Selena Roberts and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated, reported in an article titled, "Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003," that Alex Rodriguez used two types of steroids in 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers.
The evidence of steroid use came from four independent and anonymous sources who said that his name was on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs as part of a survey by Major League Baseball (MLB) of their players. The players union agreed to the testing so long as names of participating players remained anonymous.
The MLB Players Association (MLBPS), the union representing the players, confronted with questions of Rodriguez steroid use, issued a statement which read,
Information and documents relating to the results of the 2003 MLB testing program are both confidential and under seal by court orders. We are prohibited from confirming or denying any allegation about the test results of any particular player[s] by the collective bargaining agreement and by court orders. Anyone with knowledge of such documents who discloses their contents may be in violation of those court orders.
Roberts and Epstein have an economic incentive to protect sources violating a court order. It is similar to the position of a player considering the use of steroids. A player can improve his game and future income being just a bit stronger and faster. If the player doesn't use steroids, another will. If Roberts and Epstein hadn't run with the story, another would, and the other reporters would have earned the big pay check.
I don't blame Roberts and Epstein just as I don't blame Rodriguez, unless they paid their informants to violate the court orders, and I have no evidence to suggest they did. But if they did not, only the informants are guilty. I recommend Senate hearings in order to protect MLB and the integrity of our courts.
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I believe that the ever increasing infamy of steroid use is lowering the public's interest in professional baseball. However, I am in agreement that the informants are indeed the guilty ones in the case that they violated a court order to keep the names of participants in a drug test anonymous. Does this determine the supply of baseball players? I don't believe it determines the players. Either way, players want to play the game, and many will avoid steroid use to keep that ability. Furthermore, the supply of minor league players and lower players I believe will not cease. Neither will the supply of fans. The fact remains that baseball is considered the American Pasttime. But the effect of the steroid use on the public is more of a valid claim: the public becomes reluctant to support professional baseball as steroid use rises in fear of seeming to condone such actions in the name of the game.
ReplyDelete-Chelsea Schermerhorn
Bruceville-Eddy High School
Interesting way of looking at the situation. Both A-rod and the Authors were looking to better themselves... oh how selfish we as humans are. It is A-rod's job to do well in baeball and the authors' job to write stories, both are means of pleasing the public. But even if pleasing the public is our goal shouldn't we go about it the right way. What ever happened to integrity and respect? Either way I think both parties were in the wrong while attempting to please their fans.
ReplyDeleteDevin Smith
Bruceville-Eddy HS
It seems that both the reporters and A-Rod acted against their better judgment. Though they all most likely bettered their economic situations by doing so, that doesn't make it morally right however. It is a very good example of how greed shapes the way people think. A-Rod obviously wanted more money, and being a relatively smart guy knew how to do just that. By taking steroids, he improved his situation on and off the field. The two things are a direct relationship, because the better he does on the field the more offers he will have for commercials and the like. The SI editors were acting through greed just as A-Rod. It is, in fact, much easier for them to write an article that may entail penalties from a higher place than say a local town's newspaper though and they must have taken that into consideration. Also, it seems that it would be their job as editors of SI to let people know what is going on in the world of sports, legal or not. Reporters never sign any sort of material saying they will be completely honest. You cannot believe everything you read anyway.
ReplyDeleteGarrett Jaynes
Midway HS
I think the informants are gulity of using A-Rod's name when this was supposed to be a confidential test. I feel Alex Rodriguez is guilty of using steroids and lying about it.I have listened to several baseball players deny the use of steriods for the public to later find out they were in fact lying. It now appears that the highest paid players in baseball are guilty of steroid use for alleged speedy recoveries from injuries and economic reasons.
ReplyDeleteCarla Shields
If one decides to use steroids it is their choice to do so for whatever reasons they may choose. They may get an income increase as it says in your blog but if they do choose they also have the right to keep this choice to secret. What concern is it to any other person if they took the steriods? None. If these players agreed to be tested and for the MLBPS to only know not the whole world then the only way that others could have known would be these informants who did not obey the court orders. Therefore they should be punished and are the only guilty ones as you say in your blog.
