Jose Canseco, a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who admitted to the use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), once said, “I don 't recommend steroids for everyone, but for certain individuals, I truly believe, because I 've experimented with it for so many years, that it can make an average athlete a super athlete. It can make a super athlete incredible. Just legendary” (Bodley). PEDs promote muscle growth without the fatigue that comes with normal muscle building activities, allowing athletes to work longer, harder, and recover quicker. This is what draws many players in the MLB to performance enhancing drugs, the fact that they allow players to quickly become physical specimens beyond the capacity a normal person could ever achieve. To combat this advantage the MLB has steadily increased its penalties for a positive steroid test.
…show more content…
But, it is not enough to contain steroids degrading effects on baseball. Therefore, the MLB needs to institute a zero tolerance policy, because the potential consequences do not outweigh the financial opportunities for both players and franchises.
By taking PEDs players subject themselves to many physical side effects causing damage to the body. Some of the lighter side effects include baldness, severe acne, and high blood pressure (Mayo Clinic Staff). But these conditions pale in comparison to some of the more life altering side effects. They can create abnormalities in major organs throughout the body, causing liver deformities, tumors, and circulatory heart problems. Another dramatic effect is with increased muscle mass and weight, tendons and ligaments are not always able to support the extra weight. As a result, tendons often rupture or tear, especially around the knees (Mayo Clinic Staff). In addition with the physical symptoms of PED use, problems also arise with the emotional and mental health of users. For example, bouts of aggressive behavior, nicknamed “Roid Rage,” cause athletes to act out violently against others or themselves without warning. This is due to the imbalances of hormones in the person’s internal body chemistry (Volkow). With damaged psychological health players feel they need the drugs to keep from becoming weak, leading to a dependence for the next “hit.” Often players will stack drugs, which means they take multiple kinds to achieve different effects, and also to counteract side effects from other drugs. “Then it was back to an off-season of doping, with a veritable buffet of steroids. We were mixing them, some for size, some for speed” (Verducci). These adverse effects of PED use lead to unstable physical, emotional, and mental health; yet the payoff that athletes potentially receive still outweighs these bodily consequences, so players are still enticed into taking them. Players who take PEDs must have some reason for using that outweighs the possible health risk, this reason is the financial gain that players have the potential to receive. The drugs allow for greater offensive production, which is a major factor of salary. One way to calculate a player 's offensive production is by using OPS (on base plus slugging percentage). This combines statistics from the ability to get on base, with the ability to hit for power. The league leaders in OPS tally numbers around the 1.000 mark, and elite players hit .900 (Grossman). Players with a higher OPS tend to have higher salaries because there is a strong correlation between the OPS of a player, and the team’s runs per game (Grossman). Comparing the OPS of admitted PED users to those who do not use leads to a .160 increase in OPS due to illegal substances (Grossman). Then taking into consideration OPS on a player’s salary it can be calculated that an increased …show more content…
Fans are interested with the offensive side of baseball. Home runs and high scoring games draw more fans into stadiums, increasing team’s revenue. By comparing the Pre-Steroid Era (before 1994) to the Steroid Era (after 1994), team 's average profit margin increased 4.7%, meaning MLB franchises saw an average increase in revenue of 52.2 million dollars per year (Grossman). By maintaining the status quo, owners are able to develop larger profits every year. So, owners enforce a timid drug policy, trying to make it seem like they are against the PED problem, when actually they benefit from player’s
But, it is not enough to contain steroids degrading effects on baseball. Therefore, the MLB needs to institute a zero tolerance policy, because the potential consequences do not outweigh the financial opportunities for both players and franchises.
By taking PEDs players subject themselves to many physical side effects causing damage to the body. Some of the lighter side effects include baldness, severe acne, and high blood pressure (Mayo Clinic Staff). But these conditions pale in comparison to some of the more life altering side effects. They can create abnormalities in major organs throughout the body, causing liver deformities, tumors, and circulatory heart problems. Another dramatic effect is with increased muscle mass and weight, tendons and ligaments are not always able to support the extra weight. As a result, tendons often rupture or tear, especially around the knees (Mayo Clinic Staff). In addition with the physical symptoms of PED use, problems also arise with the emotional and mental health of users. For example, bouts of aggressive behavior, nicknamed “Roid Rage,” cause athletes to act out violently against others or themselves without warning. This is due to the imbalances of hormones in the person’s internal body chemistry (Volkow). With damaged psychological health players feel they need the drugs to keep from becoming weak, leading to a dependence for the next “hit.” Often players will stack drugs, which means they take multiple kinds to achieve different effects, and also to counteract side effects from other drugs. “Then it was back to an off-season of doping, with a veritable buffet of steroids. We were mixing them, some for size, some for speed” (Verducci). These adverse effects of PED use lead to unstable physical, emotional, and mental health; yet the payoff that athletes potentially receive still outweighs these bodily consequences, so players are still enticed into taking them. Players who take PEDs must have some reason for using that outweighs the possible health risk, this reason is the financial gain that players have the potential to receive. The drugs allow for greater offensive production, which is a major factor of salary. One way to calculate a player 's offensive production is by using OPS (on base plus slugging percentage). This combines statistics from the ability to get on base, with the ability to hit for power. The league leaders in OPS tally numbers around the 1.000 mark, and elite players hit .900 (Grossman). Players with a higher OPS tend to have higher salaries because there is a strong correlation between the OPS of a player, and the team’s runs per game (Grossman). Comparing the OPS of admitted PED users to those who do not use leads to a .160 increase in OPS due to illegal substances (Grossman). Then taking into consideration OPS on a player’s salary it can be calculated that an increased …show more content…
Fans are interested with the offensive side of baseball. Home runs and high scoring games draw more fans into stadiums, increasing team’s revenue. By comparing the Pre-Steroid Era (before 1994) to the Steroid Era (after 1994), team 's average profit margin increased 4.7%, meaning MLB franchises saw an average increase in revenue of 52.2 million dollars per year (Grossman). By maintaining the status quo, owners are able to develop larger profits every year. So, owners enforce a timid drug policy, trying to make it seem like they are against the PED problem, when actually they benefit from player’s