For years now, we have had to hear about and deal with the MLB and steroids having such a negative impact on the game itself. We have heard about all the players who have "cheated" and used illegal substances to enhance performance. Those you used to be heroes to the game of baseball are now known as cheaters and liars. But what is it that sparked this "Steroid Era"? What makes these players want to use these illegal drugs and risk their reputation to millions of fans across the world? If you asked some of the players mentioned on the list, the answers may be more complex than you would imagine.
A minor league player has a very small chance of actually making it to the big leagues. In fact, some say that your chances are actually slim to none. But what if instead of living in an apartment with three other people and playing in front of a couple hundred people, you could be living in your own million dollar home, playing on national T.V., and living the dream being the hero to kids all around the world? Which one would you rather be? And if I told you that all you had to do was take steroids to get there, would you? I bet a lot of people have never really thought of it that way. That is where the business aspect comes in to play. If you're lucky in the minors, you can make about $24,000 a year (not counting the very few players with big signing bonuses). In the majors, the average salary for 2009, was about $3,000,000 a year and that number is rising.
A minor league player has a very small chance of actually making it to the big leagues. In fact, some say that your chances are actually slim to none. But what if instead of living in an apartment with three other people and playing in front of a couple hundred people, you could be living in your own million dollar home, playing on national T.V., and living the dream being the hero to kids all around the world? Which one would you rather be? And if I told you that all you had to do was take steroids to get there, would you? I bet a lot of people have never really thought of it that way. That is where the business aspect comes in to play. If you're lucky in the minors, you can make about $24,000 a year (not counting the very few players with big signing bonuses). In the majors, the average salary for 2009, was about $3,000,000 a year and that number is rising.
Obviously, you have got to see why these players may consider taking a few pills to enhance their performance so they can actually make good money and live a happier life. The questions that come in to play are the ones regarding injury. Although many players would risk getting caught for steroids to make it to the bigs, there are some that would not want to risk the injuries that may come with taking steroids. Baseball teams will lose money on guys who can not play either because of suspensions or injuries that come about from taking steroids. A team who pays millions of dollars for a guy does not want to see that guy sitting on the bench for 50 games because of the suspension they get for failing a drug test like Manny Ramirez did just last year.
Then again, taking steroids is almost too good of an opportunity to pass up for many players. Look at this way: An average career for a major league player may last about 6 or 7 years amd steroids have been known to increase players' OPS(combination of on base percentage and slugging percentage) by about .100 which would most likely lead to a pay increase of $2,000,000 a year. So over that player's career, they could gain up to $12,000,000 more just by taking steroids. This may make it a little bit more clear as to why one may take steroids in the MLB. Still though, these drugs are taking over a game that has been around a lot longer than we have and will be around a lot longer than we will be. We have to respect it and keep the tradition of baseball going. Baseball is a sport where hours of training and extreme focus make you excel on the field. Steroids should have no say in that at all.
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