Sports Scandals- A Problem For Sports in the Future?

by: Kushang Vashi

The topic of sports scandals has reached its highest peak during the summer. One of the hot issues has been steroid use in baseball. When Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's homerun record of 714 on April 8, 1974 against the L.A. Dodgers, it was recognized as one of the pinnacle days in baseball as millions of people were cheering and acknowledging Hank Aaron's new record. In the case of Barry Bonds, the same reaction wasn't met. When Bonds shattered Hank Aaron's record of 755 on August 7, 2007, he was either appreciated by his fans or booed by millions of people across the world.

One of the reasons for Bonds' cold reception was due to the public's belief that he cheated in sports. For example, Theresa Doyle, the Health/Gym teacher at Signature School quoted, "Barry Bonds homerun record should have an astric by it." On the other hand, Josh Tinner, a junior at Signature School quoted, "Barry Bonds should be considered an American baseball icon for he broke the homerun record, and has never tested positive for steroids." One of the main reasons why Barry Bonds career has been plagued is due to accusations of steroids. Over the fast five years, top baseball stars such as Jason Giambi and Rafael Palmeiro have failed drug tests.

Due to this failure, Mr. Simms, the Algebra 1/Geomery teacher at Signature, feels that steroid use is disappointing, unfair, and feels unfortunate a cheater such as Barry Bonds holds a prestigious record. The steroids controversy started after the 1994 Major League baseball strike and the 1998 homerun battle between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire. The 1998 homerun battle between Sosa and McGuire generated controversy, because for 30 years, no had been close to chase down the previous record. In an interview with Bob Costas in 2002, Costas referred to this era as "Steroids Era," for more homeruns are being hit than previous eras. Due to rise of steroids in baseball, Matthew Winenger, a junior, quoted, "The actions the MLB players are taking is horribly wrong and player should be banned."

In one of the most controversial books, Juiced, Jose Canseco admitted he injected steroids into baseball players and over 85 percent of players in the Major League use some form of steroids. Steroids also have a negative impact on health for it can cause death. Although due to recent controversies, baseball fans such as Mr. Simms, Josh Tinner, Matt Winenger, and Mrs. Doyle haven't lost their interest in America's favorite pastime, but all feel baseball isn't as influential today as it was in the past. What will this issue in baseball mean in the future? Only time will tell.

Sources:

1) ESPN
2) MSNBC
3) Baseball Reference
4) Yahoo Sports