
Baseball is America’s most beloved sport. Its history is synonymous with America’s history. But after 2004, baseball took on a whole new personality and the way we viewed it has been changed ever since. Baseball’s “steroids era” came alive around that time and it’s been haunting us ever since, sparking numerous debates on what we should do with those highlighted players from that era. The most reoccurring debate we have every year is whether or not those highlighted players should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. After conducting my research, I have determined those players should not be allowed into baseball’s highest honor. No matter which way you look at it those players were cheaters who gained unfair advantages that made them jump their peers and historical players, statistically and financially. Numerous records were broken and set that clean players may never have a chance to reach which means baseball will always be stained by those cheaters. Steroids were not only banned from Major League Baseball (MLB) but also banned from the U.S. which means any player who took it not only broke a MLB rule but also broke the law. This alone shows a lack of integrity and a flawed character which violates Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) Hall of Fame election rule number 5. Also, baseball is a key component in the American culture. When it loses its innocence and purity it lowers the morale of the whole country which was confirmed by former President George Bush in 2004 during a national speech. How we view baseball is how we view America and any player that cheated the game that we Americans love so dearly does not deserve to be honored forever.

Players who took steroids left a major stain on MLB’s record books by setting numerous records and winning countless awards while being financially compensated for it all. Barry Bonds, a convicted steroid user, holds the record for most career homeruns with 762, a record that was previously held by Hank Aaron. An even more astounding fact is the single season home run record. Out of the top 10 single season homeruns records the first 6 best seasons are held by convicted steroids users with Bonds holding the top spot, McGwire with 2 out of the 6 spots, and Sammy Sosa in the remaining 3 spots. While setting these records they also won countless awards because of their playing ability. From 1995 – 2005, 14 out of the 22 MVP award winners were either suspected or convicted for steroid use.  “In 2004, 40 percent of the all-stars starters either admitted to or have been formally accused of using steroids” (Pantuosco 65). In 2005, convicted steroid users, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Manny Ramirez had the top 3 salaries for that year all earning over $22 million for that one season. According to Kurt Badenhausen with Forbes magazine the average salary for players during that year was $2.4 million. Those guys made over $20 million more than their peers due to the homeruns they hit which was made possible by their steroid intake. Alex Rodriguez was the highest paid player 11 times in his career making over $400 million along the way. He openly admitted to using steroids during from 2001 to 2003 but serve no punishment for his violation. With the exception of Manny Ramirez, who served a 50 game suspension for his first time testing positive for performance enhancement drugs and retire after his second offense, no other major player faced any penalty for their use of steroids. These players have been consistently rewarded for cheating and have not serve any punishment for breaking a known rule with the exception of a little bad publicity. The awards, records, and salaries these players earned while taking steroids was unfair to the players that didn’t take steroids and they don’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

Allowing those players who have been convicted of steroid use into the Hall of Fame will also run the risk of blocking out the players that never cheated because of the 10 player maximum on the ballots. It is unfair to a player that never cheated that his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame is now decreased because of a player that was on steroids. The BBWAA is the committee that hosts the yearly voting for the baseball Hall of Fame. According to its website under the Method of Election section it states, “An elector will vote for no more than ten (10) eligible candidates deemed worthy of election…” (BBWAA Election Rules). So all members part of the BBWAA committee can only vote for a maximum of 10 players on their ballot. Now lets say a person on the committee doesn’t care about who cheated and who didn’t, their only concern is if a player played great then let them in. Now that person fills out their ballot and nominates 10 eligible players that he or she thinks played great and 4 of those 10 players are steroid users. That’s 4 less opportunities an eligible player that never cheated had to make a ballot. The number of eligible players changes from year to year but lets take a look at the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot. It’s roughly 400 members on the BBWAA committee which makes roughly around 4000 votes being turned it (Verducci). Three convicted steroid users were on that ballot, Manny Ramirez, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa. To make it into the Hall of Fame you have to make it on 75% of the 400 ballots which comes out to be 300 different ballots. Barry Bonds who received the most votes out of those players made it on to 238 ballots. Now look at Edgar Martinez, a player that never got convicted of any steroid use who made it on to 259 ballots. Martinez had an exceptional career but nothing like a Barry Bonds or any of the other steroid users I mentioned previously. Almost every ballot that didn’t selected Martinez had Bonds selected. All of the 238 spots Bonds took up could have been given to a player that played the game fair and maybe Martinez would have made the Hall of Fame this year. Not only are these steroid users stealing votes from the clean players but they are also making those clean players career look marginal. They have “statistically overshadowed” the clean players and are making it harder for those clean players to get into the Hall of Fame(Verducci).

