Timothy Porras English 1311 Ms.

Falcon 21 October 2013 Performance Enhancing Drugs in Baseball: Alex Rodriguez The sport of baseball known as Americas past time became an organized sport in the year 1845 by Alexander Cartwright, also known as The father of baseball. It has been around for over a century and it has been the most popular sport, especially with big names in history like Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson Mr. October. It has brought huge names and the Major League Baseball (MLB) organization has brought up players statistics to be sacred. In 2002, the MLB organization made a rule that steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) should be banned from baseball because it tarnishes the statistics that many old time players have worked so hard to create. It is viewed as a way of cheating because the enhancement drug gives the player a higher advantage with hitting home runs and players are frowned upon when they are caught using PEDs. Mitchell (2007) states the following: For the first time, human growth hormone was added as a prohibited substance under the program (together with seventeen other compunds). In addition, the parties agreed to more stringent penalties for positive steroid tests, including: a 10-day suspension for the first positive test; a 50- day suspension for the second positive test; a 60-day suspension

for the third positive test; a one year suspension for the fourth positive test; and additional progressive discipline for any further positive tests. Even as the 2005 revisions to the joint drug programwere being finalized, however, the February 2005 release Jose Cansecos memoir, Juiced, led to a March 17, 2005hearing on the issue before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform. One month later, Commissioner Selig sought the Players Associations agreement to increased penalties of a 50-game suspension for first-time offenders, a 100-game suspension for second-time offenders, and a permanent ban for third-time offenders. (p. 57-58) Recently a big name has come up for the topic of PEDs, Alex Rodriguez. The ESPN website (2009) reported that: Rodriguezs admission comes 48 hours after Sports Illustrated reported that Rodriguez was on a list of 104 players who tested positive for banned substances in 2003, the year when Major League Baseball conducted survey tests to see if mandatory, random drug-tests was needed in the sport. In 2005, he admitted using a PED from 2001-2003, which are the years he played with the Texas Rangers. He admitted that he stopped using PEDs before the 2003 season. The MLB could not touch Rodriguez because the ban they put on using PEDs did not come into effect until the 2004 season. Since Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs, the MLB organization has been after him for many years to try and ban him for what he did before PEDs became illegal in baseball.. Very recently, in the 2013 season, many players have received a 50- game suspension for using PEDs. They were just looking at players who they suspected to be using PEDs and tried to get them to

admit to using them, the most popular confession was from Ryan Braun and he was suspended for 50 games and was denied any chance at playing in the postseason. As for Alex Rodriguez, who has been testing negative for PEDs, the MLB organization is trying to hit him with a 211game suspension. Why are they out to get Rodriguez? After Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs during his three years with the Texas Rangers, the MLB has submitted him to more random drug tests than any other player, but they have no proof to suspend him. Rodriguez has denied using PEDs after 2003, which is creating frustration with the MLB organization. At first they were going to give Alex Rodriguez a 50-game suspension in the 2013 season if he admitted to using PEDs after the steroid rule. After Rodriguez denied using it since then, the MLB organization is now trying to get him with a 211game suspension for lying about the use of PEDs. This creates havoc because of the unfair suspension because he has always tested negative and they now completely overlooked the first two penalties and created their own suspension on the spot. There is no doubt that Alex Rodriguez is an amazing player, he has past many records that previous MLB players have put up such as passing many big names with home runs and now the leading grand slam hitter. After Rodriguez admitted his use of PEDs, the University of Miami renamed its baseball field from Alex Rodriguez Park, to Mark Light Field. Everybody seems to agree that his statistics and awards should be stripped from him because he used PEDs. Nobody should blame the MLB organization for trying to strip his achievements, but he should not be threatened with a 211-game suspension because that is highly unfair.