Am I naive to believe that there are still baseball players out there who can achieve greatness and manage to break records in an acceptable way? Not every Major League Baseball player uses steroids to boost their performance in order to succeed. It is fair to say that a majority of baseball fans wish to feel this way when they hear that a specific baseball player just broke the record for one thing or another. Yet here we are, as a general public, second-guessing any athlete who is just a little bit more successful than the average player.
It is a shame a handful of players ruined the record-breaking experience for all baseball players to come. ESPN commentator, Gene Wojciechowskin makes this point so clearly, yet unfortunately, true:
Thank you, Barry Bonds. And while we’re at it, thank you, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Roger Clemens. And you, too, Sammy Sosa. Thanks for turning us into cynics and skeptics, even nonbelievers. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista hits his 42nd home run of the season – only one fewer than his combined totals for 2009, 2008, and 2007 – and what’s one of the first reactions? He must be juicing. He's taking daily doses of Vitamin S. He somehow has evaded the HGH police.
In August of 2007, Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run, breaking the record that Hank Aaron had held for 33 years. He broke the record in the midst of accusations suggesting his use of steroids. Consequently, today, when a player achieves a monumental record, such as exceeding the sum of his last three season totals combined, we subconsciously think back to Barry Bonds and whether or not he “broke” the record with the help of performance enhancing drugs.
It is almost as though we have been brainwashed. Sports fans around the world now believe that pure talent cannot lead the way to a record-breaking career; the only way this can be done is with steroids. This is preposterous! Yes, the players who used the drugs can be blamed for the way we judge and speculate but is it partially our fault, too? We have the ability to say we don't automatically assume that an extremely talented baseball player uses steroids but quite frankly, you would be lying. We're at the point today where those dreaded thoughts are the first that come to our minds.
This speculation is a result of the players who took advantage of the trust and support of their fans and expected they could rise above the rules to raise their chances of success. There are those who admit to wrongdoing and then are generally forgiven for their mishaps. And there are those who deny that they ever did anything wrong and then when the public finds out they were lying, forgiveness is less likely. That is what separates the baseball players who are forever looked down upon and those that continue with a successful career (or maybe just a mediocre career). This has been seen in Major League Baseball each time a new player tests positive for performance enhancing drugs.
Could it be that our forgiveness is what is making steroids take over the game of baseball? Baseball fans have forgiven greats like Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez but that might just be the problem. The public could very well be telling baseball players it’s okay to use steroids as long as they admit to their usage if they get caught; then they will be forgiven and can carry on with a successful career. Should we instead treat these users like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens if they get caught, regardless of their reaction? Perhaps this rejection would show that ruining America
New York Yankees left-handed starting pitcher, Andy Pettitte, was one of several Yankees players to be reported in the December 13, 2007 Mitchell Report for having used human growth hormone (HGH). On December 15th of the same year, Pettitte confirmed that the claims were true. Andy Pettitte’s acknowledgement of his usage with no denial could very well be the reason he is still pitching for the Yankees. Although this is a similar situation to Barry Bonds in regards to the usage of banned substances, Pettitte admitted flat out unlike Bonds who always avoided whether or not he actually took the drugs. As a result of his immediate comments on the issue, Pettitte is still contributing to the baseball community even though he was technically caught cheating.
During the eras of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays, people rarely second guessed whether or not these men truly earned their title as some of the best home run hitters in baseball. It was just assumed that with a lot of hard work and determination they became the extraordinary players that they were. So what has happened since the 1960s and the 1970s that has caused the change in standards? Why do today’s players feel that they need to be the best of the best and in order to do that they need to do so by putting harmful substances into their bodies. It is a known fact that achieving these great statistics can be done by natural ways so why would you choose to do it in any other way? Do these men that take steroids have no self conscience? When they are called the best home run hitter in the history of baseball but they know they did it against MLB rules and regulations, do they not feel guilty about the giant prank they just pulled off on all of the baseball fans out there?
Hank Aaron, who had held the home run record with 755 home runs before Barry Bonds broke it, was quoted saying, “I'm not a judge and I'm not a juror ... I'm just saddened for baseball and saddened for Clemens and Bonds, both.” However, there is no reason to be saddened for Bonds and Clemens when they put themselves in the position of getting caught using the drugs and they did not have to lie about the fact that they used them. There is no one to blame in this situation but the men who thought they could rise above the other players by using steroids.
If this is how baseball has changed in the last fifty years, what is going to happen fifty years from now? The usage of steroids is just another form of cheating and lying. It takes away our ability to celebrate and recognize those athletes who worked their hardest to achieve success naturally in a well-deserved manner.
