6 Benefits of [TRT] Testosterone Replacement Therapy //. (n.d.). Spartan Medical Associates. https://www.spartanmedicalassociates.com/benefits-of-trt/

Background

6 Benefits of TRT outlined the processes of TRT and how it regulates hormone levels for men. It briefly discussed the effects TRT has on the body and how it can benefit men with low testosterone. The rest of the article carefully outlined the benefits of using testosterone in a controlled setting.

How I Used It

I used 6 Benefits of TRT in forming a rebuttal to the argument that anabolic steroids should be banned in the MLB. TRT gave me a hill to stand on where there is proof that using testosterone in a controlled setting can be helpful.

Alex Rodriguez Stats, Fantasy & News. (n.d.). MLB.com. https://www.mlb.com/player/alex-rodriguez-121347

Background

This page gave me a complete list of Alex Rodriguez’s stats throughout his time in the MLB. It also listed his accomplishments and awards he gained during his time.

How I used It

I used this page to help support my stance that players enhanced performance by steroids doesn’t correlate to a team winning the world series. I filed through A-Rod’s stats to see his stats when he used steroids and connected the dots on whether the team he was playing for won the world series.  

Barry Bonds Stats, Fantasy & News. (2018). MLB.com. https://www.mlb.com/player/barry-bonds-111188

Background

This page gave me a complete list of Barry Bonds’ stats throughout his time in the MLB. The list included prominent statistics such as Batting Average, Homeruns, and RBIs while including any awards such as All-Star appearances and MVP awards.

How I used It

I used this page to help support my stance that players enhanced performance by steroids doesn’t correlate to a team winning the world series. I searched through Bonds’ stats to see when he used steroids and connected the dots on whether the team he played for won the world series.  

Baseball and Performance Enhancing Drugs. (2013). Bloomberg.

Background

Baseball and Performance Enhancing drugs was a short interview with Yankees President Randy Levine. In the video, Levine touched on steroid use within Baseball and how it affects the sport. Levine praised the steroid testing policies and believes that the MLB has the strictest drug testing policies in all competitive sports. He hopes the current policies will help rid Baseball of all steroid use.

How I Used It

I used this video to help define the steroid testing policies of the MLB. This video, along with the article below by Warren Chu, clearly outline the testing policies of the MLB, which I used to support my stance that the guidelines don’t rid the MLB of steroid use. 

Bonds, Clemens on Contemporary Era HOF ballot. (2022, November 7). ESPN.com. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34972498/barry-bonds-roger-clemens-contemporary-era-hof-ballot

Background

This Espn article is a recent report that detailed the most recent Hall of Fame ballot. The most recent vote included a contemporary section with players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who could receive Hall of Fame votes. The contemporary section was one of the first in recent history that the ballot included steroid users on the Hall of Fame ballot.

How I Used It

 I used this ESPN article to close out my causal argument. The article helped emphasize the changing viewpoint on steroids in Baseball. For many years, players caught using steroids were banned from the Hall of Fame. Bonds and Clemens being up for nomination is a step forward for the league and the public accepting the use of steroids. 

Background

Contextualization of a Shifting Perspective Regarding the Steroid Era sought to sift through the anecdotal signs that the interest in Baseball is waning. “The steroid era is widely recognized as having sparked increasingly elevated levels of scrutiny of baseball.” Patrick Antinori and Rodney J. Blackman state that the best way to revive the game of Baseball is for the MLB to tighten its policies. The study goal is the steroid era and the shift in perspective of those times. 

How I Used It

 I used this article to outline the history of steroids in my paper. Steroids and drugs, in general, have served a prominent role in the history of Baseball. Baseball has received a shadow of bad publicity due to its steroid issues. Many believe that MLB’s strict standards will be the light to shine players away from steroids. Still, using this article, I convey a stark contrast that allowing the regulated use of steroids is the solution to the problem.

Chu. (2021). WADA Time to Choose a Side: Reforming the Anti-Doping Policies in U.S. Sports Leagues While Preserving Players’ Rights to Collectively Bargain. The Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts, 44(2), 209–. https://doi.org/10.52214/jla.v44i2.7824

Background

Warren Chu’s article detailed the MLB’s drug testing policies and how they change with each new collective bargaining agreement. Chu describes the strict MLB policies and how they include testing in and out of season. The MLB testing policies also include random drug testing throughout the year. 

How I used It

I used Chu’s article and Randy Levine’s video to define the league’s drug testing policies. Many people believe that MLB’s strict drug policies will help create a game without the abuse of steroids. Still, I used the article to support my stance that strict testing policies make using steroids even more dangerous for players. The guidelines turn an advantage that the MLB could regulate for positive use in the league into a black market fiasco. 

Eric Gagne Stats, Fantasy & News. (n.d.). MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.mlb.com/player/eric-gagne-150378

“JDA | Mlbpa.” Mlbpa, http://www.mlbplayers.com/jda. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.

Background

This page gave me a complete list of Eric Gagne’s stats throughout his time in the MLB. Gagne’s list included his general stats through his service time in the MLB. It also had awards he won during his time, such as All-Star appearances and Cy Young Awards.

How I used It

I used this page to help support my stance that players enhanced performance by steroids doesn’t correlate to a team winning the world series. I searched Gange’s stats to see when he used steroids and connected the dots on whether the team he played for won the world series.  

