Daniel Garcia Proposal 5th period

Stopping Steroid Use

Due to the recent steroid scandal with the clinic Biogenesis of America MLB players were penalized. Major League Baseballs usual punishment is a fifty game suspension for first-time offenders (Moore). To be exact [i]n 2013, the league hit 13 players with steroid suspensions for a combined total of 811 games (Brown). However, these measures are not sufficient to put an end to the destruction of Americas pastime. They are only targeting the players not the suppliers of performance enhancing drugs or the ball clubs. Over the course of MLB this strategy has proved ineffective in stopping players from juicing. Players using performance enhancing drugs take away from the players who actually work hard and do it all natural. Cheating is wrong no matter how you look at it, and it shouldnt have a place anywhere in baseball. Just because its only a few players who juice doesnt make it any less wrong. The real problem isnt that players are using steroids, but that the punishment of their usage isnt enough to stop those athletes. There are much more efficient ways to put a stop to steroids that cost very little to such a profitable organization. Plus they will stop players from being suspended and it will clear baseballs name for good. What are steroids you might be asking? Well according to Momsteam a trusted online source, steroids work by helping the bodys muscle cells produce more protein which, as long as the athletes works out, leads to increased muscle size and strength and, at the same time, also allows the body to produce more ATP, the fuel muscles need to

move (Horwitz). There are obvious benefits to steroids when you look at it from an athletes perspective. Players take them to hit the ball farther and to run faster. Pitchers also take them because it helps them recover faster and it protects their tendons from overuse. But you should only take them if they are prescribed by a doctor. When athletes use drugs they gain a competitive edge, but with it comes a health risk. DeNoon claims men who take anabolic steroids may have heart attacks, develop significant risk of liver disease and liver cancer, and have tendon rupture. Plus if they are injected then theres also a risk of HIV. If players were educated about these risks maybe they would be discouraged to continue. Now that you know the health risks involved with this dilemma lets continue to the realistic solution. The first step should be to implement a zero tolerance approach to steroids. It is quite simple; you make every player pee before each game. Players will not play unless they take and pass the urine test. It isnt hard for a coach to find a replacement with a 25man roster. Plus players wont need steroids if they cant play. All teams test their players at some point in their career so it isnt something new that would cause major problems. The only problem with the current system is that they dont test often enough for serious steroid users to worry. They test once during spring training and then they are supposed to give a random test but its unlikely that they actually go through with it. As a result players keep on doing what their doing with no repercussions most of the time. All it would take to implement this zero tolerance solution is some effort and time. The next step will be to heavily fine teams if one of their players is caught taking PEDs. When players are juiced they are not the only ones that benefit. Teams gain a better and stronger athlete and when those players get suspended such as Alex Rodriguez,

the Yankees do not have to pay his 10-year $275 million salary. Its no wonder teams dont make a better effort to contain steroids. Clubs might even be encouraging older players to take one for the team. If it increases their production in the lineup then why not. DeNoon states first-time simple possession of anabolic steroids carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. If players were sent to prison for steroids like everybody else they might stop juicing. However, that will not stop steroids all together. But if sanctions targeted teams and not solely players it would. Punishing teams as well as players, will help prevent future steroid abuse by making clubs more attentive when it comes to ceasing PED use. We congratulate players for performing at the top level yet we criticize them for using steroids to get there. The only way to end this once and for all is to start a zero tolerance rule and punish teams as well as players. With players not being able to play and teams being heavily fined for steroid use, both players and teams will be equally incentivized to stop the use of PEDs. Plus when suppliers of drugs realize whats going on they will quickly go out of business as well. Thats why this is the perfect solution. Not only that but all baseball players will be on equal footing and the integrity of the game will be restored. Not to mention the health risk that will be removed when our goal is accomplished. If the MLB is really serious about stopping PED use they need implement this solution.

Works Cited "Baseball's Steroid Era." List of 104 Players Who Tested Positive in 2003. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. Berg, Ted. "If MLB Is Serious about Stopping Steroids, Teams Should Be Punished Too." USA Today Sports. N.p., 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. Brown, Adam T. "5 Reasons Steroids Were Never the Real Problem in Baseball." Cracked.com. N.p., 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. DeNoon, Daniel J. "Why Steroids Are Bad for You." WebMD. WebMD, 16 Mar. 2005. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. Horwitz, Steven. "What Are Anabolic Steroids And How Do They Work?" MomsTeam. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. Howell, John. "Two Possible Solutions to Baseball's Steroid Problem." Bleacher Report. N.p., 18 June 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. Moore, Jacobin J. "Baseballs Dopey War on Drugs." Salon. N.p., 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.