Performance Enhancing Drugs in

Major League Baseball

Critical Thinking Research Paper
Nolan Bay
CP ! Blue
March "#$%
Because Performance Enhancing Drugs in Major League Baseball is making it easy for players
to e&cel in the game by ha'ing more energy an( a(renaline) allo*ing players to reco'er from games
faster an( easier than others) an( remo'ing fair+play from baseball) llan ,- .Bu(/ 0elig) the
commissioner of Major League Baseball) nee(s to regulate in+season (rug tests by establishing a
sche(ule to routinely check for the presence of P-E-D1s in players- The current policy for the testing of
Performance Enhancing 0ubstances an( 0timulants) such as 0teroi(s) in athletes is as follo*s2 3Each
Player shall be teste( upon reporting to spring training-----4n a((ition to the testing con(ucte( pursuant
to 0ection 5--$ abo'e) an a((itional $)%## tests shall be con(ucte( of ran(omly+selecte( players at
unannounce( times for the presence of Performance Enhancing 0ubstances an( 0timulants-6
.MLB-com/ 7hile this policy may *ork as players *ill be caught off guar( *hen subject to testing)
many players *ill not be subject to testing (espite using steroi(s themsel'es- Major League Baseball
also has in place Reasonable Cause Testing) *hich states 3 4n the e'ent that either Party has
information that gi'es it reasonable cause to belie'e that a Player has) in the pre'ious $"+month perio()
engage( in the use) possession) sale or (istribution of a Performance Enhancing 0ubstance or
0timulant-----the Player *ill be subject to an imme(iate urine an( or bloo( specimen collection) or a
program of testing-6.MLB-com/- E'en *ith these t*o policies in place) the system is not effecti'e for
catching an( punishing all those *ho use banne( substances- The Commissioner of Major League
Baseball nee(s to establish a sche(ule for man(atory an( regulate( in season testing on players in
a((ition to the other t*o policies in place in or(er to more efficiently test an( catch players using
Performance Enhancing Drugs in baseball-
0teroi(s) along *ith other Performance Enhancing Drugs) hit Major League Baseball1s banne(
substance list in $!!$- During the $!!#1s) offensi'e numbers in Major League Baseball skyrockete(- 4n
$!!8) 0ami 0osa hit our 99 ,ome runs) % short of ho* many Mark Mc:uire hit out in the same year)
;#- That *as a single season recor( at the time- <ust 5 years later) in "##$) Barry Bon(s hit ;5 ,ome
runs to set a ne* recor(- 4n $!!8) Mc:*ire confesse( to using a Performance Enhancing Drug in an
ssociate( Press inter'ie* an( later) in "#$# he again a(mitte( an( state() 34 *ish 4 ha( ne'er touche(
steroi(s- 4t *as foolish an( it *as a mistake- 4 truly apologi=e- Looking back) 4 *ish 4 ha( ne'er playe(
(uring the steroi( era6.sports-espn-com/- 4n the early "###1s Barry Bon(s *as accuse( of lying *hile
un(er oath about his allege( use of steroi(s an( in "##! 0ammy 0osa *as also accuse( of using
P-E-D1s- E'en though 0teroi(s an( other P-E-D1s *ere on Major League Baseball1s banne( substance list
in $!!$) Major League Baseball (i( not begin testing for the presence of Performance Enhancing
Drugs in athletes until the year of "##5-
Testing for the presence of Performance Enhancing Drugs began in the "##5 season) as it
became e'i(ent that steroi( use *as occurring *ithin baseball in the pre'ious years) *ith offensi'e
numbers on the rise- This first policy calle( for 3one ran(om test per player per year *ith no
punishments in the first year- 4f more than >? of players teste( positi'e in "##5) tougher) puniti'e
testing *oul( be implemente(----if less than "->? of players teste( positi'e in t*o consecuti'e years)
testing *oul( be (roppe(-6.berkeley-e(u/- More than >? of players ha( teste( positi'e in "##5) so
Major League Baseball continue( in "##% *ith (rug testing- Then) in "##>) Major League Baseball
announce( an up(ate( (rug test policy) *hich 3inclu(es year+roun( testing an( stricter penalties for
steroi( use6.berkeley-e(u/- The testing for Performance Enhancing (rugs in players *as ran(om then as
it is no*- This policy is still in effect to (ate) the only change is that Major League Baseball a((e(
tougher penalties for "##9 an( beyon() beginning *ith a 3># game ban for the first offense) $## game
ban for the secon( offense an( lifetime ban) *ith the possibility for reinstatement) for the thir( positi'e
test-6.berkeley-e(u/- 7hile the punishments for those foun( *ith Performance Enhancing 0ubstances in
their system is acceptable an( harsh enough) *ith a Major League season only being $9" games) the
metho( in *hich they test for substances is fla*e(- By establishing a sche(ule for man(atory an(
regulate( in season testing for illegal substances in players) players *ill be more susceptible to be
caught) an( both those *ho are an( are not using Performance Enhancing Drugs *ill slo* (o*n or stop
their usage in or(er to a'oi( the punishments-
Those affecte( by the baseball players using Performance Enhancing Drugs inclu(e the clean
players) the entire team organi=ations) the fans) an( e'en the players using the Performance Enhancing
Drugs themsel'es- The entire length of the baseball season is long an( grueling) consisting of $9"
games) most of them e'ery (ay) *ith a fe* (ays off e'ery fe* *eeks- Players e&perience soreness as
their bo(ies *ear (o*n o'er the course of the season- 0teroi(s an( other Performance Enhancing Drugs
help the bo(y gain strength faster an( allo*ing athletes to reco'ery more fully from each game- This
gi'es those *ho are using Performance Enhancing Drugs an a('antage on those *ho are not (uring the
season) an( especially as the season *ears on- This remo'es fair+play from the game) *hich is not right
for those *ho play the game the right *ay- 7hen a player tests positi'e for a Performance Enhancing
