With baseball season just around the corner, I cannot help but express my relief that Alex Rodriguez will not be in the starting lineup for the Yankees. The use of performance enhancing drugs has been an issue in Major League Baseball for many years. Although the punishment for the use of these drugs has become harsher over the years, the amount of players in the MLB using steroids has not decreased like people had hoped.
Rodriguez longed for fame, and in order to achieve that fame he was willing to do whatever it took for him to be the best on the field. The three-time American League MVP admitted to using PEDs from 2001-03 while he was with Texas but has repeatedly denied using them since. Subsequently, he has spent millions having his attorneys fight the current accusations.
A-Rod’s denial did not stop commissioner Bud Selig from suspending him for 211 games in August. The suspension was later reduced to 162 games and would not allow him to play in any postseason games for the 2014 season. This cost Rodriguez $25 million of his remaining $86 million contract. Is this punishment too harsh? Is it not harsh enough?
As an avid fan of Major League Baseball, I do not want players like Rodriquez in the league. It is first and foremost wrong to enhance your game with illegal drugs but even more frowned upon to lie about it. In my opinion, the repeat offender needs to be banned from the game altogether.
If the league continues to allow players to get away with using illegal substances to enhance their performances on the field, the use of these substances will most likely continue. Although the use of steroids in MLB will almost certainly not cease, the amount of players using the drugs will not decrease either. For an MVP worth millions of dollars, what is a one-year ban from the game and a loss of a couple million dollars going to do?
We are all human, often making mistakes and, therefore, deserving of second chances. I am interested to see the steps the MLB will take in the future to help decrease the use of steroids in the league. A-Rod is determined to make a comeback, but will his money lost and time away from the game prevent him from using steroids for a third time?
