Does Steroids Provide An Unfair Advantage In Baseball or Does It Even The Playing Field? Baseball has been an American pastime for centuries and will be for centuries to come. Adults have been taking their children to baseball games since the Major Leagues first came about in the late 1800s. From the Philadelphia Phillies' great Astrodome to their current Citizens Bank Park or the Atlanta Braves' Fulton County Stadium to their more modern Turner Field baseball has been loved in America. Although the game is as old as it is, baseball has not changed even though the players continue to get better and better. Many fans first take is the use of steroids in baseball. But did steroids really help Barry Bonds become home run king? Because Hank Aaron had the record generations before and he reportedly never injected steroids. Every year it seems like a new player gets brought into the league that is going to be faster, stronger, and an overall better player; except the ones that have the records broken that is. Although steroids are supposed to make athletes bigger, faster, and stronger,; are steroids really making athlete's statistics better or simply bridging the gap between decent athletes and great ones? There are many aspects in hitting a baseball that coaches teach athletes at a young age. Seeing the ball well, swinging with your hips and not just your arms, being disciplined and not swinging at a ball out of the strike zone, these are all examples of what it takes to be a good hitter. Many athletes that took steroids in baseball took anabolic steroids, which gives you the ability to put on more muscle mass and will virtually make you stronger. (Dowshen). Being strong has nothing to do with an ability to hit a baseball although it may have an affect on how far the ball travels when struck in the 'power part' of the bat. All steroids are doing is making the athlete stronger and indefinitely ruining their body which will force the m out of baseball at a much younger age. When asked about the affect steroids had on hitters in baseball, Joe Wooton, an avid Atlanta Braves fan said simply this, “Stronger, hitters would have definitely been better off without the use of steroids.” (Colavita). In fact, all four of baseball fans that were interviewed all said that hitters on steroids were not better then any one else in baseball during the steroid era; they could just hit the ball further. (Colavita). The affect steroids have in baseball does not have any affect that on how well players are at the sport. The steroid era started in about the late 1980s in baseball and carried on for about a decade until baseball was finally able to grab a hold of what was going on. Alex Rodriguez, a shortstop for the New York Yankees took admittedly took steroids for about 2 years I the early 2000s. But here are his home run totals for four years before he said he took steroids; 1996, 36 home runs, 1997, 23 home runs, 1998, 42 home runs, 1999, 42 home runs. (Baseball Reference). So Alex Rodriguez was able to put up huge home run numbers even though he was not on performance enhancing drugs at the time. (The Associated Press). Now, here are his home runs after his admitted steroid use; 2000, 41 home runs, 2001, 52 home runs, 2002, 57 home runs, 2003, 47 home runs, 2004, 36 home runs, 2005, 48 home runs, 2006, 35 home runs, 2007, 54 home runs, 2008, 35 home runs, 2009, 30 home runs, 2010, 30 home runs. (Baseball Reference). Although Alex Rodriguez admittedly took a type of performance enhancing drug he still was able to put up huge numbers in the seasons before he took them. In 1998 Barry Bonds began receiving routine injections of an anabolic steroid over about five years. (Sports Illustrated). But, as similarly to Alex Rodriguez case, Barry Bonds had a great run of home runs before he took performance enhancing drugs in 1998. In fact from 1986 to 1997, Bonds hit 16, 25, 24, 19, 33, 25, 34, 46, 37, 33, 42, and 40 home runs. (Baseball Reference). After he started taking steroids in 1998 Barry Bonds went onto hit 37, 34, 49, 73, 46, 45, 45, 5, 26, and 28 home runs from 1998-2007. So did Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez's actions in taking anabolic steroids really have that big an impact on their career? The statistics prove they could have respectively gotten close to the amount of home runs hit by their previous seasons without the drugs. Many writers that have followed baseball before, during, and after the steroid era make the point that steroids had a huge impact on the game and helped sky rocket many careers. The defense is that guys like Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez could not have hit 73 or 57 home runs in a year without the help of something. Baseball experts say that notable guys like Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, known steroid users, had their such good careers because they went out and got help from other sources. They do not believe that an athletes ability could not have them produce home runs like these guys did. Although, Hank Aaron, baseball's home run king until Barry Bonds broke his record, was not on steroids. Are steroids really that big of an issue or is that the only sensible attack on baseball's recent record breaking performances. Many people would say yes, because every home run record seems to be being broken by someone that has taken anabolic steroids or some other type of performance enhancing drugs. Players like Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez have admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs. Barry Bonds is the current home run king and many baseball experts say A-Rod is the next home run king. The most home runs A-Rod has hit in a single season is 57, while the most home runs hit last year was 54 by Jose Bautista. Jose is notably not on steroids because of baseball's frequent random drug testing. Jose Bautista is a great hitter like A-Rod and even similar in size. The only difference is A-Rod has taken steroids. Steroids can only make a hitter stronger not better. Barry Bonds and A-Rod still had to go out and swing the bat and hit home runs. The world's strongest man could not go out and hit a home run because he is not a baseball player. Steroids should not diminish what these players accomplished and succeeded at doing because steroids did not make hitters better, only stronger.

Work Cited
“A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs.” The Associated Press. February. 2009. Web. 19 March 2011.
“Alex Rodriguez.” Baseball Reference. 2010-2011. Web. 19 March 2011.
“Barry Bonds.” Baseball Reference. 2010-2011. Web. 19 March 2011.
“Bonds Exposed.” Sports Illustrated. March. 2006. Web. 19. March 2011.
Dowshen, Steven. “Steroids.” Kids Health. October. 2010. Web. 19 March 2011.
Wooton, Joe. Personal Interview. 17 March 2011.