How does the constant thought of today's athlete "juicing" affect your view of the Game?

Answer 1

I believe that the steroids usage is killing the whole concept of the sport, which is to make it a game of skill. Sure these people have the skills to be in professional sports already, but steroids help a person in ways that exercise and practicing can't reach normally. One trend I see is the mentality of the people using steroids. People like Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi enjoy the spotlight and don't want to leave it no matter what they do. Most players of professional sports are content to be rich and play their sports really well, but certain people just need to be better than everyone else. My final words are this. I'M not completely savvy with modern day politics, but isn't the use of steroids illegal? If not please correct me, but I don't think that sports players should be able to break the law and get away with it because they are celebrities, and that's exactly whats happening.

Answer 2

It is unfair that some people are doing them while others aren't. We can no longer just enjoy the game because your constantly wondering hey is this guy "juicing?" Last year during his chase for 61 an eyebrow was raised at Ryan Howard and whether he was on steroids. It just makes the game hard to enjoy because there is that constant what if. I love the home run and i believe hitting one is one iof the hardest things in sports to do. If everyone in baseball decided lets all do steroids, i wouldn't mind it and it would cast a shadow over the game because it would be equal and thus fair. Baseball had just been on strike(or was it a lockout?), and we didn't have a World Series the previous season. America though baseball players were a bunch of overpaid crybabies(I still do! NOBODY is worth $24M a year!) We needed a reason to get excited about baseball again! Along come Mark McGuire with guns that look like Popeye after eating his spinach, and Sammy Sosa smiling like the sun rising. Both were juiced, and I'll lay you even money Bud Selig knew about it or suspected it. And we all know that Barry Bonds is juiced like an over-ripe orange. It's not a racial thing, I'm sure white guys are on it too! MLB should have the same substance abuse policy that the NFL has, and the NBA should too! Make it uniform across all professional sports so that the purity of the game stays just that: PURE! OUT!!

Answer 3

I think Barry Bonds is getting a raw deal. Just because he has a hate-hate relationship with the media does not mean he has done anything wrong. He has not tested positive for anything. It's kind of similar to OJ. He was not convicted of anything yet he still is seen as a murderer. Granted he has done some stuff recently that was severely idiotic. He didn't kill anyone though. When athletes do test positive, I think they should get very stiff consequences such as the treatment Ben Johnson received as well as Justin Gatling. Baseball's powers that be dropped the ball in managing their sport. They didn't care. The strike occurred and some excitement was needed or their sport was going to end up like hockey. I can't get into hockey, but that is another subject. When someone makes a great play, the first thing that comes to mind is that was a great play; even if he has tested positive for steroids in the past. I could care less. Then as time went by, a story came out somewhere inside the sports section that the players, all college recruits, were let go without any charges. Its been some time since that happened, forgive me for not having an overly solid memory. But this goes to show what was happening in my local college and high school.

Answer 4

The bottom line is these men and women are already so far beyond average people there is no comparison. These athletes are tested and when they get caught they are punished. However the problem that happens is that people are convicted without actual proof. Barry Bonds has nothing to gain from cooperation because he's already guilty. All these guys implying that all the old records are absolutely clean. Anabolic steroids have been used since 1954. I assume that no one would have used them until Barry Bonds came along. Rest assured that there are some questionable records in the books.

If people were really so interested in fairness then maybe they would look at Lasik or other surgical procedures that give athletes advantages. Surely being able to see twice as good as other players would be of great benefit to all sorts of baseball players. What if a golfer had his elbow fused to improve his swing? What if athletes decide that they can have joints replaced with ceramic and titanium making them faster and stronger?

Sure sports are a game of skill but in reality it's a business. These athletes don't care about the fans the game or anyone who's not writing a check. I think sports are a total joke pretty much on line with pro wrestling. If it were up to me I'd rather see 500 foot homeruns and 70 yard field goals. The cheating will never stop because there is too much money on the line.

Answer 5

He was not convicted of anything yet he still is seen as a murderer. Granted he has done some stuff recently that was severely idiotic. He didn't kill anyone though. When athletes do test positive, I think they should get very stiff consequences such as the treatment Ben Johnson received as well as Justin Gatling. Baseball's powers that be dropped the ball in managing their sport. They didn't care. The strike occurred and some excitement was needed or their sport was going to end up like hockey. I can't get into hockey, but that is another subject. When someone makes a great play, the first thing that comes to mind is that was a great play; even if he has tested positive for steroids in the past. I could care less. Then as time went by, a story came out somewhere inside the sports section that the players, all college recruits, were let go without any charges. Its been some time since that happened, forgive me for not having an overly solid memory. But this goes to show what was happening in my local college and high school.

