No, I don't know if it's entirely individual choice if I have to do something unhealthy in order to maintain the same competitive advantage as fellow players. If I'm a pitcher, for example, an extra 3 miles an hour on my fastball makes a big difference. If other players are gaining this advantage and I'm not, I'd have to think long and hard about continuing to opt not to use steroids.. . . Players have always tried different things from scuffed balls, spitballs, corked bats, you name it and it has probably been tried by someone at some point.
I don't think there should be any penalty against known or unknown steroid users. The players all had the opportunity to use or not use so they all had the "chance" to have the same competitive edge. Now I'm not saying I condone it, and many may suffer medical problems in the future because of it, but at the end of the day it was each individuals choice. . .
I think the problem is the impact it could have, and already does have, on youth development. Legalizing roids at the pro level is only going to further encourage high school players to use it, and most of them are incapable of properly weighing the risks involved in steroid use.Baseball (as well as football, basketball, hell any other competitive sport) has always had people that skirt the edge of the rules looking for an advantage. Finding new and creative ways to outdo your opponent is an American trait. Players have always tried different things from scuffed balls, spitballs, corked bats, you name it and it has probably been tried by someone at some point.
I don't think there should be any penalty against known or unknown steroid users. The players all had the opportunity to use or not use so they all had the "chance" to have the same competitive edge. Now I'm not saying I condone it, and many may suffer medical problems in the future because of it, but at the end of the day it was each individuals choice.
The laughable part of all this is the ownership group pretending they didn't know what was going on. They saw the record profits coming in and I guarantee every baseball fan remembers the McGwire - Sosa race against the Maris home run record. At that time baseball captured back the nation. That was the epiphany that came to the owners, home runs sell TV - which sells advertisements - which generates money! So they had no problem with players using as long they were successful.
The steroid argument is made up issue by sportswriters that cumulatively have no more moral standing then Pete Rose!
I think the problem is the impact it could have, and already does have, on youth development. Legalizing roids at the pro level is only going to further encourage high school players to use it, and most of them are incapable of properly weighing the risks involved in steroid use.