Brett Young
College Composition and Research
Short Argumentative Essay
February 23, 2016
How to End Cheating
What happens when the worst possible outcome of cheating is less brutal than the result failing? Cheating happens. The lack of proper punishment has led to steroid use in a wide range of sports. There is much debate as to how these athletes should be punished, particularly in Major League Baseball. Anyone Familiar with the MLB should agree that PED’s (performance enhancing drugs) have became a very controversial issue lately. Cheating MLB players should be banished along with everything that was ever gained from their career. Even though the punishment is harsh, a player convicted of using PED’s should experience a more severe financial punishment and be banned permanently along with all of his records.
In order to eliminate the use of PED’s, the MLB needs to increase financial penalties on PED users. If cheating was not worth it, it would not happen, but apparently it is worth it. Cheating in baseball can be accurately described by William Moller when he said, “The negative of doing poorly was far greater than the negative of getting caught” (546). Moller’s point is that cheating often happens because the benefits of cheating outweigh the risks of getting caught. The only way to change baseball is by increasing the penalty of cheating to a point where it would be absurd to cheat. The current penalty consists of losing pay throughout the suspension, without any fine (Moller 35). If there was an additional fine, the punishment would be much more effective. So why exactly should these players be punished so drastically? Sports are very competitive, and at the professional level, there are billions of dollars involved. Cheating in Major League Baseball is the equivalent to robbing a bank, so why should it be punished any differently? A bank robber does not get to keep the stolen money after getting out of jail, so a baseball player should not either. PED’s are also very dangerous to the athlete's body. “Abuse of anabolic steroids may lead to elevated cholesterol levels, liver disease, blood clots leading to heart attack or stroke, increased aggressiveness and irritability, and, in adolescents, permanent stunting of growth” ("Anabolic Steroid"). Amphetamines are also a commonly used PED (Posnanski 556). It is clear that PED’s are wrong, but what is worse is the fact that the MLB is ultimately failing to prevent the use of these PED’s.
Another problem with the MLB’s PED policy is that there are too many repeat offenders. According to the MLB Drug Policy, “Third violation: Permanent suspension from Major League and Minor League Baseball” (Moller 35). In other words, the MLB believes that players deserve three strikes. If the ban would be permanent on the second violation, chances are that there would be very few violators. Some may object that this process is too harsh and that some PED tests can be inaccurate. In this case, the drug should be legal because without the ability to effectively test a drug, it is impossible to know exactly who is taking it. It is frustrating how players consistently fail tests, and continue to return to play due to a successful appeal or minor suspension. With a one warning system, the MLB could eliminate steroid use permanently.
If a player is proven to have used PED’s, that player should receive no post career honors or awards. This includes Hall of Fame honors and their team’s championships. Although a certain player may have worked extremely hard and was very talented, if that player cheated, by no means should he be inducted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is often said that certain players could have reached the hall of fame even without PED use, so they should be inducted anyway. This is a ridiculous statement because it is impossible to know how productive that certain player would have been without PED’s. All that can be considered are the facts, which are that the player cheated. Furthermore, team championships should be revoked. A popular argument against this potential punishment is that the team won the championship, so the team should not be punished. While it is true that one player does not determine all of a team's success, it does not necessarily follow that nearly every championship team has a superstar player.
In conclusion, Major League Baseball needs to increase penalty severity for those who cheat by using PED’s. The way to do this is by moving the permanent suspension penalty to a two strike system, increasing financial penalties, and excluding PED users from the Hall of Fame. If the MLB will do this, there will be a dramatic decrease in PED violations. Players will realize that benefits of cheating are no longer worth the risk of getting caught, and cheating will become nonexistent in baseball.
Works Cited
"Anabolic Steroid." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2015.
Credo Reference. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
Moller, William. “We the Public, Palce the Best Athletes on Pedestals.” They Say I Say With
Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189. Print.
Posnanski, Joe. “Cheating and CHEATING.” They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff
and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 2012. 179-189. Print.
