Baseball Hall Of Fame: A Case Study

This study analyzed the different forms of news coverage pertaining to the steroid era in Major League Baseball, along with the fan’s opinions of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. These three players previously tested positive for steroid use throughout their time in the Major Leagues. While all three of these players showed remarkable talent throughout their Major League careers, their statistics will always be tainted, which influences peoples opinions on whether or not they should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The first study conducted examines social categorization theory, which, in this case, defines how sports writers categorize particular athletes who used steroids, while also considering their ethnic backgrounds. Players might use steroids as a rehabilitative method, or simply to gain a competitive edge over other players. However, the media negatively emphasizes players using steroids to gain a competitive edge, whereas taking steroids for rehabilitation is portrayed more positively by the news. Given Bonds’ negative …show more content…
To make a distinction between heavy and light viewers, participants were asked how many hours a week they watch television. As suggested, Bonds was found to be less likeable than McGwire and Palmeiro. In regard to perceived similarity, participants viewed themselves as less similar to Bonds than McGwire and Palmeiro. Surprisingly, however, the study found that fans were more in favor of Bonds being in the Hall of Fame than McGwire, possibly because his statistics were better in many aspects. With respect to the first two research questions, the study found that people viewed McGwire as more likable than Palmeiro, and felt more strongly about McGwire making it into the Hall of Fame than Palmeiro. No differences were found between heavy and light