It's Time for Mandatory Drug Testing in Major League Baseball

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Recommended: Steroids negative effect on athletes

Imagine a drug that would turn anyone from a slim, slender, frail being to a masculine, bodybuilding physique, increasing strength and endurance to help boost performance level in any sport. Without knowing the side effects would you take this drug? This drug known as an anabolic androgenic steroid has been used by many professional athletes to help improve their performance level. Anabolic androgenic steroids are a synthetic derivative of the male hormone testosterone used to build muscle mass. The anabolic meaning muscle-building, effects help the body retain protein and the androgenic or masculinizing effects cause an increase in muscle mass and aggressiveness (“Steroids”). In the past couple of years steroid use in professional baseball has seen a dramatic increase. Anabolic steroids has forever changed the game of professional baseball, influencing players to take them to increase their playing potential but also destroying the bodies of the athletes; therefore, a mandatory drug test before every game should be enforced to keep this problem from rising.
In the 1990’s steroids had become a prominent issue. Professional baseball players were abusing steroids without knowing the harmful side effects. Steroids could cause serious health problem such as liver damage, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, and blood clots. Other minor side effects include increased risk of ligament and tendon injuries, aching joints, muscle cramps, sleep problems, and severe acne (“Anabolic Steroids and Sports”). Recent studies from 1989 to 1998 have shown the number of players on the disabled list in the MLB to have increased by thirty-one percent, and a thirteen percent increase in the average stay on the disabled list. The...

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...themselves. Baseball use to be a game full of talent and skill, now it is all changing due to steroid use.

Works Cited

“Anabolic Steroids and Sports: Winning at any Cost.” Department of Health. New York State Health Department, Oct. 2008. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Carise, Denise. “Baseball and Steroids: What’s the Big Deal.” Huff Post. 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
Lavine, Joshua. “Juicin’ In the Majors; A History of Steroids in Baseball.” NYULocal. 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
“Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports Fast Facts.” CNN. 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
“Steroids: Just the Facts.” Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014
“Steroid Suspension.” Baseball Almanac. n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Torre, Joe and Verducci, Tom.”The Man Who Warned Baseball About Steroids.” Time Entertainment. Time incorporated, 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 7 Feb. 2014

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