Performance Enhancing Drugs/Baseball

Baseball and The Involvement of Performance Enhancing Drugs

Civic engagement is a word that can have multiple meanings, but here are two examples of the common meaning of this word. The first of the two examples is that, “Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes” (New York Times). The second of the two examples is that, “Civic engagement refers to the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community in order to improve conditions for others or to help shape the community’s future” (What Do We Mean By Civic Engagement). After reading those definitions and researching them, I came to the development of my own definition of civic engagement. With that being said, my personal definition of civic engagement is a way of communication to improve and protect the members of our community. I also believe it’s a way of keeping your community strong and safe, and also a way to help each other out. 
There are many social issues that surround and affect everyone's community differently, but there is one particular issue that I believe triumphs every issue in my community. Which means its the biggest issue of them all, and this issue is the involvement of performance enhancing drugs in "Major League Baseball." This social issue of performance enhancing drugs not only affects the people in my community, but the youth and future athletes as well, because of the usage of performance enhancing drugs by the ones we idolize. 
This is a major issue to me because it not only affects me, but it affects everyone who does it the natural way in my community. All my life I have been taught to do it the right way because you work hard, not because you took a pill, creme, or shot. With that being said I have accomplished a lot and have received numerous awards and scholarships for my hard work. I spend hours upon hours trying to perfect every aspect of my game in baseball, and I have made it so far to the point only one percent of baseball players make it. I love this sport with all my heart, but when I see players juicing up on enhancements it pisses me off more than anything. Reason why is because I worked so hard to get here naturally, and then you see that one guy or more cheating the system and throwing everything away, and when you see that it provides a bad image and influence on our youth and future athletes. I blame it on the pros that took performance enhancing drugs because we all look up to them, and I blame it on the college guys that also provide a bad image to the kids that idolize us and pros as well. This is a social issue that affects everyone who is involved in the baseball community or athlete world, because it just provides an image of its okay to cheat the system to get where you want to be in life. Which its not because there is a price to pay when you do that, whether its big or small. In my eyes its okay to cheat on a pitch to hit a walk off home run to win the game, but its not okay to take performance enhancing drugs to increase your success and prolong your retirement from baseball. 
Now the true test of the strength and talent of an athlete is determined by who he or she is inside, not by performing enhancing drugs. In the common debate of performing enhancing drugs, one controversial issue has been the usage of performing enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball to help improve individual stats and records. On one hand, supporters of performance enhancing drugs argue that they have been an essential step in Major League Baseball not only for increasing monetary worth, but also for setting records and making an athlete’s career last longer by attracting more fans. The opposing argument on performance enhancing drugs is that it is a form of cheating allowing athletes an unfair advantage that disgraces the true American passed time, baseball. Others even maintain that because performance enhancing drugs are relatively new to the sports industry, much of the data acquired in determining the overall affect it has on each individual athlete is not developed enough to make a reliable argument either for or against the use of performance enhancing drugs. A big part of the mental mind set of an athlete is based on the word “inception”.  Inception can be defined by how each individual athlete develops integrity, determination, and moral direction in order to dictate his or her success. Although performing enhancing drugs can help an athlete’s performance, the use of these drugs lacks integrity and good moral standing and should continue to be illegal for all athletes.

One of the leading reasons that performance enhancing drugs is unethical and should stay illegal in professional sports is that it gives an unfair advantage to athletes, which can be considered a form of cheating.  Gregg Connors, the author of the article “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”, quotes Buster Posey to illustrate the inception of Posey’s integrity for the game of baseball.  He states, “I didn’t cheat ever because I knew by my hard work and determination I would feel better and not only that people will love me more for the work I put into my career to perform better then to cheat by taking a pill or injection ….”(qtd. in Connors).   By Connors citing Buster Posey, it gives the reader an inside look at the strong foundation of ethics that Major League Baseball and its players wish to up hold.  Using performing enhancing drugs to improve performance is like taking a cheat sheet into an examination; or using another person’s words as their own.  It gives a person an unfair advantage over his or her peers and it is considered cheating.  Cheating is unethical and it goes against the beliefs and integrity that Major League Baseball stands for.   Another phenomenal example of the damage caused by making the decision to use performing enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball is that of the once celebrated Berry Bonds.  He was at one time considered a role model to many during his playing career, but when he failed the drug test due to performing enhancing drugs, he was forever marked as a cheater.   Another well known athlete who was on the rise of becoming a baseball superhero was Manny Ramirez, however, he decided to use performing enhancing drugs and was later forced into early retirement.  These two athletes are just some of the many who fell under the pressure of becoming bigger, stronger, and faster than the rest of their competition on their rise to becoming the top athletes of Major League Baseball.   For both athletes, their decision to cheat caused them their career and the respect of many.  In the small Sports Illustrated “The Usage of Steroids in the MLB”, it gives the perspective of the fans by stating, “some people that you would never expect to use steroids come out and end up using them but us as viewers see that every one screws up, you can never not learn from what they did or how they did things. Yet at the same time we find ourselves respecting and admiring the ones that put in the work than the ones who used steroids and ruined it for others” (Williams).   The fan base is critical in the rise of an athlete and their career, and to lose the fan’s respect can have devastating consequences.  For example, Alex Rodriguez, a famous baseball player, states that “he lost respect from a lot of people including family, friends, and most importantly my fans when I was suspended from my use of steroids.”(qtd. in Levine).   Using performing enhancing drugs is and should be considered a form of cheating by not only Major League Baseball, but also by the fans of baseball, and it takes away from the respect of the athletes that become the best by working hard.

