After taking a course in labor economics, I understand why the players took, or are still taking steroids. There is too much incentive to not take them. If someone told me right now that I could go from being an average student to becoming the smartest kid at school simply by taking a pill, or in baseballs case sticking yourself with a needle, I say bring it on. I would not care about the consequences. However, if my school outlawed this, and said any student caught taking this pill will be kicked out of school, then I would have to debate whether or to take the risk.
For many years, there was no risk with baseball, and once the first person gained the competitive edge over the players in his locker room, his teammates saw the difference the Performance Enhancing Drugs did and started to take them. My evidence for this, the Oakland Athletics. In 1988, Jose Canseco wins the AL MVP, in 1989 the Oakland A's win the World Series, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco are as feared as Manny and Big Papi, and on August 31, 1992 the Oakland A's trade Canseco to the Texas Rangers. Now Canseco has another team to share his secret of how to become much better than your God givin talent will allow. However, other A's were also traded, or let go so it was not just Canseco's secret, but now it soon became Major League Baseball's secret.
Although, I cannot believe that managers, owners and Fay Vincent did not know about this spreading epidemic, especially because commish Vincent circulated a memo in 1991 that read ""The possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance by Major League players and personnel is strictly prohibited ... [and those players involved] are subject to discipline by the Commissioner and risk permanent expulsion from the game.... This prohibition applies to all illegal drugs and controlled substances, including steroids…" So in 1992 in comes the worst commissioner in all of sports, Bud Selig. In his first years, he institutes the Wild Card, and the divisional playoffs both of which have benefited the sport. Then in 1994, baseball has a strike that cancels the World Series, and just about cripples the sport. Eventually a deal is reached, but what was missing from the deal was a drug testing policy. It seems reasonable since every other league had one. This could have been stopped right before it exploded.
However, since Bud just about ruined baseball in America, he was the happiest to see it flourish during the steroid era. It put fans back in the seats, and the owners revenues increased tremendously. Only problem was, that because Selig was so short minded during the 1994 talks, he is the one to truly blame for the PED epidemic. He could have demanded a drug testing policy. I am sure that Donald Fehr at that point in the talks would have given up his stance how it is an invasion of privacy to see a deal get done.
Now flash forward to 2002, MVP Ken Caminiti says he took steroids during his MVP year, and on August 7, 2002, a deal is reached between the players union and baseball for a steroid policy. Only problem with this was that the first penalty was a 10 day suspension. Rafael Palmeiro tests positive, and probably decides that he needs a vacation anyway, leaves baseball for 10 days, gets a tan, and returns. Was his name tarnished? Yes, would he have made it into the Hall of Fame, probably not especially because he played in the steroid era. So what happens to Palmeiro, he is known as the first major player to test positive, but considering that he probably used them for most of his career, and was handsomely rewarded for it, I think he came out on top.
Big Bud then decides that a 10 day vacation is too short. He then decides to bring out the big guns, and says a failed test will get you 50 game suspension, a second will get you a 100, and a third will get you banned for life. Impressive stance, although, it still has not worked because Manny just tested positive this year. What it should be, if Bud really wants to take a stance is 1 and done. This would make the over paid baseball players think before they cheated. However, when you have a commissioner who has been taken to the cleaners by the union his entire time as head of baseball its not a surprise that the players themselves are still walking all over him.
