Kyler Tusay
Dr. Snorgrass and Dr. Larson
Sports, Media & Pop Culture
October 21, 2016
Steroids in Baseball
Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, used to increase lean muscle mass, strength, and can lead to major health damage (Hartgens and Kuipers 2004). One of the largest and most impactful scandals observed in sports in the last decades was that of the usage of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s) or steroids in the sport of baseball. It rocked nation’s pastime as some of the biggest names in the sport were linked. Our hero’s, idols, ones that broke records, and that were destined for Cooperstown were now tainted. They now carried the dreaded asterisk alongside their names. Baseball is not the only sport that was rocked by the infiltration of PED’s, but around the turn of the century they were the most effected, and the most active in halting its use. I will be combing previous literatures, and my own opinions on what the impacts of the “Steroid Era” were on the field, and what the impacts were off as well.
This new era in baseball came to light during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when the single season homerun record was broken several times during a three-year span. A record that previously stood for decades. It was when these players that were later in their respected careers started mashing homeruns at a rate that had never previously been seen (B/R). Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and Sammy Sosa drew the attention of the questioning individuals. According to Bleacher Report’s article about the history of the infamous era, it was not until Jose Canseco’s book detailing his steroid use, and the others around him who used. Naming players like Jason Giambi, Garry Sheffield, Bonds, and McGuire (McGuire and Canseco were teammates in Oakland and were affectionately called the “Bash Brothers”). At this point, everything started tumbling down in Major League Baseball. The Mitchell Report was released and named numerous users of PED’s. Some of the best players in the league like the ones previously mentioned, and others like Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. At this point is where differences between the accused start to occur. Some of the individuals (most notably Bonds and Clemens) held on to their innocence, or in some cases they played “dumb.” Others like Pettitte and Giambi came out and apologized. The fallout from both was staggering. The ones clamoring to their innocence were ostracized, and even testified in front of congress. While those that admitted to using and then apologized were forgiven. These players went on to have successful careers after their apologies while the others are still looked upon in a negative light. Since the early to mid-2000’s the MLB has gotten a hold on the drug use in the sport aside from the high-profile cases like Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez. Those were met with swift and appropriate action though. What I am curious about though is the players that could succeed despite previous PED usage.
The idea that the American people is willing to give a second chance is almost becoming a cliché in sports with some of the negative things players do, and recover from. This could possibly explain the ease that players are forgiven. Though the news cycle with how quickly it turns over from story to story could also play a major role. Cisyk and Courty (2016) explore whether are not fans actually care about performance enhancing drugs in sports. Using a regression analysis involving attendance to games they find that the home team attendance drops when one a player on that team is suspended. Only for 15 days though then the results lose significance. These results are consistent with what we have seen play out that fans eventually forgive these players, and sometimes forget their transgressions. I related it to both factors I referred to earlier. When players show remorse for their actions it shows a human, relatable side that makes people empathize with them. Eileen Kennedy and Laura Hills draw attention to this on pages 56-57 of their book. On how televised sports use different camera angles to evoke these human feelings. The same concept is applied to the athletes press conference where an apology is issued. It then turns into a story of redemption, and passes through the news cycle where it eventually gets lost. Those that are resisting these claims though many others believed they were taking the drugs. A USA Today/Gallup poll taken in 2006 shows that 47% of fans polled believed steroids were the cause of the homerun spike that season (Nightengale 2006). The players that are believed to be using, and denying it are seen as villains. They are constant in the news cycle even when it turns over. Those that attempt to reconcile for their wrongs, and try to come back the “right way” are often forgiven by the American people.
The revelation of the steroid usage in baseball came at a time when the country was experiencing changes, and a great sense of patriotism then its own sport was exposed to cheating. It was the Post-9/11 America, and the war on terror was in full force. This unity against those who attacked us created a deep sense of patriotism among the American people. In 2004 George W. Bush even addressed steroids in sports saying that “some in professional sports are not setting much of an example” with regards to being role models for children (Butterworth 2008). This was not the only appearance of politicians being involved or voicing their opinions either. Butterworth also wrote on how congress insisted that more needed to be done to “purify the national pastime.” This is because how sports are view here domestically and around the world. Spa, Rivenburgh, and Larson (1995) examine these viewpoints for different countries during the 1992 Olympics each going through their own transitions and negatives during this period. I found their description of Africa to be interesting though. Describing their views on the Olympic host Barcelona as a “land of development, wealth, and modernity” (Spa, Rivenburgh, and Larson 1995). I believe this is why politicians were so involved in this process. That if the sport that we created over 100 years ago, and was so representative of our nation is flawed. Then that leaves the door open for other countries to evaluate those flaws.
Steroids in sports, in particular baseball, have had led to major overhauls involving the CBA, and drug testing. The purity of the game has been called into question by both fans and politicians. Concerned about the legitimacy of players, the records they hold, and the damage to our image as a nation. The fans though have shown the ability to forgive those that were found guilty and acknowledge their guilt. That if a player is not filled with arrogance, and do not let their ego get in the way the news cycle will not keep forcing their story to the public. Baseball has cleaned up its act for the most part. Those cheating now are more likely to get caught. There are fewer high profile cases, and when there are the fans and media will judge player based on their sincerity. “In the summer of 2007, Barry Bonds eclipsed one of the most highly regarded records in all of baseball, the career home-run record, to relatively little fanfare” (Von Burg and Johnson 2009)
Works Cited
Butterworth, Michael L. "Purifying the body politic: Steroids, Rafael Palmeiro, and the rhetorical cleansing of Major League Baseball." Western Journal of Communication 72.2 (2008): 145-161.
Cisyk, Jeffrey, and Pascal Courty. "Do Fans Care About Compliance to Doping Regulations in Sports? The Impact of PED Suspension in Baseball."Journal of Sports Economics (2015): 1527002515587441.
Hartgens, Fred, and Harm Kuipers. "Effects of androgenic-anabolic steroids in athletes." Sports medicine 34.8 (2004): 513-554.
Kennedy, Eileen, and Laura Hills. Sport, Media and Society. Oxford: Berg, 2009. Print.
Nightengale, Bob. "USATODAY.com - Why so Many Home Runs?" USA Today. Gannett, 12 July 2006. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
Spà, Miquel De Moragas, Nancy K. Ribenburgh, and James F. Larson. Television in the Olympics. 224-226., 1995. Google Books. Google. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
Von Burg, Ron, and Paul E. Johnson. "Yearning for a past that never was: Baseball, steroids, and the anxiety of the American dream." Critical Studies in Media Communication 26.4 (2009): 351-371.
Watt, Kyle. "A Brief History of How Steroids Destroyed America's ..." Bleacher Report. Turner Broadcasting, 12 Feb. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