Halem, Daniel R. “Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention And Treatment Program
Table Of Contents.” (n.d.): 1-64. Mlb.com. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
College Composition and Research
Short Argumentative Essay
February 23, 2016
How to End Cheating
What happens when the worst possible outcome of cheating is less brutal than the result failing? Cheating happens. The lack of proper punishment has led to steroid use in a wide range of sports. There is much debate as to how these athletes should be punished, particularly in Major League Baseball. Anyone Familiar with the MLB should agree that PED’s (performance enhancing drugs) have became a very controversial issue lately. Cheating MLB players should be banished along with everything that was ever gained from their career. Even though the punishment is harsh, a player convicted of using PED’s should experience a more severe financial punishment and be banned permanently along with all of his records.
In order to eliminate the use of PED’s, the MLB needs to increase financial penalties on PED users. If cheating was not worth it, it would not happen, but apparently it is worth it. Cheating in baseball can be accurately described by William Moller when he said, “The negative of doing poorly was far greater than the negative of getting caught” (546). Moller’s point is that cheating often happens because the benefits of cheating outweigh the risks of getting caught. The only way to change baseball is by increasing the penalty of cheating to a point where it would be absurd to cheat. The current penalty consists of losing pay throughout the suspension, without any fine (Moller 35). If there was an additional fine, the punishment would be much more effective. So why exactly should these players be punished so drastically? Sports are very competitive, and at the professional level, there are billions of dollars involved. Cheating in Major League Baseball is the equivalent to robbing a bank, so why should it be punished any differently? A bank robber does not get to keep the stolen money after getting out of jail, so a baseball player should not either. PED’s are also very dangerous to the athlete's body. “Abuse of anabolic steroids may lead to elevated cholesterol levels, liver disease, blood clots leading to heart attack or stroke, increased aggressiveness and irritability, and, in adolescents, permanent stunting of growth” ("Anabolic Steroid"). Amphetamines are also a commonly used PED (Posnanski 556). It is clear that PED’s are wrong, but what is worse is the fact that the MLB is ultimately failing to prevent the use of these PED’s.
Another problem with the MLB’s PED policy is that there are too many repeat offenders. According to the MLB Drug Policy, “Third violation: Permanent suspension from Major League and Minor League Baseball” (Moller 35). In other words, the MLB believes that players deserve three strikes. If the ban would be permanent on the second violation, chances are that there would be very few violators. Some may object that this process is too harsh and that some PED tests can be inaccurate. In this case, the drug should be legal because without the ability to effectively test a drug, it is impossible to know exactly who is taking it. It is frustrating how players consistently fail tests, and continue to return to play due to a successful appeal or minor suspension. With a one warning system, the MLB could eliminate steroid use permanently.
If a player is proven to have used PED’s, that player should receive no post career honors or awards. This includes Hall of Fame honors and their team’s championships. Although a certain player may have worked extremely hard and was very talented, if that player cheated, by no means should he be inducted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is often said that certain players could have reached the hall of fame even without PED use, so they should be inducted anyway. This is a ridiculous statement because it is impossible to know how productive that certain player would have been without PED’s. All that can be considered are the facts, which are that the player cheated. Furthermore, team championships should be revoked. A popular argument against this potential punishment is that the team won the championship, so the team should not be punished. While it is true that one player does not determine all of a team's success, it does not necessarily follow that nearly every championship team has a superstar player.
In conclusion, Major League Baseball needs to increase penalty severity for those who cheat by using PED’s. The way to do this is by moving the permanent suspension penalty to a two strike system, increasing financial penalties, and excluding PED users from the Hall of Fame. If the MLB will do this, there will be a dramatic decrease in PED violations. Players will realize that benefits of cheating are no longer worth the risk of getting caught, and cheating will become nonexistent in baseball.
Works Cited
"Anabolic Steroid." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2015.
Credo Reference. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
Moller, William. “We the Public, Palce the Best Athletes on Pedestals.” They Say I Say With
Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189. Print.
Posnanski, Joe. “Cheating and CHEATING.” They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff
and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 2012. 179-189. Print.
Halem, Daniel R. “Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention And Treatment Program
Table Of Contents.” (n.d.): 1-64. Mlb.com. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.