In a society that demands perfection in every sense of the word, we are consistently encouraged to perform better than all others, to be “ahead of the curve.” With such pressure upon us, it is inevitable that some will attempt to make that journey easier through questionable means. But how far would you go to achieve greatness?
Recently, reports have surfaced involving Yankee Alex Rodriguez testing positive for 2 anabolic steroids in 2003, when he was named AL MVP as shortstop for the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez is only the latest in a long list of baseball players already called out for their use of the illegal drugs.
Filling the ranks of this list are such players as former Oriole Rafael Palmeiro and Oakland’s Jose Canseco, who also wrote Juiced, a personal novel in which he calls out numerous others for using steroids. Juiced was almost a catalyst of sorts, from which a flurry of other accusations and admittances came forth.
Of these, 2007’s Mitchell Report may be the most important. This 409-page document was the product of former senator George Mitchell’s 20-month investigation into performance-enhancing drug use within Major League Baseball. This would also prove to be a spark that, in turn, fueled even more investigations.
These would lead to many implications, in which not enough evidence is present to convict. Within this group, some of the bigger players are named, including Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and former Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens.
Above all else, this A-Rod scandal is more than just another user getting caught. It represents another instance of an individual resorting to cheating in order to become that much better. On it own, this would not be nearly as big of a problem but these baseball players are regarded as role models to young athletes nationwide.
As a result, more young athletes are resorting to using performance-enhancing drugs, whether they may be in the form of anabolic steroids or human growth hormone. As it slowly becomes a more widespread problem, how does one go about solving something this big?
When all else fails, one concept remains clear, and Ryan Ring of the Zanesville Times Recorder understands this. “The simple concept of any game is ‘do whatever it takes to win’ and no one can deny that,” he states. “The only way to obtain success in the business is through fans, and the only way to obtain more fans is through winning.”
Based on that observation, one can easily argue that steroid usage can be justified on the basis of self-improvement, but does that make it right? In the end, as with any medication, side effects are always going to present themselves in one way or another. Sure, they may be able to assist a player in “getting bigger,” but the use of steroids can lead that person down a much darker road.
In an interview with the New York Daily News in 2007, reliever Dan Naulty held nothing back. “My fastball had increased from 86 m.p.h. to 95 m.p.h. in just three short years. I left college at 185 pounds and entered the 1996 season at 240 pounds,” Naulty stated. “I had cheated my way right onto the team that year by using steroids, human growth hormone and amphetamines.”
So, with that in mind, steroids seem like a great choice if one desires to become that much better. But, side effects do crop up and Naulty felt them in the worst way. After the Yankees won the 1999 World Series, Naulty fell victim to depression, a common side effect of steroids. “On the night that you would think was a big, happy celebration night, I wanted to die because my emotional state was in such disarray that I started thinking about suicide.”
As horrible as these side effects can potentially be, it doesn’t seem to stop players at any level from using. Greg Lemon, assistant baseball coach at Temple University, feels that it all comes down to the “chance to advance a career.” As he states, “If you can take one cycle and get a scholarship or get drafted or whatever the case, people think that it is a risk worth taking.”
Either way, the widespread usage of steroids is out of control. If the true goal is to eradicate steroids, then the problem must be stopped where it begins: at the early levels of competition. It must be encouraged early on that steroids are not a morally sound way to advance in any aspect of sports.
Steroids in all forms should be banned, but that may prove to be a more difficult task than ever before imagined. As Lemon states, “the easiest thing to do would be to allow people to take whatever they want. We now know that they are going to cheat and try to get away with things so why not just let them do it?” As with any situation, sometimes the easiest solution is not always what’s right, so perhaps Major League Baseball needs to man up and make the right decision and do what’s needed.
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When the last shred of confetti fell after the Super Bowl and the Pittsburgh Steelers walked off with their sixth Lombardi trophy, the majority of the action was done. The NFL season was over and fans across the country fell into depression as the six month wait for preseason play began. We did it! I didn't think we could pull it off, but we did and now we're headed down to Miami for the first game of our tournament, against #6 Arizona St. Now, if we make it past this game, we'll likely play #3 Syracuse, but we'll just take it one game at a time. Congrats to the team and good luck! With wins against St. Joe's and nationally-ranked Xavier, Temple now finds itself in the Atlantic 10 Championship yet again! As I mentioned on the homepage, I haven't been able to post for some time due to my crazy laptop, but no worries. So, T.O. has flown the coop in Dallas, (Thank God!), and now finds himself in Buffalo. After that nice bit of alliteration, I think it’s time for me to finally start my first sports column on the website. As a foreword, it’s been mentioned that I love all sports. However, I will cover only the stories that I really want to. For instance, as much as I love hockey, I’m never going to give more attention to someone like the Chicago Blackhawks or the Anaheim Ducks over the Flyers. |
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