Recently, in front of millions of television viewers, Lance Armstrong, the winner of seven Tour Frances, admitted to taking steroids on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).  Significantly, this impacted his credibility as not only an athlete, but also as a leader toward others.  Not only did the epidemic of Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PED) ravage the global sport of cycling, it also cast its dark shadow over our country’s most beloved past time: baseball.

In 2007, a groundbreaking 409-page independent report was released documenting the results of a 21-month investigation into the use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormones (HGH) in major league baseball.  The “Mitchell Report,” headed by Senator Mitchell, cited alleged use of such PED’s in 89 MLB players.  The announcement had a prodigious impact on professional baseball, triggering the implementation of increased drug testing of athletes and damaging the legacy of their careers. For example, Roger Clemens, former MLB superstar pitcher who was cited more than 82 times in the report for steroid use, was not inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year  on the ballot.  To join the Hall of Fame, a player needs 75 percent of the votes; Clemens earned only 39 percent.  With such credentials, Clemens should be an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer.  However, his connection to PED’s  tainted his legacy and is the most probably cause of his rejection.  Other candidates with such credentials and indictments were turned down this year including Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa.

After the results of the first ballot that featured marquee players who used PED’s, fans are now curious about future elections of players connected with “The PED Era.”  Different views on the subject exist across campus.  When asked about the topic,  former MLB Player Coach Shealy, now a coach of the Pine Crest Baseball Team thought, “The Hall of Fame is meant to be kind of a museum,so I don’t know how you can keep great players who have done great things out of it.”  On the other hand, Pine Crest first-baseman Chandler Cissel predicts, “A lot of the voters are never going to vote for anyone who has been accused of using PED’s even if that accusation is not proven.”

Suspicions regarding  MLB icons using PED’s can lead to a variety of ominous scenarios.  Pages four and five of the “Mitchell Report” list reasons why the prevention of PED use is important.   Some of the main points state that the use of steroids could pose a health risk, ruin the legacy of certain players, and influence comtemporary players ton all levels to use them in order to stay competitive.   “Collegiate and high school players have already been influenced to do PED’s because big leaguers have made it popular,” said Matt Rothenberg, another member of the Pine Crest Baseball team. “Baseball is such a competitive sport, and with everyone doing anything they can to get a competitive edge.   PED’s have become an option to some young players.”  Rothenberg’s theory can be used to tell the story of MLB All-Star infielder, Alex Rodriguez.  While players, such as Rodriguez, have used PED’s to keep up with increased competition, some have refused, like Coach Sheiley, who was trying to get into the Majors without the use of PED’s.  “To me, it was hard because it was right around the time I was trying to find a way to make the big leagues.  To see guys I played against ‘do it the wrong way’ was bitter because a lot of those guys were the reason I stayed in the minor leagues,” said Sheiley.  Hence, players using PED’s not only put an asterisk on their own accomplishments, but also make the road to “The Show” that much harder for players, like Coach Sheiley, who have not cheated.

Ultimately, using performance-enhancing drugs is not the right way to improve at any sport. Despite Armstrong’s claim that “he was evening the playing field” when he doped to win the Tour de France seven times, his reputation as both an athlete and a person will always be tarnished by steroids.  In all walks of life, certain actions may come with favorable short term results, but one must think of the long term consequences.  Although it is not possible to alter the past, young athletes can still set the tone for the future by learning from the mistakes of these offenders.  Fortunately the future is bright with budding stars at the Pine ready to lead with good morals.

“If I found out a teammate was doing PED’s, I would be extremely disappointed.  I would still respect him as a teammate, but no longer respect him as an individual.”- Chandler Cissel