[nikeball]

This is my friend's Op-Ed piece he wrote for school.

I agreed with a lot of his points and have said it myself before.

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In Defense of Steroid Users

Alex Rodriguez, arguably the best baseball player today, admitted to using steroids from 2001-2003 when he won his first MVP award. Barry Bonds, now under intense federal investigation for steroid allegations broke the homerun record, one of Major League Baseball’s most storied achievements. Roger Clemens, holder of numerous CY Young awards, is surrounded in steroid controversy as well, threatening his Hall of Fame induction. Numerous other baseball players have been tested and proven positive for using steroids. People say those who’ve tested positive for using steroids have compromised the sanctity of the game, that they cheated, and that they’re a disgrace to the sport.

I contend that Major League Baseball compromised the sanctity of the game by banning steroids in the first place. Steroid use in baseball should be legal. There is nothing “wrong” about using steroids.

So why are steroids illegal? Why is using steroids considered wrong?

Perhaps using steroids is wrong because it’s a dangerous substance that harms your body and players would abuse it. Smoking and drinking alcohol is dangerous to your body too, yet these aren’t banned. Additionally, steroids are sometimes clinically prescribed to injured players, allowing them to heal faster. There is a therapeutic benefit whereas no doctor would prescribe smoking and drinking alcohol to heal from injury. There is no arguing that steroid abuse is dangerous as is abusing any substance, but using does not necessarily lead to abusing. Use is completely different from abuse and should not be banned.

Perhaps using steroids is wrong because it gives some players an unfair advantage over others. Players are always looking for an advantage over others. Big, strong guys have an unfair advantage when it comes to hitting homeruns over small, short, skinny guys. Pitchers who can naturally throw a fastball in the mid to upper nineties have an unfair advantage over guys whose arms are naturally weaker. Isn’t this unfair as well? Yet big, strong guys aren’t banned. Pitchers who can deliver the ball at top speeds aren’t banned. If anything, steroids level the playing field for guys who don’t have the unfair advantage. It gives them a shot at competing with the guys who have the unfair advantage.

Perhaps using steroids is wrong because it compromises the sanctity of the game. Players in the past, like Babe Ruth, didn’t have the option of using steroids, so it’s not fair to them to see their records smashed by steroid using players of today. That’s completely true. It’s not fair that the Babe didn’t have access to steroids. It’s also not fair to the Babe that he didn’t have protein shakes, vitamin supplements, and advanced medical treatment to heal injuries more quickly. It’s not fair that he didn’t have many modern day technologies like an automated batting cage and film of opposing pitchers. So ballplayers of this modern day all have an unfair advantage over Babe Ruth not only due to steroids. It’ll never be fair to the Babe. But are we to punish ballplayers in our generation because technology and training methods have advanced? Certainly not. Babe Ruth would have taken the same protein shakes, the same vitamin supplements, and undergone the same medical procedures we use today if they were available to him. Records will be broken not due to steroid use but due to advancements in diet, technology, and medicine.

Perhaps using steroids is wrong because it sends a bad message to kids. Fair enough. Kids are too young to realize how harmful the side-effects of steroids could have on their bodies. An age limit should be set like the age limit to buy alcohol. Kids can’t use steroids until they turn 21. Then the choice is theirs.

Ballplayers work hard to excel out on the field. They spend countless hours in the gym, tearing down and building up their bodies. They spend countless hours in the batting cage perfecting their swing. They practice until plays and throws are automatic. Steroids allow them to train harder, to push harder in the weight room, to perform greater out on the field.

We as fans want to see great performances. We don’t pay to watch average ballplayers play. We pay to watch the A-Rods, the Barry Bonds, the Roger Clemens break records and reach new milestones. If steroids help exhibit brilliance and greatness in these players, why are we forbidding its use? Ballplayers are just giving us what we expect and want to see of them.

Therefore, a unilateral ban on steroids is unfair. Major League Baseball should lift the ban and set a new policy regarding steroid use. This policy should punish abuse, set an age limit for the use of steroids, and ensure players that managers and owners will not pressure or coerce them into using steroids against their will. Ballplayers who think it’s beneficial to use should have the choice to use. Those who think the dangers are too great should abstain. The freedom to use should be theirs.