Documentary

Works Cited

"Event Timeline." Drug Policy in Baseball. MLB Advanced Media, 19 2012. Web. 28 Oct 2012.<http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/drug_policy.jsp?content=timeline>.

Oconnor, Jason. "Why Steroids Are Bad for Major League Baseball." . N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct 2012.<http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/40310/recreation_and_sports/why_steroids_are_bad_for_major_league_baseball.html>.

Rogers, Roland. Baseball, Steroids, Racism, Greed and Politics Don’t Mix. 2007.Photograph. <http://blackathlete.net/2007/12/baseball-steroids-racism-greed-and-politics-donaet-mix/Web. 26 Sep 2012.>

Saporito, BillGregory, Sean.  ''How Pumped Up Is Baseball?. '' Time 164.24 (2004): 34. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 7 Sept. 2012.

Vass, George. "Hall Of Fame's Future Dilemma -- Who Belongs And Who Doesn't." Baseball Digest 67.4 (2008): 24. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 18 Sept. 2012.

Anulxc. Youtub. Febuary 2009.

Clinic staff, Mayo. "http://www.mayoclinic.com." Performance-enhancing drugs: Know the risks. N.p., 10 August 2012. Web. 30 Oct 2012.<http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/performance-enhancing-drugs/hq01105>.

Contijoch, Eduardo . A Juicy Opinion. 2010. http://www.wprb.comWeb. 8 Nov 2012.<http://www.wprb.com/sports/eddie-contijoch/outside-the-gate/mlb/359/>.

Gains, Cork. Home runs are way up in baseball. 2012. http://www.businessinsider.comWeb. 29.Oct 2012. <http://www.businessinsider.com/major-league-baseball-home-run-stats-2012-4>.

Load up the bases (The baseball song) Whiskey Falls

MLB Hall of Fame voting, a deeper look. 2009. www.obsessedwithsports.comWeb. 8 Nov 2012.<http://www.obsessedwithsports.com/2009/01/13/mlb-hall-of-fame-voting-a-deeper-look/>.

Thompson, Kylie. Five Ways to Save Money in College. 2011. http://universitychic.comWeb. 8 Nov 2012. <http://universitychic.com/article/five-ways-save-money-college>.

New York Times, . Steroids. Aug. 24, 2012. Photograph.<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/steroids/index.html, New York. Web. 5 Oct 2012>

Argumentative Speech

Should baseball players be banned for life if they take perofrmance enhancing drugs?

Performance enhancing drugs came to America in 1960(New York Times).  The M.L.B first started testing players in 2003.  The use of performance enhancing drugs is on the rise.  The different types of performance enhancing drugs are testosterone, amphetamine, and the most common, steroids.  Do you think that it is right to cheat and ruin the love of the game?  If they are caught with performance enhancing drugs, they should not get an extra chance to play again.  They should not be able to cheat and get away with it.  Baseball players should be banned for life without any second or third chances, because if they take performance enhancing drugs, it disrespects the game.

Baseball players get too many chances to play again if they take performance enhancing drugs.  Many baseball players who take performance enhancing drugs know what they are doing is terrible, but they still do it.  Some baseball players go to such of an extent that they try taking medicine to cover their performance enhancing drugs so; they will not get caught while they are taking them.  Some baseball players know that players are taking them, but they still do not say anything.  There are so many bad cons that go with drug taking.  Children lose fathers, wives lose husbands, and fans lose players.

 So would you like to know where they get most of their performance enhancing drugs? They get it at a place called BALCO.BALCO stands for Bay Area Laboratory.  BALCO is a nutritional supplements company (Oconnor 5). This company is run by Victor Conte.  This is ridiculous that baseball players actually have their own performance enhancing drugs place.  Many baseball players think that they should be able to go into the hall of fame even though they took steroids.

The ‘’Hall Of Fame’s Future Dilemma who belongs and who doesn’t’’states that ‘’the Hall of fame should be based on integrity and character.’’(Vass 13)  How can the Hall of Fame actually be based on that when there are baseball players who are being accused of taking performance enhancing drugs?  When you take performance enhancing drugs that does no show your good character.  There are many baseball players who were accused of taking performance enhancing drugs.  They are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodrigues.  That is why they should not be able to go in to the hall of fame.

The person that ran Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens court hearings was George Mitchell.  The Commissioner Bud Selig announced that former Senate majority leader George Mitchell should do an independent investigation into alleged steroid use by players who got there performance enhancing drugs from Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO).  ‘’When Barry Bonds had his court hearing on November 15, 2007 he was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying when he said he did not use performance-enhancing drugs.’’ ‘’ On December 7, 2007, the all-time homerun leader, pleaded not guilty in federal court to four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for allegedly lying about his use of performance-enhancing drugs in testimony given to a grand jury four years ago. ’So Barry bonds lied to the court when he was under oath.  George Mitchell said that ’’ performance-enhancing drug use has been pervasive in the sport for more than a decade as he released his findings in the shape of a 311-page report, which was fashioned during the past 20 months of investigations.’’(M.L.B.com) What this quote means is that this performance enhancing drug problem has been a problem for a long time.   So even this lawyer even thinks that this is a huge problem in the M.L.B.  They are not getting heavy enough consequences.

In 2005, the players association reached an agreement for the consequences if they take performance enhancing drugs.  The first offense is that the baseball players will be suspended for 50 games.  The second offense is 100 games, and the third offense will be a life time ban (M.L.B.com).  They should not be able to get three chances to get to this life time ban.  The baseball players should not get any chances at all. 

There are many people who are against my topic.  Critics  would say that banning baseball players for life with no second chances would be too harsh.  I say that while they are playing a sport for their career, they should at least play with honor for the game.  People also say that baseball players should be allowed to use performance enhancing drugs if they want to.  If baseball players were allowed to take performance enhancing drugs, then how would there be any skill left in baseball?  If someone hits a homerun, that will just be the performance enhancing drugs hitting the homerun for him.

 Baseball players should not be able to get the easy way out on this issue.  They are getting paid millions of dollars to play this sport.  Millions of people watch baseball.  Players inspire young kids with this game.  What kind of lesson are these players teaching these kids when they are caught taking performance enhancing drugs?  Fans also lose respect for the baseball players.  Once they are caught with performance enhancing drugs, players will always be known as the player that cheated for fame and money.  So we should not be known as the ‘’steroid era’’, we should be known as ‘’Americas past time’’.