Pete Rose or the Steroid Issue in Baseball. Which do you think has done the most damage to MLB?

Question

Pete Rose: Back in the 1980's, Pete Rose agreed to a permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds; some accusations claimed that he bet on, and even against, the Reds.

Steroid abuse in MLB: Baseball players and owners have put in place a tougher policy against performance-enhancing drugs following increased attention created by a federal grand jury investigation into illegal steroid distribution.

The >> denotes added information

Pete Rose: Back in the 1980's, Pete Rose agreed to a permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds; some accusations claimed that he bet on, and even against, the Reds.

>>Link to the Dowd Report on Rose:
>>http://www.baseball1.com/bb-data/rose/dowd/dowd_cover.html

Steroid abuse in MLB: Baseball players and owners have put in place a tougher policy against performance-enhancing drugs following increased attention created by a federal grand jury investigation into illegal steroid distribution.

>>Keep in mind Steroid use without a >>prescription is a felony. Steroids are >>classified
>>in the same group of drugs as crack and >>meth.

>>Steroids can enhance athletic performance >>to a degree that it can turn an average >>athlete into a superstar.

>> http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2005-03-15-steroids-mlb-cover_x.htm

I have added additional info and appreciate all the responses thus far. Please star this question if you think either of these events are worth Baseball and other sports immediate attention. Speaking of stars, funny thing about stars in sports, some might not have even made it to the college level if not for steroids and on the other hand some have even been caught up in gambling even before becoming pros.

More Rose info:
Link to Dowd Report on Rose:
http://www.baseball1.com/bb-data/rose/dowd/dowd_cover.html

More roid info:
Keep in mind Steroid use without a prescription is a felony. Steroids are classified
in the same group of drugs as crack and meth.

Steroids can enhance athletic performance to a degree that it can turn an average athlete into a superstar.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2005-03-15-steroids-mlb-cover_x.htm

Sorry about the redundant added info. I didn't realize it kept my other text when I went in to add info. Sorry for my rookie mistake.

Clearification: I asked a specific question and did not point out a specific baseball player in reference to the roid issue. Also I did not ask what issue in history did the most damage to baseball of all time. Maybe I should have worded my question: Of these two, which has done more damage to MLB: Pete Rose or the ongoing steroid and illegal substance abuse scandal?

Answer 1

Great question....I would have to say steroids though. The use of "performance-enhancing" drugs does cause alot of skepticism in record holdings and player stats. It has created chaos across the boards. What Pete did was wrong but I think the guy deserves a break after all these years. It really is a shame they will not put him in Cooperstown...he was an awesome player/manager.

Answer 2

I think the steroids issue has had the greatest impact on baseball. The Pete Rose incident was basically an isolated thing. Pete Rose claims that he only bet on the Reds to win so he may have made his teams try harder. I don't think there's really any evidence that he caused his teams to lose games or did anything to throw the games. The steroids issue became widespread. No one knows exactly how widespread steroids have become in baseball and because of that, we don't know just which records and games were decided because of steroids. Even Barry Bonds is suspicious but cannot be proven to have used steroids. It's a shame that records have fallen and will fall, but without any way to prove that steroids were used, the records and game decisions will sit alongside every legiteimate stat out there.

Answer 3

I don't think Pete Rose can be compared to Steroids. Pete Rose bet on baseball, which is bad. The only thing that it did was hurt his reputation. Steroids have destroyed the integrity of the whole game. Barry Bonds should be banned from sports for taking illegal substances, but because baseball needs media attention, the powers that be, won't do what baseball needs. Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Jose Conseco, Sammy Sosa, etc. These are some of the biggest names in baseball for the long ball. Each one was using some kind of muscle enhancement. Bonds, McGuire, and Sosa could have been considered hall of famers. With the steroid scandal, none of them should be even considered. Using a substance that is considered against the law in the Countries they play in, is much worse then breaking a baseball rule. The second Issue, is that Barry lied to congress about his use of the drugs. This is also a felony.

I remember Barry Bonds when he was a skinny base stealer in Pittsburgh. Now he is a juiced up home run hitter that has no right to be mentioned as a home run hitter. He has passed Babe Ruth, whom is the best home run hitter ever. No offense to Hammering Hank. Babe Ruth was a pitcher for how many years of his life.

61 home runs is still the mark to beat. The only people to beat it have cheated to do so. The steroids have left many wondering what the game has fallen to. Having to second guess every record, to wonder who is cheating, and to think of 20 years of baseball as the steroid generation.

The lasting effect of steroids will be much worse then almost any other scandal in any other sport (big 4).

Answer 4

I believe steroids. It is going to change the history of baseball
in a false way. What Pete Rose did was not changing any
historical stats. And there are a lot of other players that have
done a whole lot worse than what Pete did. And everyone
turns a blind eye to it. I feel they are accepting drug use and
saying that it is OK. And saying that gambling is worse than
drug use. Which I don't understand people's acceptance of
drug use. I can't forget all the records that Pete has set. And
the player he was. I believe that should be remember. And
all these steroid users should be banned from baseball .
They are losers and should not be allowed to wear a base-
ball uniform. They are selfish and only thinking of themselves
and not the older players who came up the hard way in sports.

