Steroids have become a huge topic of discussion in professional sports over the last 25+ years, but none more than in Major League Baseball. The more common debate from this topic has been the decision on whether or not these users should be allowed in the Hall of Fame. The bigger discussion here is the legal side of things both economically and through the media’s coverage of this topic.
There are many different angles from which you can approach a topic like this from. The health and safety of the players choosing to use steroids, the amount of revenue teams can gain when having more “powerful” players on their roster, or even the idea that these players are ethically wrong for cheating the system.
The media has done a great job doing its best at giving these players a negative view in the public’s eye but there are, of course, some obstacles to worry about here. It can be sometimes be difficult to get all the information on a topic like this due to things such as HIPAA Laws. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is an act to amend the internal Revenue Code of 1996 to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes.
Posts of Interest
‘This Should Be the Biggest Scandal in Sports’
June 4, 2021
Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt talk about the role steroids have played in the evolution of baseball.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/04/sticky-stuff-is-the-new-steroids-daily-cover
Under Mounting Pressure: A History of Media Influence on Major League Baseball Steroid Policies
March, 2012
Dan and David Deluliis discuss the the media’s role in pressuring Major League Baseball to crack down on its steroid policies.
Jose Canseco on The Howard Stern Show speaking about his frustration with Major League Baseball on how they handled steroid use.
Based on this interview with Jose Canseco, who was a steroid user and played 17 seasons in the MLB, he claims that Major League baseball, along with the MLB Players Association, did not do a good enough job preventing players from using steroids during their playing careers due to the fact that their number one goal was and still is to make money. This helps further the point that it is crucial for journalists to do their best to dig deep, while avoiding illegal actions, and report to the public that/if players are using these illegal drugs.
Ken Griffey Jr. talks about why he didn’t use steroids and gives his take on the players that did during his time in the big leagues.
The Use of Steroids 