Barry Bonds hit the magic 756th homerun on Aug. 7 during the summer and sent sports fans into an uproar. Some cheered and others did not cheer. I personally didn’t cheer because I think Barry Bonds is a phony and a cheat.At the beginning of the celebration, I was against Bonds getting so much recognition because using steroids is cheating. But I also realize that Bonds isn’t a great athlete because of his alleged steroid use.
Watching Bonds is like watching Milli Vanilli. He is entertaining to watch, but what you see isn’t really what you get.
Major league sports is there for the spectator’s entertainment, and steroid use isn’t going to drive many, if any, people away.
Many people were furious because they feel it isn’t fair Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s record after he allegedly used steroids to improve his game, while players such as Aaron didn’t have this advantage.
Aaron was disappointed in the fact that Bonds tested positive for steroids, saying, “Any way you look at it, it’s wrong.”
But what is fair in the world of sports anymore? Are we really into baseball because of how true and honest it is, or because we are entertained by the sport itself?
I don’t want readers to think I don’t have respect for Major League Baseball. I hold it in its highest regard. I just think baseball doesn’t have the cleanest record in the world of sports anymore.
At one point, Bonds agreed with this and, in a 2006 interview with USA Today, said, “I love the game of baseball itself, but I don’t like what it’s turned out to be. I’m not mad at anybody. It’s just that right now I am not proud to be a baseball player.”
Although MLB is entertainment, it isn’t fair that Bonds broke Aaron’s and Babe Ruth’s home run record after using cream and clear gel he “didn’t know” were steroids. But let’s face it, MLB isn’t as perfect as it was when it formed in 1876 and probably never will be again.
Besides unfairness, another reason people get angry at steroid use is the obvious fact that it is illegal and “sometimes” causes permanent damage. But I’m certain not all users end up with permanent damage because of steroid use.
If steroids are illegal because of the damage it leaves on a players mind and body, what else should be illegal?
What about all the boxers who have permanent brain injury and other physical problems due to being pounded in the head?
What about the dozens of retired and disabled football players who suffer permanently from being pummeled by 350-pound linebackers?
Steroid use in baseball does give a player an unfair advantage over his peers who choose not to use them. But as I said, there isn’t much that is fair in baseball anymore.
For example, how can a team like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who have a measly $20 million, fairly compete with the New York Yankees?
It’s not about fairness. It’s not about the health of an individual.
It’s about the message it sends to young boys who aspire to become great MLB players. Steroid use teaches that being first and best is most important, regardless of how one gets there.
I think steroids have been declared illegal in baseball because it sends the wrong message to young people who admire the players and desire to become great athletes.
I also think steroid use is illegal in baseball because it gives one an unfair advantage over those who choose not to alter their body. Instead, they opt for hard work, sacrifice, endurance and a love of the game.
Steroids don’t make a great athlete. I could take steroids and never be able to hit a home run in a major league ballpark. Hard work, determination, talent, skill, training and good management are essential to great athletes. All great athletes can compete on “level ground” with these tools.
Look at A-Rod for example. He has never been caught using steroids and on the same day Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run, Rodriguez became the youngest person ever to hit 500 home runs. In my opinion, that is a great athlete.
So, I ask, where is the line drawn between what should be banned and what should not be banned? Or a better question-what would happen if steroids were once and for all completely banned from baseball? Would we still be entertained if 760 home runs weren’t hit out of a ballpark?
Steroid use is cheating. And there should be no cheating or crying in baseball. However, I think as long as baseball is the second most popular U.S. sport, people will love baseball, steroids or not.