ReplyDeleteUriel Dominguez
Although the use of steroids is illegal for any citizen, the MLB created a system to keep the names of players anonymous. Therefore, even if the players were taking illegal substances, the results from this test through the agreement with the MLB testing should not be used against. However, the MLB survey stating that 104 players tested positive and even gave the media a couple of names which is a clear violation of the agreement between the players and the MLB. A-Rod is a perfect example of this as he is was caught using steroids because he was basically using his body as a product and by increasing his performance on field through steroids, he increases the demand for him to advertise good thus increasing his income. A-Rod took this test with the contract in mind that in no way this would come back to frame him with the use of steroids. Therefore, it is Selena Roberts and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated who have broken the law and tarnished A-Rods status and furthermore might cause A-Rod to lose sponsers much like Michael Phelps during his incident with drugs.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Thomas
I believe that the players who use steroids are guilty. It is an unfair advantage to the rest of the baseball players who do not use steroids. If you would be ashamed of the world finding out that you use drugs than you should not do them in the first place. The informants are also guilty for breaking court orders. Roberts and Epstein were just doing their job releasing the story. It is true if they had not someone else would have. I do not think tI believe that the players who use steroids are guilty. It is an unfair advantage to the rest of the baseball players who do not use steroids. If you would be ashamed of the world finding out that you use drugs than you should not do them in the first place. The informants are also guilty for breaking court orders. Roberts and Roberts and Epstein were just doing their job releasing the story. It is true if he fact of finding out certain players use steroids would affect the supply and demand of people watching/attending baseball games. It is an all time favorite American sport and people will go watch games regardless.
ReplyDeleteLori Garcia
I believe that the players who use steroids are guilty. It is an unfair advantage to the rest of the baseball players who do not use steroids. If you would be ashamed of the world finding out that you use drugs, than you should not do them in the first place. The informants are also guilty for breaking court orders. Roberts and Epstein were just doing their job releasing the story. It is true, if they had not someone else would have. Finding out that certain players use steroids would not affect the supply and demand of people watching/attending baseball games. It is an all time favorite American sport and people will go watch games regardless.
ReplyDeleteLori Garcia
To be perfectly honest I believe that as an athletic star, one is pressured to appear the best of the bunch, so using steroids , may be them giving into the pressures of the media. However, that is no excuse...money is the root of most, if not all, evil. The informants should be prosecuted for their release of such confidential information. Economically influenced or not, the knowledge of "right and wrong" should have kept both A-Rod and the informants from behaving as they did.
ReplyDeleteDemetria Perry
Bruceville-Eddy H.S.
I think that people should just mind their own business. Obviously if A-Rod did do the steroids the Major League Baseball Association wouldn't try and stop him since being better at his job will bring him more money and them because of the seats now becoming occupied. The reporters also have a point because they are making themselves money to and trying to change the money flow to themselves. Either way A-rod, the association, and the reporters are looking out for their own pocketbooks.
ReplyDelete-Gwendolyn Doyen
Bruceville-Eddy
I do not believe that either Alex Rodriguez or Selena Roberts and David Epstein are to blame for this. This all goes back when steroids started to become a factor in Major League Baseball back in the early ‘90s with BALCO. One of the most remarkable aspects of the whole steroids issue is that while a handful of players -- those named in the Mitchell report, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, now Alex Rodriguez, etc. -- have borne the brunt of the fallout for what was an industry-wide problem, those who held real power in the sport remain in place in the union leadership and in management, essentially untouched.
ReplyDeleteThere has been change in the sport over the past six years, a move into testing. But there never has been any real accountability, other than for a small group of users, which is one of the great failings of the Mitchell report; other than a general statement about general complicity, there was very little in the report about what specific decisions by the sport's leaders helped to foster the rise in steroid use. Bonds probably will never get another job in baseball, and Clemens and McGwire are effectively persona non grata, but the people who made the decisions for the game in the '90s are in power.
It's starting to be a time to move forward. There are too many great things going on in this game. I know it's great media, but I don't know how long you want to dredge up the past. There's some really great things going on in this sport now. Despite the economic situation our country is in, MLB revenues are still way up.
