Jazmine Menees
ENGLISH 111
Refutation Essay

No Steroids in Baseball

In baseball there has always been a steroid issue. In the years since 2005 the problem has expanded. Many more players are now using these drugs to boost their performance, and many feel that this is acceptable. I think that steroids are products that should be absolutely illegal and no player at any time should be able to use them. Steroids are drugs commonly classified as anabolic, androgenic and corticosteroids. Corticosteroids like cortisone are drugs used to control inflammation, and do not build muscle. Anabolic steroids are used by athletes to bulk up and improve their performance. Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that cause the body to produce muscle and prevent muscle breakdown. Some athletes take steroids hoping that it will improve their ability to run faster, hit further, jump higher, etc. Some people are not aware that anabolic steroids are a form of a drug. In the United States, it is against the law to use these steroids without a prescription. In many sports the issue of steroids has always been huge. Recently, mainly in baseball many players have been tested for steroids, and many of these results are positive. These punishments have been mere warnings and suspensions to the players. The first player to ever admit to using any type of anabolic steroid was Ken Caminiti, he admitted to using steroids after he retired in his 14th season. He said that in his 9th season in the majors was when he was first influenced to take performance-enhancing drugs. He was a 3 time All-Star, won the MVP award in ‘96, got 3 gold gloves and 1 silver slugger award. After he retired in 2001 he finally admitted to using steroids. About three years later on October 10th 2004 Caminiti died due to a drug problem because of the use of steroids and cocaine. The main concern that I come upon is the question, should performance-enhancing drugs be legal? Although these players feel that by taking these steroids it will help their performance, these players are actually hurting themselves in the long run. Unfortunately, athletes like Ken Caminiti die because of steroid use. Major League Baseball increasingly loses its good reputation, and fans lose respect for the sports figures that they look up to. I definitely think that any player shouldn’t be allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs at any time. If any player is using these drugs then all records that they obtain while on the drug should be erased from the record books. This would be a form of cheating. If someone is to actually work their butt off to get in the record books and lose to a cheater then that is not fair at all. If they were to get a record then this just tells players that performance-enhancing drugs are acceptable to take. This should not be how the league treats these problems. Using steroids can remove accomplishments that a baseball player had earned. For instance, Barry Bonds, Major League baseball's notorious home-run hitter was caught for using steroids. Before Barry Bonds was ever caught, he had just broke the record for hitting the most home-runs which was held by Hank Aaron. Barry Bonds was stunned when he was caught using steroids. It had affected his baseball career so bad, the MLB considered striking his home-run record. When caught, Barry Bonds was taken to court and almost had to face ten years for using performance enhancing drugs. Luckily for him, the courts couldn't prove that Bonds knowingly used performance enhancing drugs. When people discover that he hit the most home-runs, people will know that he didn't do it naturally and that he cheated by using performance enhancing drugs. Using performance enhancing drugs should not be acceptable for baseball players. It can be harmful to one's health and can also ruin one's