Baseball is a sport in which towering homeruns and strong throws that cut down runners are rewarded with large paychecks. The temptation to cheat can be too much for some as they become wide eyed at the prospect of attaining wealth and fame. For years, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) steroid policy was so lenient that there was hardly any punishment meted out for steroid abuse. However, recent scandals and questions about baseball’s integrity have led to a change in this policy and an overall shift towards cleaning up the game.

Homerun Records

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa reinvigorated the sport of baseball after its post strike woes, during one of the most famous and awe-inspiring homerun battles ever seen, as they both chased Roger Maris’s single season homerun record during the 1998 season. Mark McGwire eventually set a new homerun record that year by smashing 70 homeruns, while Sosa hit 66. McGwire was later found out to be a user of androstenedione which is considered a steroid. This clouded his homerun record and the issue resurfaced again in 2001 when Barry Bonds broke McGwire’s record by hitting 73 homeruns. Barry Bonds and some of the game’s biggest stars have since admitted to using supplements that they claim to not have known were steroids.

Other Falling Stars

Other big name baseball stars have been named as steroid users in a book recently published by former MLB star Jose Canseco who was once a teammate of Mark McGwire’s. The two formed a homerun hitting duo nicknamed the “bash brothers” for the Oakland Athletics. Other stars, such as Ken Caminiti, former National League Most Valuable Player, have come forward about their steroid abuse. Caminiti’s steroid use is a suspected cause of the heart attack that Caminiti suffered in 2004 that lead to his eventual death. New York Yankee slugger Jason Giambi recently admitted to using steroids to boost his performance when it became evident that he had become physically smaller because of his decision to stop taking steroids. With some of the game’s biggest and brightest stars falling victim to steroid abuse, it is easy to see why struggling players would turn to the drug for help and why the issue of steroid abuse in baseball is one that should be taken seriously.