Jose Canseco Stats, Fantasy & News. (n.d.). MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.mlb.com/player/jose-canseco-111962

Background

This page gave me a complete list of Jose Canseco’s stats throughout his time in the MLB. The list included statistics of Canseco throughout his career and any awards he won.

How I used It

I used Canseco’s stats to help bolster my stance that a player’s enhanced performance from steroids doesn’t mean his team will win the world series.

Mitchell, G. (2007). REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER OF BASEBALL OF AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE ILLEGAL USE OF STEROIDS AND OTHER PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES BY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. https://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf

Background

The Mitchell Report is a comprehensive legal document that exposed the prominent use of steroids throughout Baseball. The report exposed over 80 players abusing steroids during their time in Baseball and the respective sources of the drug. The Mitchell Report was a prominent document when it was first released in 2007 and ended the careers of many players named in the report.

How I Used It

I used the Mitchell Report to gain a comprehensive list of players who received punishment for their steroid use. I used this list in several ways, including researching players’ backgrounds, discipline, statistics throughout their career on and off steroids, and how that correlated to their team’s success or lack thereof. 

MLB.com. 2022. Clase suspended 80 games after positive test. [online] Available at: <https://www.mlb.com/news/emmanuel-clase-suspended-80-games&gt; .

Background

My next article detailed the suspension of then-Guardian closer Emmanuel Clase. The report described when Clase tested and what resulted in his positive test. Clase served an 80-game suspension for his positive test, causing him to miss half a season.

How I Used It

I used the report of Clase’s suspension to describe how these suspensions can hurt a player’s image. Many players enjoy successful careers until they receive a positive drug test. Once that information became public, many fans who loved watching that player turned their backs on them due to the stigma around steroids. 

MLB Steroid Suspensions (2005-2022) | Baseball Almanac. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/steroids_baseball.shtml

Background

Baseball Almanac provided a substantial list of every player who ever served a steroid-based suspension from 2005-2022. This list included when the player received a suspension and how long it was served. 

How I Used It

 I used Baseball Almanac’s list to help broaden how many players served suspensions due to steroid use. The list included many prominent figures from the MLB. I ran with this information to bolster my stance that these players enhanced performance had no effect on their team winning a world series. These players also received unwarranted scrutiny due to their steroid use, and if the MLB regulated steroid use correctly, players could have avoided the scrutiny. 

nytimes.com. (2022, October 6). Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/sports/baseball/fernando-tatis-padres.html

Background

My next article detailed the suspension of superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. this past season. Tatits had to miss half the season due to a hand injury, but he missed the whole season due to serving an 80-game suspension for a positive drug test. Tatis’ suspension discouraged his followers and teammates alike. Due to his suspension, people started to doubt his maturity and whether or not he belonged in the league.

How I Used It

Tatis is another victim of the strict MLB PED policies creating a black market for steroids. Players have to be secretive and obtain the drugs in a roundabout way to be able to enhance their performance. The black market of steroids destroys the perception of players caught using the drug.

Patrick Antinori, & Rodney J Blackman. (2017). Contextualization of a Shifting Perspective Regarding the Steroid Era. The Sport Journal.

Background

Contextualization of a Shifting Perspective Regarding the Steroid Era sought to sift through the anecdotal signs that the interest in Baseball is waning. “The steroid era is widely recognized as having sparked increasingly elevated levels of scrutiny of baseball.” Patrick Antinori and Rodney J. Blackman state that the best way to revive the game of Baseball is for the MLB to tighten its policies. The study goal is the steroid era and the shift in perspective of those times. 

How I Used It

 I used this article to outline the history of steroids in my paper. Steroids and drugs, in general, have served a prominent role in the history of Baseball. Baseball has received a shadow of bad publicity due to its steroid issues. Many believe that MLB’s strict standards will be the light to shine players away from steroids. Still, using this article, I convey a stark contrast that allowing the regulated use of steroids is the solution to the problem.

Schmotzer, B., Kilgo, P. D., & Switchenko, J. (2009). ‘The natural’? the effect of steroids on offensive performance in Baseball. Chance, 22(2), 21-32.

Background

The Natural is a comprehensive study that researched steroids’ effect on individual performance. The study showed that steroids enhance a player’s performance exponentially in many critical statistical groups, such as home runs and runs created per 27 outs.

How I Used It

 I used this article to outline that steroids enhance a player’s performance. There’s no hiding that fact, but I used that fact to show that even having a player with enhanced performance on your team doesn’t mean you will win a World Series, let alone have a successful season. This study emphasizes my point that the MLB should regulate and control the use of steroids in a rational matter so that players who elect to use the drug can do so safely.

Should We Accept Steroid Use in Sports? (2008, January 23). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2008/01/23/18299098/should-we-accept-steroid-use-in-sports

Background

Should We Accept Steroid Use in Sports was an NPR debate between pro-steroid and against-steroid panelists. The panel included six members who each presented evidence to support their respective stances on the matter.

How I Used It

I used this NPR debate solely in my rebuttal argument. I decided the panelists against steroids were my worthy opponents. My goal was to take their information and acknowledge it, then quickly strike it down by identifying the flaws within their arguments.