Answer 6

These athletes shouldn't be role models. That's what your father or the police man down the street or the fire man who pulls people out of burning buildings are for. Not some coddled jock who makes 10 million a year. If steriods were the answer then why don't you see teams hiring huge bodybuilders to play in MLB? These guys are massive, by this thinking they should be able to hit 700ft home runs all the time. Let's not forget that Babe Ruth was an alcoholic and womanizer and Ted Williams was even worse, yet these guys are SO admired today. People's view on their "heros" is really delusional.Baseball had just been on strike(or was it a lockout?), and we didn't have a World Series the previous season. America though baseball players were a bunch of overpaid crybabies(I still do! NOBODY is worth $24M a year!) We needed a reason to get excited about baseball again! Along come Mark McGuire with guns that look like Popeye after eating his spinach, and Sammy Sosa smiling like the sun rising. Both were juiced, and I'll lay you even money Bud Selig knew about it or suspected it. And we all know that Barry Bonds is juiced like an over-ripe orange. It's not a racial thing, I'm sure white guys are on it too! MLB should have the same substance abuse policy that the NFL has, and the NBA should too! Make it uniform across all professional sports so that the purity of the game stays just that: PURE! OUT!!

Answer 7

However, many fans state, "if you are not cheating you are not trying, and it's only cheating if you get caught." So what are we saying here... if you can dope up on some substance that may make you a better athlete, and you can get away with it, then if you don't, you aren't giving your 100%. What else are kids supposed to do... Millions of dollars or working at the car wash... Also, does juicing add to the game? Of course, look at the Home Run Derby season in '98 and Barry Bonds in the last few seasons... How many fans watched to see if McGuire, Sosa, or Bonds were going to hit another dinger. MBL's ratings had never been higher. What will happen when Bonds breaks the Hammers record... Well, probably nothing as the MLB is earning their paycheck so they will come up with some week *** rule/testing program that more or less punishes the little guy and allows the Bonds of the League to carry on without any retribution.

Answer 8

There is NO PROOF of Barry or anyone else still playing doing steroids. Sure there's the speculation and the obvious change in appearance in the years when Barry switched from the Pirates to the Giants, or Sosa from the Whitesox to the Cubs. But, if they had any proof of Bonds or anyone else juicing up, they'd be gone by now. Barry Bonds, regardless of steroids, is probably the best hitter of all time. Are you gonna tell me that if you took steroids you could hit 750 homeruns? How about one homerun? (unless you're an athlete). And further more, do you think that after the allegations against him, Bonds would be taking 'roids now? Not a chance. And he's over the hill and still hitting the long-ball. He's an amazing ball-player. If we're going to start accusing any player w/ big biceps, thighs, and lats to be taking steroids, then we should disqualify every superstar in the MLB and find new players who are skinny and hit seeing-eye singles. For the players who DO/DID juice up, they make the game more exciting. I enjoy watching a guy hit 60 homers in a year, or hit 500 foot blasts. It makes the game more exciting. Should we put an asterisk by the record when Bonds breaks it? If we do that, we have to basically put an asterisk over everything that happened in the past decade, the supposed "steroid era." Those of you complaining about "these guys did it the right way, don't cheat" and so forth, so they don't hold their record, you still know they're a great hitter, congratulate these other guys on being great hitters too. Steroids might make muscles, but they can't make a ballplayer.

Answer 9

I think Barry Bonds is getting a raw deal. Just because he has a hate-hate relationship with the media does not mean he has done anything wrong. He has not tested positive for anything. It's kind of similar to OJ. He was not convicted of anything yet he still is seen as a murderer. Granted he has done some stuff recently that was severely idiotic. He didn't kill anyone though. When athletes do test positive, I think they should get very stiff consequences such as the treatment Ben Johnson received as well as Justin Gatling. Baseball's powers that be dropped the ball in managing their sport. They didn't care. The strike occurred and some excitement was needed or their sport was going to end up like hockey. I can't get into hockey, but that is another subject. When someone makes a great play, the first thing that comes to mind is that was a great play; even if he has tested positive for steroids in the past. I could care less.

Answer 10

They want to see records broken. Ultimately it's a profession, and people do what ever they think will get them to the top of their profession. Whether it's brown nosing the boss, using cut-throat tactics in the board room, stealing others ideas (or in this case) using performance enhancing drugs. These athletes shouldn't be role models. That's what your father or the police man down the street or the fire man who pulls people out of burning buildings are for. Not some coddled jock who makes 10 million a year. If steriods were the answer then why don't you see teams hiring huge bodybuilders to play in MLB? These guys are massive, by this thinking they should be able to hit 700ft home runs all the time. Let's not forget that Babe Ruth was an alcoholic and womanizer and Ted Williams was even worse, yet these guys are SO admired today. People's view on their "heros" is really delusional.

Answer 11

Baseball had just been on strike(or was it a lockout?), and we didn't have a World Series the previous season. America though baseball players were a bunch of overpaid crybabies(I still do! NOBODY is worth $24M a year!) We needed a reason to get excited about baseball again! Along come Mark McGuire with guns that look like Popeye after eating his spinach, and Sammy Sosa smiling like the sun rising. Both were juiced, and I'll lay you even money Bud Selig knew about it or suspected it. And we all know that Barry Bonds is juiced like an over-ripe orange. It's not a racial thing, I'm sure white guys are on it too! MLB should have the same substance abuse policy that the NFL has, and the NBA should too! Make it uniform across all professional sports so that the purity of the game stays just that: PURE! OUT!!