Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez: If you are an MLB fan at all, you know exactly what I am about to talk about. Performance-enhancing drugs have been a part of the sports world since the beginning.
Controversy surrounds these players because of the mark they left (or are attempting to leave) in the MLB. McGwire, Sosa and Bonds all hit an unreal amount of home runs during their stints in the league. Rodriguez is suspended for the 2014 season due to the 2013 Biogenesis scandal that also suspended 13 other players.
Why do I bring this up? Many critics of the MLB say the members of the Players Association are too harsh on PED users, and they should be fair in justifying what is or is not considered a PED. Some even go as far as to say Tylenol Extra Strength should be considered a PED because it relieves pain so the player can continue playing.
Here is my issue with it all — it is wrong. Simple as that. These players have God-given talent, and they are throwing it away by trying to enhance what is already good. They are in the MLB, for crying out loud. If they were not any good, they would be sitting at home watching the games from their couches.
It is wrong to lie. It is wrong to cheat. These are all things that happen when PEDs are part of the picture in the MLB. The player is lying about his abilities and cheating by using the PEDs.
Think about it for a minute. Would you want to go up against someone during an intramural softball game that had been pumping steroids for a few years? My guess would be you would not like that.
At the end of the day, you might have a different opinion than me, and that is completely reasonable. But here is the deal: PEDs have made something that should be pure athletic ability turn into something that detracts from the real reasons we love baseball: cracker jacks, hot dogs, home runs and nerve-racking moments.