Drug an( recei'es a ban for a certain perio( of time form Major League Baseball) the organi=ation can
be looke( (o*n on as *ell- But Major League Baseball is looking for banne( substances in the *rong
*ay- They are testing in(i'i(ual players) ran(omly) as oppose( to taking a broa(er 'ie* into the
suppliers an( coaches of these players2 3Throughout its steroi(s in'estigation) Major League Baseball
has operate( *ith tunnel 'ision- Players ha'e been the sole target @ not the suppliers of performance
enhancing (rugs) not the coaches *ho o'ersee these players) not the o*ners *ho profit from their
performances- This has pro'en o'er the past (eca(e or so to be an ineffecti'e strategy for halting
steroi( use-6.jacobinmag-com/- 4f Major League Baseball starts at the source) they are more likely to
eliminate Performance Enhancing Drugs entirely from baseball- People *atching the games are also up
in arms about players *ho are labele( as cheaters after testing positi'e for Performance Enhancing
Drugs2 3merica (oesn1t like cheaters- n( *hile steroi( use may impro'e a player1s chance of hitting
that ne&t home run or breaking the sprint recor() e'en the brief e&amination of unacceptable costs to
athletes) to future hopeful athletes *ho look up to them) an( to sports itself lea'es me *on(ering *hat1s
so goo( about being 1enhance(1A6.huffingtonpost-com/- Those *ho look up to the athletes or those *ho
are follo*ers of the athletes *ill ne'er trust that player again- The athletes themsel'es are (oing
themsel'es harm by using P-E-D1s such as steroi(s) as these (rugs can cause an increase( risk of cancer)
higher risk of li'er or heart (isease) high bloo( pressure) an( many other potentially serious health
problems- But the players (o it all to play better) be stronger) an( make more money-
Major League Baseball1s current (rug testing policy calls for a test upon entering 0pring
Training) follo*e( by in+season (rug testing on ran(omly selecte( (ates- lso inclu(e( in the policy is
Reasonable Cause Testing) in *hich someone has information that gi'es it reasonable cause that any
gi'en player has use( a Performance Enhancing Drug *ithin the past year- This policy *hich *as put
forth by Major League Baseball in "##>) *hich stan(s to this (ay) is fla*e(- Ran(om in+season tests) is
not nearly effecti'e enough for catching all the players that coul( be using Performance Enhancing
Drugs such as steroi(s- The Commissioner of Major League Baseball nee(s to put forth a ne* policy in
or(er to a(( man(atory in+season tests for the presence of P-E-D1s in athletes- 7ith ran(om tests) Major
League Baseball coul( be missing a large portion of players *ho use Performance Enhancing Drugs) as
these players coul( not be teste() or be clean *hen they get teste(- The number of Major League
baseball players *ho use actually use P-E-D1s is har( to tell) as Denise Carise) in the 0cientistBClinician
0ubstance buse Treatment Ciel( states) 3lthough it is impossible to kno* e&actly *hat percentage of
major league players actually ha'e use( steroi(s or other performance+enhancing substances o'er the
years) numerous *ell+kno*n .an( obscure/ platers ha'e come for*ar( to suggest that the use of these
(rugs has long been rampant in the game-6 7ith Man(atory tests along *ith the ran(om in season
checks) it *ill be 'ery har( for a player to sli(e through an( not be caught *hile using 0teroi(s or other
P-E-D1s-
The commissioner of Major League Baseball also nee(s to broa(en his 'ie* in search for those
*ho use Performance Enhancing Drugs to the suppliers an( coaches of these players- 4n the past fe*
years an( up to no*) 3 Major League Baseball has operate( *ith tunnel 'ision6.jacobinmag-com/ *hen
it comes to steroi(s an( testing for Performance Enhancing Drugs in players- 7hen Major League
Baseball fin(s a substance in one players bo(y) an( bans that player for the ># (ay perio() they are only
remo'ing that one player- That player has a supplier that pro'i(es him *ith the substances- Players
ha'e remaine( the sole target of Major League Baseball for Duite some time- Major League Baseball
nee(s to focus on those *ho are supplying the players) an( by (oing this) they can stop the problem at
the source an( as a *hole) rather than one by one- This past year) le& Ro(rigues *as gi'en a ban for
the entirety of the "#$% baseball season) $9" games- ,e along *ith $" other players) *ere gi'en
suspensions) most being ># games- They *ere all linke( to a man name( nthony Bosch) 3the o*ner of
the clinic from *hich the players allege(ly obtaine( performance enhancing (rugs-6 The Duestion is
ho* many people like nthony Bosch are there out there) *ho supply illegal substances to players in
the Major Leagues- Therefore) Major League Baseball nee(s to approach their steroi(s in'estigation
*ith less tunnel 'ision focusing (irectly on the players) an( more on the suppliers of the Performance
Enhancing Drugs-
Performance Enhancing Drugs are gi'ing some players an( unfair a('antage (uring games)
*ith a faster reco'ery of the muscles) an( more strength an( energy (uring games- To counter an( fi&
this problem) Major League Baseball nee(s to e&pan( their in'estigation on 0teroi(s past in(i'i(ual
players an( (irect it to*ar(s *hole teams an( suppliers- They must also a(( regulate( an( man(atory
in+season testing for the presence of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the athletes- By taking action
an( (oing these t*o things) Major League Baseball *ill become fair an( eDual for all- No players *ill
be able to gain an a('antage by using illegal substances) an( those *ho (o *ill be punishe( *ith a
suspension or ban from the game-
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