Due to Major League Baseball’s so called “Steroid Era,” it was necessary for congress to step in and take control of the situation. Before congress did their investigation, Major League Baseball did not have strict enough rules to punish players who tested positive with any kind of steroid. Also before congress took control of the situation, there was a variety of drugs that players could use during that time that Major League Baseball had not banned or were not considered a “performance enhancing drug”. Even though the so called “Steroid Era” brought fans back to the game of baseball after the lockout in 1994, it not only damaged the reputation of baseball but it also damaged the purity of the sport. Not only did it affect baseball’s reputation and purity of the game, it also affected the fans who dreamt of playing in Major League Baseball. Now we will focus the main reasons why congress took control of the steroid issue that surrounded Major League Baseball. First, Major League Baseball along with Congress noticed the issue of steroids due to Jose Canseco, an ex-major leaguer, who came clean about the steroid issue in his book titled Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ’Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big. In this book, Canseco explained how he taught a variety of players how to inject steroids and how it would benefit them in the future. Throughout his book, Canseco provided details as to the players, who later broke many records; that he taught how to use steroids. For example, Canseco stated that he provided steroids to Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, and Ivan Rodriquez, all of who have good enough career numbers to put themselves in the Hall of Fame in the near future. Besides Canseco’s book, certain instance happened to High School baseball players that made Congress investigate Major League Baseball.
When congress took control of the situation in 2005, they hired George Mitchell to conduct the report. According to his report, George Mitchell stated,
” This report, the product of an intensive investigation, describes how and why this problem emerged. We identify some of the players who were caught up in the drive to gain a competitive advantage through the illegal use of these substances.” (Mitchell, 2007)
Also, in this report, it was stated that more than 400 interviews were conducted to find out exactly who, how, and where exactly these steroids came from during baseball’s so called “Steroid Era.” Some notable players were Barry Bonds, who has the all-time career home runs, Mark McGwire, who broke the single season record for home runs, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmerio, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte. All of the players that were included in Mitchell’s report had to testify in front of Congress. To this day, both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are fighting for their freedom due to the fact that they lied under oath during these investigations Not only did the Mitchell Report list the players who were accused of use performing enhancing drugs, he stated the flaws that Major League Baseball has in their doping policies and regulations. During Mitchell’s investigation, he stated that,
“Since 1986, drug testing has been subject to collective bargaining in Major League Baseball. For many years, citing concerns for the privacy rights of players, the Players Association opposed mandatory random drug testing of its members for steroids or other substances.” (Mitchell, 2007)
Thus, meaning that Major League Baseball has to alter the rules and regulations for those who violate the league’s substance abuse policy due to the vast resources that players can use to enhance their play. Mitchell also stated in this report that,
“The current drug testing program in Major League Baseball is the product of the give and take inherent in collective bargaining. It appears to have reduced the use of detectable steroids but by itself has not removed the cloud of suspicion over the game. Even as this investigation was underway, developments in several government investigations exposed the depth and breadth of the continuing illegal use of these substances in baseball (and in other sports) and made clear that this problem continues, years after mandatory random testing began and stringent penalties for failing those tests were adopted.”(Mitchell, 2007)
After the congressional hearings, Major League Baseball had a lot to do in order to change the substance abuse policy. Before the Mitchell Report and the Congressional Hearings, baseball had a light restriction as to what players can use and not use, for instance, the only drug that was considered an illegal substance was anabolic steroids. Also, not only did Major League Baseball have a light restriction about substances that were banned, they had a lighter punishment for those who tested positive. Also, there was no testing in the Minor Leagues until the investigation in baseball began. When congress brought this to baseball’s attention, Commissioner Bud Selig proposed the “Three strike you’re out policy.” According to Selig, in an article posted on MLB.com, he stated that “"I recognize the need for progressive discipline, but a third-time offender has no place in the game," Also, "Steroid users cheat the game. After three offenses, they have no place in it."(Bloom, 20
After Selig’s Three Strike Policy took effect, countless major league and minor league players were suspended from play. According to Selig’s “Three Strikes you’re Out Policy,” players who tested positive for banned substance are suspended 50 games without pay. If a player was caught again with a banned substance, they were suspended 100 games without pay. Finally, if a player is caught again with a banned substance, then the player is banned for life. Selig also stated that by making these penalties this strict, it will bring the purity and will improve the reputation in baseball that was recently damaged due to the investigations that occurred.
That is the reason why Congress investigating the game of baseball was a good thing. Not only did this investigation find the cheaters in the game of baseball (both active players and also retired). It also forced Major League Baseball to do exactly what they needed to do, which was change the rules and penalties for banned substances. Since baseball changed the policy for banned substances, it forced players to quit taking illegal substances, unless they are willing to risk being banned from the game that they grew up playing and also making a living from. Additionally, by enforcing these rules and regulations it improves baseball reputation for young players to look up to. Lastly, by having these strict penalties it will bring the purity back into the sport of baseball. The sport will not be based on how big you are or how much weight you can lift, it was based on talent and playing the basics of the game in order to succeed.

Reference Page

1. Bloom, Barry M. "Selig Seeks Tougher Penalties | MLB.com: News." The Official Site of Major League Baseball | MLB.com: Homepage. 05 Apr. 2005. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. .
2. Canseco, Jose. Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big. New York: Regan, 2005. Print.
3. ESPN.com. "Players Listed in the Mitchell Commission Report - MLB - ESPN." Players Listed in the Mitchell Report. 13 Dec. 2007. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.