Performance Enhancing Steroids in Major League Baseball...

Performance Enhancing Steroids in Major League Baseball The issue that our group is tackling is the use of illegal performance enhancing steroids in Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball is big business in the U.S., with 30 franchises valued at over 8.8 billion dollars. Player salaries range from the league minimum salary of three hundred twenty five thousand per year to ten million or more per year, and are based on the market value of each player when his current contract expires. It is in this hyper-competitive environment that a growing specter of foul play has erupted – the use of steroids. Anabolic steroids and other similar performance enhancing substances allow muscles to recover at a much faster rate than normal. This†¦show more content†¦Another issue is the fact that many of America’s youth look up to these athletes. Like it or not, they are role models. If these role models are doing things that are illegal, immoral, and have a demonstrated health risk, what kind of example are they setting for ou r youth? Behind closed doors, it has been understood that some players were engaged in this behavior. The owners have attempted to address it, albeit without any real veracity, during labor negotiations. These negotiations have yielded very little results though, as the players are represented by a very united and powerful union (the MLB Players Association). The players association has historically fought any attempt at drug testing or screening, citing privacy concerns. It is this backdrop of issues that prompted the U.S. Congress to begin to investigate Major League Baseball’s internal controls and testing programs (or lack thereof). The action by the government was the final straw that caused this widely known, but little discussed problem to be brought to the light of public debate and discussion. This issue has the potential for wide-ranging consequences throughout professional baseball. Senior Management (in this case - team owners) could be affected in a number of different ways. Among these are: 1) loss of fan base, 2) loss of credibility and stature as â€Å"America’s Pastime†, 3) loss of revenues from corporate sponsors, 4) potential labor problems, 5) government involvementShow MoreRelatedPED in Sports Essay1644 Words   |  7 Pages PED in Sports Performance enhancing drugs have been a longstanding problem in sports. It not only deteriorates the honesty of the game, but also can have broader social affects that one may not even realize. The use of performance enhancing drugs is especially apparent in Major League Baseball. This problem can be traced back to the 1980’s when baseball was facing one of its first â€Å"dark periods†. During the 1980’s Major League Baseball was experiencing a home run drought. 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