MLB – A History of Steroid Use

Major League Baseball has been ridden with steroids as of late and you can't help but wonder why this hasn't been taken care of sooner.  You rarely hear about major steroid abuse in the NBA, NFL, NHL or any other major sport.  This doesn't mean that it is not happening in other sports, but it is not nearly as rampant.  One reason why MLB has had so much attention on it is because it was one of the last major sports organizations to start implementing a drug testing policy.  Mark McGwire was one of the first to give hints that steroid supplementation was going on.  Androstendione, was found in his locker which can convert chemicals into extra testosterone.  This brought around a lot of questions since this was the same year that he made his record run on home runs.  He retired shortly after the season, but rumors were now all abuzz about steroid use in the locker room.

Not too long after all of this went down, another player named Ken Caminiti told sports illustrated that he had in face been using steroids during his career and that more than half of the players in the league were guilty of it.  Jose Canseco was another person that helped to raise speculation on other players using steroids.  He admitted that he used them and accused many other players of doing so as well.

Before Caminiti, only a few articles had been published about steroid use in MLB, but afterwards there were hundreds being written.  Other famous steroid scandals involved Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds.  They both told Grand Jury's that their trainers had given them the supplements to help with arthritis and other locker room ailments. 

One of the most ironic parts about all of these scandals is that it helped revive national attention for one of the nation's oldest sports.  Baseball sales have continued to increase ever since all the recent happenings have come to light.  Home run records continue to be shattered, and more and more people are watching to see the big hitters at bat.  Steroids are not the only reason for this.  Training and nutritional habits have improved over the years and athletes are in better shape than ever before.  But steroids are definitely a part of the new "homer friendly" ballparks. 

Despite all the upcoming evidence of steroids being used in baseball, it is apparent that they will stay around as long as players are not getting caught.  There still is no fool proof system for finding out who is using them and who is not.  More and more players are confessing after their careers end, but it will be a while before it is all contained.