I believe Rodriguez did the right thing in admitting his usage of PED's, even if he was cornered into by the Sports Illustrated reports. A-Rod already has enough pressure on himself in being the highest paid player in the history of professional sports, and he has to do so in New York City. You take a look at Andy Pettitte, a very high profile all-start pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was listed in the Mitchell report, and he confessed to the usage of HGH. Does his name get thrown the mud? No. Does he still have a job pitching in the MLB. Yes. Pettitte did himself a favor by confronting the issue. Now that A-Rod has confessed, he doesn't have to keep looking over his shoulder all the time, and he can focus on winning a world championship, a feat that he hasn't achieved in his career, and the main reason why he doesn't fit in playing in a town who hasn’t had a baseball style ticker tape parade since 2000 when the Yanks beat the Mets in the Subway Series. Once A-Rod can help the Yankees win the fall classic, people will stop the talk of him being overpaid, and he will help cement his name into Cooperstown, despite what happened from 2001-03 with the Rangers.
And lets not forget that A-Rod isn't alone. I know there are 103 other positive tests on that list, capable of being leaked any minute. And I know there are hundreds of other players who never failed a test, who never have had a finger pointed, who never have come up in this conversation, who are just as guilty of performance-enhancing-drug use as the names we spend all our time talking about. So even now, it isn't particularly fair to single out A-Rod. It's all become a part of baseball's culture, and it's a shame, because this happens every day in the NFL and everyone just turns their heads.
While we all feel for Alex Rodriguez and his situation as well as the reporters. We must analyse this particualr situation from a different approach. Lets compare the Steroid use law to a tax on baseball players. With this analogy all baseball players must abstain from steroid use "their tax" or pay the consequences. "penalties,as well as embarrassment on the public eye"
ReplyDeleteBy viewing the prohibition as a "tax" we can clearly see that there is less demand for Alex Rodriguez's performance, there is less supply out of Alex Rodriguez performance, and the difference is the deadweight caused by the law inposed by the government the "tax".
As an athelete I know there is a lot of pressure for you to do good on the field. A-Rod felt the pressure and was just trying to improve his game. Steriods are illegel and I don't agree with taking them. But why are we bringing down the house on A-Rod? When there are a lot more players who have and who are taking steroids. You don't see reporters doing stories on no name guys who aren't very good, and you don't see them doing reports on Miner League players either. I think we need to make a big deal about them all, and not just single one person out. It's not very fair to him.
ReplyDeleteZach Young
Should we really condemn baseball players for taking steriods? Although they are a form of illegal drugs and are wrong to take, they are still provided to any athlete who wants to use them. Fans want to see athletes as strong and tough people, yet they put them down when they find out they are using steriods. We need to stop putting pressure on professional athletes and put some of the blame on society and the demand for greater athletes.
ReplyDeleteRaven J. Lewis
Connally High School
I feel both sides have made poor decisions. The information should have never been leaked out as it was confidential. I can see why both sides did what they did. Steroids are becoming more and more of a problem in baseball and all other sports. I think part of the reason for this is the public. People like to see big plays, fast pitchers, and balls getting knocked out of the park. If a player takes steroids, then they have a greater chance to do so more often. One of the bigger questions is, Do people want to see that kind of play but at the cost of integrity of the game?
ReplyDeleteThe question I think of now is- after baseball players know now that their anonymity is no longer safe within the court system, and that public knowledge of the use of steroids in baseball is more widely known, what happens to the demand of steroids within the sports arena for baseball players? It seems now that any major feat enjoyed be players will now be classified by others as "oh he must be on steroids" and it may now pride baseball players to be able to make records without use of steroids made public. I think the demand for steroids amongst baseball players will decrease, thus demand on the demand curve should shift to the left.
ReplyDeleteWith mroe and more athletes being accused of using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, the public begins to wonder who is really playing naturally. The athletes are no longer safe in what they do because the media wll find a way to tell the public. While this happens and more and more people listen to the media, the less athletes will use performance enhancing drugs.
ReplyDeletea.t.
Athletes are chosen to do their jobs because they do it well and they did it well. Most athletes were not on performance enhancement drugs when they were scouted out or at tryouts or whatever the case may be.
ReplyDeleteAthletes are also in the public eye constantly and there are tons of people and children that look up to them for what they are capable of doing. Therefor, it is our right to know that they are on these performance enhancement drugs. It allows us to know that they are not really who or what they say and the fact they are on those drugs kind of gives a false positive to what they are doing. Sure it makes you better but it is not what you truley are.
