When to Draw the Line
Every boy and girl growing up dreamed of going to a ball game with their parents to see their favorite hero play. “In the U.S., baseball players often fulfill the role of hero and cultural icon because they are imbued with traits we admire and that resonate through time.” (USA TODAY 44). For example Babe Ruth was and still is one of the biggest American sports icon. With the heaviest bat ever recorded at 54-ounces, his fun attitude and always loving towards children. The Babe is still a hero to baseball fans of all ages. Now what about baseball heroes in the 20th and 21st century? Of course there are still some out there playing the game today but are they anything of natural talent like the Babe? When I say natural talent I am speaking about the hard working ball players that don’t need to rely on the Performing-Enhancing Drugs also known as PED’s. Looking back when I was younger I had Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa going at it for the Home Run record, and turns out that McGwire was using the PED’s. So does that still make him a hero? Today in America baseball there is a huge problem that is jeopardizing the great American Past-Time. “There are more than 129 MLB players that have been linked to steroids” (The Steroid Era 1). Most of those 129 players were in the Mitchell report, which was created by Senator Mitchell. You have all your favorite stars and heroes getting suspended from usage of PED’s. Many things have popped up when someone fails a drug test. For example anabolic steroids, weight loss supplements, and even female fertility drugs. When I hear these drugs that these baseball athletes have come across their drug test, I’m asking myself who comes up with this list of PED’s. Where is the line drawled? The line should be a strict line drawled with all illegal substances banned and that if they want to drug test players they need to do so more regularly than twice a year.
When you go to college on the first day the professor will give you his or her set of rules. Once they give you the list of things you can and cannot do they mean it. So, what’s the difference with a college professor rules and the big corporation of MLB’s rules? If any difference the rules for MLB should be sticker, right? Then how come this fall I just seen the new Nation League Most Valuable Player, Ryan Braun gets off a suspension and possibly losing his new MVP title. Seems pretty odd that someone that big can get off on that. You would think that since baseballs been cracking down and giving suspensions every time some fails a test but then they give Ryan Braun a trial to overturn it. “Braun as shredded every bit of credibility that MLB has built up for its drug testing policy. Braun has proven the MLB drug testing policy a joke.”(Shadowsof88 2). There are many rumors going around saying that Braun was treating herpes, or that the commissioner of MLB has ties with Braun’s team because he used to be the owner of the Brewers. Braun should have been suspended 50 games and that’s the end of it. But back to what I said at the beginning, if a college professor set rules on the first day of class and goes by them, shouldn’t the MLB also? The MLB needs to bounce back quick and hard, leaving the Braun case behind them. I like the rulings on if tested positive for PED’s “First positive test result equals 50 game suspension, Second positive test result equals 100 game suspension and third positive test result equals a lifetime ban from MLB” (Wikipedia 6). These are great rules and MLB needs to stick with them.
Most people when thinking about the players that have tested positive for PED’s think mostly it was caused by anabolic steroids. But that isn’t the case. Before doing the research I was one of the many thinking it’s just steroids but unfortunately there are nearly a hundred drugs that can cause an MLB player to fail a drug test. For example the illegal drugs such as cocaine, LSD, marijuana, and then there is caffeine. “Caffeine in concentrations in urine exceeds 15 milligrams.”(Jones and Bartlett 38). Let me get this straight. If a player is taking a drug test and exceeds over 15mg of caffeine he will fail the drug test? So if a father of a newborn baby has to work all day stay up all night and drink coffee and energy drinks to stay awake. Then the next day goes to work and gets drug tested he will fail and lose his job? This is the way MLB should look at these drugs and rulings. For MLB players playing baseball is their job to support their family. Because like I said before there rulings have to be strict there isn’t a clause in the rules saying that taking care of your kids is an exception. Caffeine is just one I pulled out of the list. MLB needs to get together again and make better rulings. They need to use their heads a little more. I know people look up to these players like they are gods but they do have family’s and this is a job to them. I agree with all the illegal drugs being banned on the tests. But a lot of these others need taking off. If it was up to me all banned and illegal drugs throughout the country needs to be on the list and also anything else that’s not prescribed to the player. None of this stuff I can go to GNC or Vitamin Shoppe and buy myself. That stuff needs to be legal. If I can go to the store as a non MLB player and purchase then they should be able to as well. That’s just makes things more complicated for everyone.