Answer 5

The steroid issue has had more of an effect on baseball as more people seem to have this problem! I think baseball knew it had this problem in the 90's but did nothing about it as Mark Mcguire and Sammy Sosa were making MLB money! It took them over 10+ years to do anything about this problem! I think anybody who has been caught taking steroids should be thrown out of baseball for life and their records taken from the books! How is this any less of a problem than gambling.

Answer 6

Think about this... the Pete Rose situation was self-contained... you eliminate the source, the problem extinguishes.... On the other hand, Steroids and the whispers that follow have run rampant across the league.... You get rid of Barry, Ken Caminiti (R.I.P), Jose Canseco, and etc....and the whispers remain..... For example... let's pretend that Barry Bonds isn't even playing this year.... Now, A-Rod still gets off to his hot start...AND the FIRST (even for a split second) thing that people at least whisper/ joke about/speculate/wonder in the back of their minds is........ (Could it be..?)

Point is Pete Rose is not bigger than baseball...he is contained within...everything he's done, all the records, hits, bets.... it's all contained within the game.... However the issue of Steroids has transcended the game... it's made itself bigger... every good player, every great play, every amazing feat.... the question lies silently in the back drop. (Could it be..? Could he be...? I hope he isn't....)

Steroids have definitely been worse for baseball than Pete Rose.

Answer 7

I think it depends on the era, back in the 70's and 80's steroid use was as plentiful as today, but the lately with the increase of anti-drug campaigns and players and coaches under higher scrutiny
steroid use is a higher crime than a "Pete Rose" incident of today.
Also it really depends on who and what, some people will turn a blind eye on some incidents today and in the 80's depending on the crime and severity and who gets a hold of the story and who is getting accused, for example the Pete Rose scandal, would it be as big of a deal if it was a lesser known player? Or steroid used in a AAA?
As far as your question, it depends on the individual and they believe is worse, as far as I am concerned the situation surrounding Pete Rose is worse for MLB that steroid use.
But all this is just an opinion.
Scott S

Answer 8

Charlie Hustle bet on his team to win every night, and he had about a .600 record. That's a solid return. It's just good business. Steroids have done much more damage to baseball than Pete Rose. He's one man, steroids have affected the integrity of the whole league.

Answer 9

At this point I'd say it's the steroids, because it has tainted the game. Anytime a player does anything great now, there's the immediate question of whether or not they're using illegal substances. When Ryan Howard won the home run title last season, there were several national columns wondering about whether he used steroids, and the same issue comes up all the time on message boards and baseball forums. It's difficult for a player now to do anything without being questioned or doubted. And while Rose was the only high-profile bettor at the time, everyone knows that there are a lot of juicers.

What Rose did was horrible, and he deserves the lifetime ban. The difference is that baseball didn't become infected with gamblers, and Rose's actions didn't cause everyone to question the outcome of those games.

Finally, there was a sense of closure to the Rose issue when Giamatti came down firmly and banned him. That same closure doesn't exist with the steroids issue, because baseball has been so weak when it comes to laying down punishments. It took them several years to even agree to tests, and they dragged their feet on instituting something that even comes close to the level of scrutiny used by the Olympics for their testing.

Answer 10

I think it is MLB's reactions and choice of responses to these issues that hurt baseball the most.

Pete was disruptive as a coach but as a baseball player he was one of the best ever. He embodied all the qualities in a player a coach, or promoter for that matter, could wish for. He should not have been so disrespected by MLB when he was receiving the Top Players of All Time award.

"Steriods" (the scandal name) but the individual medical names of the different ingredients were not illegal substances at the time Mark, Jose and Sammy were taking them. HGH wasnt illegal when that wave of players (maybe G. Mathews Jr.) were taking them either.
So MLB should just admit people did some things we didnt know were bad and hadn't banned yet. Although the last few seasons have been some of the most offensive and exciting seasons ever with 20/20 hindsight we now wish some players hadnt endangered their bodies taking some of the following substances. We have since banned the following substances.....

This is not an asterix on those individuals but on that time in general. People didn't know smoking cig's was deadly 40 years ago and that is a fault of the times not the people smoking.

People are always going to take risks "red lining" their bodies in the pursuit of greatness. That person is willing to risk the long term for the immediate short term.
Think Muhammed Ali,
any race car driver,
QB's in the NFL and concussions
snowboarders
Motorcross...

The reason these people are in the spotlight is for us to all learn from their stories and the lessons they (and we) learned. Just let them be them and keep the cameras rolling for the world to watch as they go.....

MLB should have the tougher list and they should keep updating it, but should also accept the responsibility for the "steriod era" scandal. Put it to bed and silence all the media clatter on it.
Barry took roids as did Sammy and Mark and it was the greatest show baseball has ever seen.
Barry has given up his well being for this game and they want to turn their backs on him. I think thats a shame, even if he is an ****** as a person. This is about Baseball !!

Just Educate the population as you learn MLB instead of pointing the finger and hiding like a kid who is scared of get the spanking.

Respect the people who brought you here, your actions are dispicible!!!