Why is it that when a fan's favorite player is doing well, they are satisfied. But, when they come to find their favorite player has used, or is using steroids, they shun them completely. I think this creates pressure for players to live up to expectations and therefore draws them towards the usage of steroids. I mean really, the sport they play is their job, if they aren't doing well, they aren't going to get paid, or worse, they could get fired. Now I'm not saying that using steroids is the "right" thing to do. But, I can see where pressure may come from for athletes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, not being much of a fan of sports, I could really care less about who is using steroids these days. I do care about the fact that these baseball players took the survey with the assurance that information would be kept confidential, yet it turned out that it wasn't kept very confidential at all. I think Roberts and Epstein were in the wrong to release such information.
When it comes down to it though, I think everyone was just looking out for themselves. When a player is playing their sport better they get paid more, which is most likely why A-Rod took steroids in the first place. And money, again, is why Roberts and Epstein released the information. If they wouldn't have, eventually another person would have.
I think due to this incident though, players will perhaps think twice about using steroids because this scenario could happen to them as well. That, or maybe they'll think twice about taking a survey in which information is to be kept "confidential".
-Double Dare
Although the use of steroids is considered to be wrong I do not blame the player for using them. No one wants to know that a player is using steroids and yet they expect them to hit a home run every time or play an outstaning game every game. How can a player reach the demand that their fans and coachers put on them with out a little help? Also I do not blame Roberts & Epstein for runing with the story, all people want to read about this day in time is some new gossip. They do not care if its about a sports player, or if it is a celebraty as long as it is some form of gossip they want to know. So you can not blame the writers for tring to make a living by giving the public what they want. Neither the player nor the writers should be considered at fault, each were trying to meet the demands of their fans.
ReplyDeleteAs the demand for more action and more entertainment by the fans increases, the entertiners have to take action. A-rod tested positive for steroids in 2003 when steroids in baseball were not illegal. Althought he took steroids he should not be negatively criticized becuase A-rod was tryin to meet the demand of the crowd and fans by increasing his performance. Moreover, the reporers should not be blamed, because they were also trying to answer the fans demands for more entertainment, thus writing the shocking story about the superstar steroid user. Both cases were attempts to better there career, and they should not be bad mouthed for there doings.
ReplyDeletejoe garza
I don't approve of A-Rod taking steroids, but I can understand that he was just thinking of his opportunity cost. He gave up playing a fair game, but with steroids he could gain a bigger paycheck, a better team, and more fame and endorsement deals. The incentives outweighed the chance that he would get caught with steroids.
ReplyDeleteI was very disapointed to learn that A-Rod had been taking steroids. I believe that if he is going to be brought to justice in front of a court then the informants that leaked the information should be brought to justice too. Although I don't like the fact that many players in the MLB are using steriods, I do see the reasoning behind it. Major league sports is a business and just like having a big product boosts sales, so does a superstar athlete who can blast home runs. The demand for big name players is growing and the supply is dwindling. So players are weighing their opportunity costs of staying all natural and having a mediocre career to "juicing up" and having a hall of fame career(not to mention making millions). And by the recent reports and convictions made, we obviously know whis decision is prevailing.
ReplyDeletePratik Patel, MHS
Guilt is a matter for the courts. As a society we deal with right and wrong. A-Rod knew what he was doing was wrong as did the informants who released the information. To place blame you must look at the larger picture and ask, why?
ReplyDeleteThe fans demand to see the best players, play the best games possible. By suppling the teams and players the fans want to see, the owners and all others involved increase their income. The pressure to succeed at all cost will cause weak men to do things that they know are wrong.
There are no innpcent parties to this situation, but this revelation only shows a small part of a very big problem.
James Wolfe
Although I do not believe that A-Rod should have taken steroids I see why he did. It is easy to see that the amount of money he made from the use of steroids was in his opinion well worth consequences. Greed and want of money outweighed the value of a fair game to him
ReplyDelete-Bryan E.
I think that we should not punish athletes for taken steriods to increase their playing skills and making them stronger. As athletes they get pressured into a lot of things. When being a professional athlete we know and they know that we do not want to be let down by them. So in order for them to be able to keep it where the society is happy they must do something to improve theirselves. If we are going to complain when a athlete gets caught for the usage of steriods then why pressure them into doing them. Even high school athletes are starting to use steriods because they do not want to the coaches or any of the fans down. I believe if the society would back off of the athletes a little bit and not expect them to perfect then the athletes would stop using steriods.
ReplyDeleteWhitney Richter- CHS