The Problem of Steroids Within Baseball

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    Baseball in my opinion is one of the best sports out there. As good as it can be though, there can also be problems with it. One of these problems is steroids. Steroids have cast a long, dark shadow over baseball raising questions about fairness and integrity of the game. For decades baseball was "the American dream," where skill and dedication could elevate a player. However, this ideal has been more complicated within the last twenty years with the more recent rise in steroids. The use of steroids in baseball has created a divide between players that don't and do use steroids. The players who don't use steroids strive for success through their natural talent, while the players that use steroids try to gain an advantage through "cheating." 

    One of the biggest issues with steroids in baseball is the blow it makes to integrity. Baseball batting records are a very important aspect of the game. When a player hits a ball while on steroids, it often results in the ball going further than it would've normally. When players like Sammy Sosa were found out to have been using steroids, it casts a shadow of doubt on their batting records and achievements as players. Another example is Barry Bonds who holds both the single-season and career home run records. After he was found to be using steroids, a lot of his fans and analysts viewed his accomplishments with a grain of salt. To them, the record books were tainted, and a lot of fans questioned the validity of his feats. This loss of trust between players and fans disrupts the spirit of baseball and has the potential to alienate fans.

    Steroid use also undermines the sense of fair competition that is present with all sports. When some players choose to use steroids, they gain a physical advantage over players that choose not to use steroids. This distorts the playing field, allowing some players to train harder, perform better, and help players on steroids to recover faster. This can pressure some players to consider using steroids to keep up with those that already use them. For young athletes, this message becomes troubling by essentially saying "in order to become competitive, you might have to take steroids and risk your health." This is a very unhealthy incentive structure that severely damages the sport of baseball and creates a culture that incentivizes shortcuts. 

    As just mentioned above, another significant consequence of steroid use in baseball are the health risks for players. Steroids can have both severe physical and mental health impacts. Some of these include heart disease, hormonal imbalances, liver damage, and aggressive behavior from the extra testosterone. The pressure to maintain peak performance can end up having players overlooking the negative health risks. Baseball is an already physically demanding sport and is intense, adding harmful substances into the mind only increases those risks. 

    For baseball to truly recover from the looming shadow of steroids, there has to be a change in the culture. This includes promoting natural training, celebrating achievements of baseball players that don't take steroids, and starting young by educating young baseball players about the dangers of steroids and why they shouldn't take them. Players, fans, and the MLB must come together to combat the use of steroids and emphasize integrity over taking shortcuts. Only then can baseball regain its credibility, and the problem of steroids can be resolved. 

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