Baseball is wrestling with. The “ongoing and delicate subject, baseball’s dirty, little secret that is no secret anymore,” is a huge and growing problem (Curry B20). Now that light has been shed on the issue, critics are beginning to realize the magnitude of this problem and do not like it. Steroids are a cheating virus that is spreading quickly. Users cheat other players, themselves, the fans, and the game itself. Action must be taken to rid Major League Baseball of this virus

“Going, Going, Gone, Home Run!” everyone knows what this means when an announcer says it. The game of baseball is a different sport, unlike basketball and football; you do not necessarily need strength to be dominant. So, why are steroids a big issue in baseball? Steroids, in particular, anabolic steroids, build up cellular tissue or muscle. However, they do not give you the necessary skills to play the game. I am almost certain the world’s strongest man could not hit a home run on a major league field, so why punish those who have used steroids? Steroids are not like magic and transform and average man

Today’s players are bigger and stronger than the baseball heroes of yesterday and many sports writers and baseball analysts suspect the reason involves the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids. U.S. lawmakers are considering a national anti-steroid policy to discourage players from using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. (Miga) Anabolic-androgenic steroids are man made substances related to male sex hormones. These steroids are used by athletes to artificially raise testosterone levels in the body. Raising testosterone levels allows the user to train longer and harder, increase

Users have different reasons for doping and, subsequently, steroids have different health consequences. Some common side effects from steroid use are the following: acne, genital changes, water retention, yellowing of the eyes and skin; women may experience: male-pattern baldness, decreased breast size, deeper voices, hairy bodies, and menstrual irregularities; men may experience: reduced sperm production, shrinking of the testicles, impotence, difficulty or pain in urinating, baldness, and irreversible breast enlargement. But these are just minor setbacks right? One could say that, like those aren’t bad, but researchers have also linked steroid abuse to much more serious risks such as: fatal liver cysts, liver cancer, blood clotting, cholesterol changes, hypertension, stroke, and even heart attack. Despite all these potential problems, many still choose to take steroids.

Why Major League Baseball players would use steroids is the biggest question that every person in the world wants to know. I think MLB players use steroids so they can bulk up and get stronger, which will allow them to last through the long, seven-month season. I think that because they play 162 games a year during these seven months that this causes a great deal of wear and tear on their bodies. Especially if a player gets hurt, they might try to take illegal medicines, such as steroids, to help them get back on the field quicker, hoping that maybe they could help their team win the pennant.

Perhaps one of the most controversial topics in Major League Baseball is the discussion of the use of steroids and human growth hormones. Both are completely illegal in the sport, and come with drastic consequences. One would think a fifty game suspension as a first offense would scare players away, but for some reason steroids in baseball is occurring more and more often to the disappointment of Major League Baseball. The reason players take steroids in the first place is to enhance their performance on the field. Steroids make players stronger and they perform at a higher rate. Another use for steroids is to help the players on certain rehab assignments for injuries. Either way, it is still illegal and banned in the sport.

People use steroids for many reasons whether it is to bulk up, perform faster and stronger or to improve their physique. Steroids are known to produce both anabolic and androgenic effects. Which are muscle building and masculine characteristic effects. The anabolic effects raise testosterone

The sport that has gotten the most attention on the subject of steroids is Major League Baseball. Due to the suspected prevalence of them from the late 80’s up until the present day, the so-called baseball purists now question all the records and achievements

While they are illegal the companies can experiment and create their own undercover. While their condition may seem to meet health standards, years into the future the long term effects of these drugs may never leave their system and can wreak havoc on former athletes lives. Most typical of these drugs are Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, which are injections of hormones which promote masculine features that promote tissue building and secondary reproductive system development. Usually this results in side effects like greasy/ oily skin and acne, infertility, hypertension, liver and kidney dysfunction, aggressive behaviour, and tumors. This can also harbor sex-specific effects, like in females: low voices, excess hair, baldness, and deeper voices and in males the opposite reaction giving them breast development, lower testosterone and risk for prostate cancer. A chilling example of these detrimental effects were seen at the olympics between 1968 and 1988 when East Germany had used state-funded drugs on countless athletes. From as young as the ages of 8, prospects were told to take certain “vitamins” everyday by coaches.

In the past three decades, steroids has been becoming a serious problem more than ever in the athletic field. Steroids are anabolic drug "to build" growth hormones that include the androgens (male sex hormones) principally testosterone and estrogen and progestogens (female sex hormones). Steroids were first developed for medical purposes. They're used in controlling inflammation, strengthening weakened hearts, preventing conception, and alleviating symptoms of arthritis and asthma. Unfortunately research has shown that steroids have been abused in almost every kind of sport. Although steroids contribute to a muscular body, usage should remain illegal because they physically deteriorate and mentally destroy the body.