Players who took steroids knowingly broke the law and a MLB rule and should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame. Steroids, anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, performance enhancement drugs, or whatever you prefer to call it are all substances used to make individuals bigger, stronger, and reduce recovery time from injuries. Although these benefits are positive they also have dangerous side effects like high blood pressure, drug dependence, psychiatric disorders, heart and circulatory problems, joint pain and vision problems (Mayo Clinic Staff). These are a few reasons why lawmakers made steroids an illegal substance with the Anabolic Control Act of 1990. Shortly after this bill was passed Fay Vincent, the commissioner of MLB at the time, sent a memo to all teams stating 

The possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance by Major League players and personnel is strictly prohibited. Major League players or personnel involved in the possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance are subject to discipline by the Commissioner and risk permanent expulsion from the game…

This prohibition applies to all illegal drugs and controlled substances, including steroids or prescription drugs for which the individual in possession of the drug does not have a prescription. (Rymer)

After 1990, steroids were illegal in the US and banned in MLB. Anyone knowingly taking steroids after 1990 was not only a cheater but also a criminal. No player ever convicted or suspected of steroid use ever argued “I didn’t know steroids were illegal or banned in MLB” so that means the players had to be well informed about the law and the memorandum reiterating that law. Now with that knowledge any player that took steroids after 1990 knowingly broke the law and a MLB rule that had a possible penalty of “permanent expulsion from the game” (Rymer). Rules are put in place to protect the integrity of the game and to provide an even playing field for all competitors. Players should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame after knowingly breaking the rules and altering the playing field.

Another reason steroid users shouldn’t be allowed into the Hall of Fame is because the election rules make those players ineligible. BBWAA Hall of Fame election rule number 5 states “Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” The player’s record, ability, and contribution to the team have all been altered by steroid use. That’s the physical side of things, which I already determined to be questionable due to not knowing when steroids came into play during a player’s career. The mental side of this rule is the integrity, sportsmanship, and character should also tell you why these players don’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Wallace Matthews who is a writer for ESPN and a voter on the BBWAA committee states “Steroid or HGH use is cheating, plain and simple. And by definition, cheaters lack integrity, sportsmanship and character. Strike one, strike two, strike three.” So for a voter to vote for any player convicted of steroid use he or she would have to disregard part or all of rule number 5. To take any illegal substance to gain an unfair advantage on your competitor is clearly a lack of integrity and sportsmanship. You’re not doing it to just win a game, you’re also doing it to get a large salary which is accompanied by huge endorsement deals and stealing awards and Hall of Fame votes from clean players. That is showing bad character. This rule is so clear that it is difficult for a player that cheated to move past it.

Allowing players that took steroids into the Hall of Fame will send the wrong message to the youth and up and coming players. Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa are a few of the players who have been convicted of steroids use. These are all household names in the world of baseball and they all have Hall of Fame resume’s. How much of that resume’ has been influence by steroids is a question no one can accurately answer. No one can confidently say that the only time those players used steroids is when they got caught. For all we know they could have been on steroids since the first day of their professional career. With that being said, no matter when you get convicted of steroid use, whether you’re a player with an established career or a player whose up and coming, once convicted you should automatically be ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Your statistics just can’t be trusted. As far as the players with only steroid “allegations” against them, meaning they haven’t been convicted or admitted to using steroids, they should be allowed in because allegations alone shouldn’t be enough to ban someone. Someone may create rumors about a player out of spite or jealousy. But those convicted players are convicted cheaters that have been proven to breaking the rules. If we allow these guys into the Hall of Fame we risk creating more cheaters. A young up and coming player can look at one of these guy’s career and say to his self, “If I get convicted of steroids it won’t matter as long as I play great enough.” Is that the message we want to send to the baseball community, that cheating will be overlooked if you play excellent enough? A player shouldn’t make himself stronger and faster against the rules and still be honored. This can influence the kids who are getting into the sport and idolize someone like Sammy Sosa or Alex Rodriguez and to take steroids so they can have a similar career. Think about the dangerous side effects of steroids that I listed earlier. Should these kids be encouraged to put their health at risk for fame and glory? Since those convicted players have not obeyed the rules and achieved their victories fairly, they should be honored in the Hall of Fame for others to admire.

Allowing the players that took steroids into the Hall of Fame isn’t just adding insult to injury to the clean players that have been overlooked, but it is also doing the same to the million Americans that love the sport dearly. The period of time where steroid use in baseball is suspected to be at its highest is labeled the “Steroids Era”. It’s no official beginning or ending year but it ranges from late 1980s to late 2000s. The 2000s is when Americans started applying pressure to the MLB to do something about the steroid infested game they had. During a 2004 State of the Union address President Bush wanted “team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now” (Butterworth 146). For President Bush to mention any sport during such an important speech shows how significant that sport is to the country. Baseball is a representation of America and if its image is tainted then so is America. In Purifying the Body Politic the author states, “baseball embodies and evokes mythic ideals of innocence and purity, ideals that were threatened by the emergent crisis over performance- enhancing drugs” (Butterworth 81). This is why President Bush felt the need to address MLB in 2004, he knew the Steroids Era was damaging the way America was being viewed by its people and the rest of the world. During a time where terrorism was high and America was set to fight them off, President Bush knew that morale needed to be high and Americans needed to be proud of their country. In a way he wanted to weed out steroid users in MLB similar to how the country was trying to weed out terrorists around the world. The Steroid Era left a major stain on MLB and we shouldn’t glorify this era by allowing the main contributors to this era into the Hall of Fame.

Steroid users made more money, won more awards, and accomplish things a non-cheater may never accomplish. Allowing a known cheater into the Hall of Fame is sending the wrong message and can unintentionally persuade players to continue cheating. The damage is already done as far as salaries and awards go but what we can do is not let those players continue to thrive off their deceitfulness. The clean players have been hindered long enough and we must keep them in mind every year when voting for the Hall of Fame. So if voter has to vote for a player based off integrity, sportsmanship, and character you cannot even consider someone who cheated and showed a lack of these traits. Baseball is America, you cheat the sport then you cheat the people and that shouldn’t be forgotten.

 
