Over the course of the last century, American culture has become the dominant influence on the rest of the world. American music, movies, sports, television, literature have become in many instances the central form of entertainment throughout the world. Although American industries are atop the world compared to most competitors, it's our sports that have continually dominated the world. While many sports share a piece of the pie within the United States, Major League Baseball (MLB) has always been America's pastime. Baseball, being the official pastime of America, means so much to its fans that it considered more than just a game. It is an essential part of American society and culture. Baseball represents the heart and soul of the United States. However, recently baseball has come under significant scrutiny because of the issue of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in the game. Unlike the other great eras of Major League Baseball, the Steroid Era has brought on many negative effects that have been detrimental to the game.
Although the use of steroids ultimately comes down to the individual players desire to use performance-enhancing drugs, much of the blame also needs to be placed on the fans, owners, general managers, media figures involved with baseball, and ultimately the advancements in technology. Players are expected to perform at such high levels that they will do almost anything to achieve success. The easy way to enhance their abilities is too cheat. Professionals may even think, “If other players are doing it, its okay for me to do it too.” While blame can be placed at many different levels throughout the game, because of the performance enhancing qualities and effects of steroids on a player, all statistics and records from proven steroid abusers are tainted, and deserve no place in the record books. (Levine)
Since sports have been around, the competitive nature of athletes has been pushed to the brink. As the times have changed, so...