            On the other side of the argument of performing enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, some feel it is okay to use steroids because it is like taking vitamin supplements that allow athletes to improve their game.  These supporters of performing enhancing drugs feel that it will only better the game as well as the talent, giving way to more money and better athletes.  A former athlete was quoted as saying, “We like to take steroids because it makes us feel good and it gives us an adrenaline rush and it helps us perform better, in witch case we should be aloud to use steroids because we are not harming others we are just trying to perform better” (qtd. in Connors). A former and most recent homerun record holding Berry Bonds says, “I used steroids because I liked the attention I got by hitting more homeruns, but I knew what I was doing was illegal but at the same time I didn’t care because I did things I never could of done without taking steroids, and if they were legal it would make the game better in my eyes” (qtd. in Verducci).   Many supporters are encouraged by the results that performing enhancing drugs bring to an average athlete.  Let’s face it, homeruns sell more tickets.  This fuels the desire and support of the use of steroids giving way to the argument that it should become legalized.   Famous baseball player, Mark McGuire, asserts that “there are much worse drugs other than steroids out there so there doesn’t need to be a big issue about it, I myself took steroids and it got to me to the Hall of Fame” (qtd. in Harris). In Major League Baseball, there have been many athletes that have used steroids and have improved dramatically increasing their fan base and monetary value.   Supporters of performing enhancing drugs feel that these drugs provide an overwhelming fan base due to the desire to see more homeruns as well as faster and more powerful athletes.  In addition, supporters will continue to argue that these drugs cause a positive influence on the game because it makes the athletes better than what they were and it brings a spectacle that fans crave. 

            A true athlete is derived and created by his or her inception; the creation of integrity, determination and moral direction in the birth of that athlete.  To compromise an athlete’s inception by altering who they truly are is unethical.  The use of performing enhancing drugs may make an athlete perform better, but it does not build character.  While performing enhancing drugs may make an athlete stronger, it can never take the place of what separates a true champion from a cheater, and that is character.  Babe Ruth, Yogi Bera, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson are just a few of the past baseball hall of famers that show true character and represent the integrity of playing the game without steroids.  In fact, fans are more connected to these athletes than they are of any of the new record holders in the game of baseball.  So to argue that performing enhancing drugs increases the fan base is not based on solid truth.  Most fans of the game of baseball are looking to find the next Jackie or Hank, and they chose not to find it in the new athletes that have chosen to cheat to become them.  The mark of a true athlete is one who works hard to achieve greatness with their natural ability.

Grant - "I am strongly against the use of steroids. It is harmful to the human body and it is an unfair advantage."

Andrew - "I think you should be able to use steroids recreationally. But in the realm of sports I believe it to be immoral."

Andrew - "Although steroids help you get bigger and stronger the side effects outweigh the pros of them."

  

Saxon - "I am strongly against the use of steroids, it's cheating and is not the natural way."

Nate - "I believe the use steroids is horrible. In my community (baseball) it is considered cheating so this has made me view them in a very negative way."

RC - "I am strongly against the use of steroids. Cheating has no place in organized sports and is extremely unfair to those who are all natural."

Miguel - "I am against the use of steroids especially in sports. A player should not be playing if they are using steroids. Play fair!"

Connors, Greg.  “Bigger, Stronger, Faster.”  The Buffalo News.  4 July 2014. EBSCO.

Harris, Jaime C.  “Canseco Is A Nightmare To Those Who Know He’s Telling The   Truth.”  Sports Illustrated.  15 July 2014.  EBSCO. 

Levine, Samantha.  “Steroids Pump Homeruns.”  Sports Illustrated.  15 Feb. 2014.  EBSCO.

"The Definition of Civic Engagement - New York Times." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Verducci, Tom.  “Mr. November.”  Sports Illustrated.  12 Apr. 2008.  EBSCO. 

Williams, Lance.  “Colon Linked to Reputed Steroid Supplier.”  Sports Illustrated.  7 Dec. 2008.  EBSCO.

Williams, Lance.  “The Usage of Steroids in the MLB.”  Sports Illustrated.  8 Mar. 2008.  EBSCO.

 

"What Do We Mean By Civic Engagement?" What Do We Mean By "Civic Engagement"? N.p., 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.