The video below is an ESPN interview with New York Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez. In the interview he admits to using steroids from 2001-2003 while he played with the Texas Rangers. The confession was spurred by the leak of formerly confidential test results from 2003 which showed A-Rod and over 100 other players testing positive for steroids. Steroids have been banned from Major League Baseball since 1991, but there were no penalties for positive test results until 2004. So should A-Rod be punished his crime, even though it did not have a penalty when he committed it?
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In my opinion, I believe that Alex Rodriguez should not be punished or have his possible hall of fame ballet tarnished. I have always been a fan of A-Rod and will continue to be one because of his honesty. His honesty in this scandal has placed him at the top of a short list of athletes who have come out about taking steroids during their time in baseball. As a result though, he is being attacked/criticized as if there were no other athletes that have been caught with steroids scandal. He is an athlete and must perform at the top level, but he is a human too and makes mistakes. I'm not saying what he did was right but he stopped using it before punishments were enforced, and has now confessed about it. Instead we should allow and push for athletes to come forward and tell the truth instead of lying and denying it.
ReplyDeleteHere is more on the topic:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-rodriguez-steroids&prov=ap&type=lgns
I have respect for Alex Rodriguez in that he was one of the first major league baseball players to admit to using steroids, but his honesty does not make what he did okay. However, due to the fact that a punishment was not set in place during the time that he used steroids, I don't think it's right to punish him. I feel that it is wrong to look into the past and punish those that used steroids before there were consequences set in place. I found a video of Rodriguez on 60 minutes and I think it will add some interesting thoughts to this discussion. In the video, he is asked who he thinks the true home run record holder is, and he answers Barry Bonds, despite the fact that he was involved in a steroid scandal at the time. Also, he states that he has never used steroids or even been tempted to do so. This brings in another side to the issue, the side that deals with Rodriguez before he came clean to the public.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1ABIYViVLo
In an interview I watched with Alex Rodriguez last night, they showed a clip of him in an interview with Katie Couric from several years ago. In it she asked him whether he had ever done steroids, and he responded, firmly, no. The current interviewer criticized A-Rod for lying to Couric in the prior interview. Of course he lied. Why would he tell her he had done steroids? No one would have, just because he is in the public spotlight we are giving him a hard time. I find this all ridiculous. A-Rod was not the only athlete whose name was released, yet he is the one catching all the slack. Furthermore, it was in the past. ESPN made it sound like a huge tragedy in the world of sports. Move on. Also, I think Rodriguez did the right thing by admitting his use, at least he is honest, unlike many others who have lied even with positive drug tests against them. He should not be punished.
ReplyDeleteSteroids and baseball have become increasingly connected with each other the last 5 or so years. It seems that daily we hear of a new person being accused of taking steroids. I have thought about this issue a lot, and honestly who can really blame baseball players for taking steroids before MLB tested for them. Steroids produced results and these results led to cash in the given athlete's pockets. I respect A-Rod for 'fessing up and claiming his innoncence since 2005. If he doesn't test positive the rest of his career, he should definitely be in the Hall of Fame. Here's more on the issue from the New York Post on how the Yankees will deal with the issue.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nypost.com/seven/02102009/sports/yankees/girardi__yankees_will_rally_around_alex_154435.htm
I believe that what Alex Rodriguez did was wrong but should not be punished. It is punishment enought that he will probably get an asterisk next to his name in the Hall of Fame and every record that he will break in the future. Having read Jose Canseco's book "Juiced", I had thought for a while that he had done steriods. Alex Rodriguez who signed a 252 million dollar contract, felt the need to perform at the highest level possible. When surrounded by All-Stars, arguably even future Hall-of-Famers, Juan Gonzalez, Rafeal Palmero, Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Canseco, Kenny Rogers(possibly), who all actively took part in steriod use, it is easy to see how a young atheletes judgement could get mixed-up. Seeing as A-Rod will be an asterisk I thought it would be good to link this anti-steriod commercial I saw yesterday.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gxRpEGuhM4
I don't think Alex Rodriguez should have come out to the public with this information. This problem is with performance enhancing drugs has already scarred baseball in a way that is irreversible. Major League Baseball needs to move away from this situation, rather than have celebrity baseball players come out and talk about their steroid use. A Rod is one of many who used steroids, and I personally believe he came to the media and decided to be honest so that he still has a chance to be in the hall of fame. This article gives a good summary and perspective of this controversy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/07/national/main4782637.shtml
I think that Alex Rodriguez should not be punished for coming clean and admitting that he used steroids from 2001 to 2003. It was not prohibited from the league at that time and should hold no bearing in the A-rod’s future. I agree with bmurphy, in the respect that there is a huge amount of pressure on players to perform when they receive outrageous contracts. The game is always changing and evolving and this is just one aspect that is now being regulated heavily and it will eventually correct itself. Personally I think the steroid era in baseball has been the most entertaining on and off the field.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad A-Rod admitted to his steroid use. I Think it's better for the game of baseball and better for his hall of fame chances. I do believe A-Rod because his three best years were the ones while he was in Texas. I also agree with him that when his career is all said and done, you can take out his years in Texas and he will still have great numbers (most likely).
ReplyDeleteI also do not think he should be punished. He tested positive for 'roids in a year where it was not illegal in baseball. Also, he tested positive on a test that was supposed to be secret and just for MLB's statistical purposes only. I think A-Rod has a legitimate case to sue someone over this leaking because it's in a contract that no one was ever supposed to know the names attached to the positive tests.
In the meantime, I'm also very disappointed with A-Rod. He would have been great with or without steroids and it's a shame to both him and the game of baseball that he did use.
I believe Alex should be punished only by having an asterisk placed next to his statistics or records for his career numbers. Also, I believe he should not be considered for the hall of fame once his illustrious career comes to a close. He lied previously in an interview to Katie Couric -- saying he never took any steroid or performance enhancing drug. With every successful, iconic player that admits to taking these drugs, the games image is further tarnished. In 2003 Alex had the opportunity to find out if he actually tested positive for steroids, but he never pursued this. This shows me a huge deal about his character. Yes, this was the culture back then, but some players stayed true to themselves and did not use such drugs. The best player in baseball using steroids really does not surprise me one bit.
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