Steroid Use In Pro Baseball

Words: 1193
Pages: 5

Should steroids be considered for use in the professional sports of baseball and football in America? During the steroid era, MLB’s franchise value rose from $140 million in 1994 to $332 million in 2004. The main reason that performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have been outlawed is because they give users an unfair advantage over non-users who really work for their spot on the team. However, the economic benefits may be worth the risk. Many professional sports leagues have attempted to create a level playing field by testing for PEDs and suspending those who test positive. It is a good effort but this obviously is not working considering that the players that do get caught are not the only ones using these drugs and players continue to use even …show more content…
A player has the choice between using steroids and possibly increasing his production, but risks being caught, versus not using steroids and possibly sacrificing millions of dollars. Steroids have been proven to increase a player’s OPS (a combination of a player’s on-base percentage and their slugging percentage) by, on average, .104. This is an impressive increase since an OPS of .900 is where the elite cutoff level is. OPS is important because it is one of the factors that affects the player’s salary. When a player gains .100 in OPS, they recieve an extra two million dollars per annual salary. With the average MLB career lasting, on average, 6 years, using steroids could add twelve million dollars onto a player’s total salary. But what if the injuries cause you to end your career …show more content…
The fans wanted a cleaner sport, and with A-Rod being caught using steroids and getting kicked out of the rest of the season, the fans are getting a cleaner sport and there is a higher chance that he will learn his lesson. For the opposing teams, they have a better chance at winning due to the fact that the Yankees lack the strong Third basemen they once had so the other teams have a better chance of winning.. With Rodriguez using PEDs, the yankees got a stronger and healthier third baseman, then, if and when he was caught and suspended, they get out from under his massive salary for part or all of the 2014 season (Berg par