Thursday, March 18, 2010

Steroid Era in Baseball: Top story of the Decade

The biggest story in the last decade is the steroid era in baseball. The steroid era made the homeruns going out at a fast rate then ever. The most swirling controversy came when Barry Bonds was setting all kinds of homerun records like the most homeruns in a season with 73 and the most homeruns of all time. I remember the hype was bigger for Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire chasing the single season homerun record of Roger Maris. The homerun record has stood so long that it was almost legendary when Mark McGwire broke the record.

The steroid era in baseball mostly affects student-athletes. The reason that I say that is because younger athletes look at professional athletes as mentors. The steroids users in baseball are setting a bad example for up and coming athletes. Financially, the steroid era put a lot of people in the seats. Everyone wanted to see the game when Barry Bonds broke the all time homerun record. Mr. Bonds reputation dropped quickly when his name was associated with steroids. No one likes a cheater according to Josh Feinberg article on student athletes perceptions of athletes who cheat. Mr. Feinberg relates the students attitudes to the perception of students cheating in school (2009). The problem with the steroid era in baseball is that the players were getting away with using steroids for a long time because the fans were packing the seats to see the homeruns being hit at a rapid rate.

As a former student athlete, I feel that baseball needs to punish the superstar player who took steroids by not letting them into the hall of fame. Jim Bunning, a former baseball player turned announcer furthers my argument by saying major league baseball needs to set an example for children and young athletes not to use steroids as a way to get ahead of the competition (Schlesinger 2009). There is no place for cheaters in the hall of fame when the previous baseball players set their records through honest hard work. That is the message that needs to be sent to students across the country that great achievements are accomplished through hard work, determination, and desire. As a former student athlete, I realize that they put a lot of pressure on you to perform and that is why athletes choose to have an edge like steroids. Athletes need to start thinking of the long run and not the instant boost that steroids give the athletes. I realized in life that the harder you have to work to get something the more fulfilling it becomes. I hope the athletes of the future will understand that cheating will only help them in the short run but will hurt them badly in the long run of their life.

References

Schlesinger, R (2009). Steroids, Baseball and the Hall of Fame. Retrieved from

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/07/26/steroids-baseball-and-the-hall-of-fame.html

Feinberg, J. (2009). College students’ Perceptions of Athletes Who Cheat: The Role of performance and History. Journal of sports behavior. Retrieved March 18, 2010 from EBSCO host database

Video to top stories of the decade

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1368367744

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