Five Lasting Effects of the Steroid Era

One of the biggest issues surrounding baseball over the last two decades has been the use of performance enhancing drugs, particularly steroids. Steroids were most prevalent in Major League Baseball from the late 1990s into the 2000s. While PED use has significantly decreased since this time, effects of the "Steroid Era" can still be seen in baseball today.

5. Public perception.

(Getty Images)

Major League Baseball players are considered some of the best athletes in the world, and for good reason. They play a sport at the highest level that demands such impeccable coordination and skill. It is one thing to play well, but standing out among fellow players is one of the hardest things to do. 

The Steroid Era allowed power hitters to stand out, captivating audiences with astronomical home run and RBI numbers. When the dust had seemingly settled from the Steroid Era though, fans began to question whether steroids in baseball had truly been wiped away. Fifteen years ago, fifty-home run seasons were a regular thing. Now, a player hits forty and the rumors begin to swirl.

Don’t get me wrong; sometimes the case is still true. But for players who have naturally developed themselves into superior hitters, it is unfair when fans assume they cheated simply because they put together a great offensive season. 

Fans have every right to be skeptical because steroids, along with other PED’s, were so rampant throughout the 1990’s into the 2000’s. This perception may never be able to leave completely, but with new rules and regulations the league is doing its best to rid itself of any negative effects.

4. For many, baseball is not as exciting.

Fans have every right to feel this way. Why shouldn’t they? I was much younger but I still remember how awesome it was to see Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds launch 460-foot home runs on a regular basis.

No one really criticized what was happening during this time, and often turned a blind eye to the fact that hitters were cheating their way to ridiculous moonshots. It was a spectacle. 

Those days are obviously over now and so are the home run races.  Sure, there’s still some competition but we will never see anyone reach sixty home runs in a season again. To the pure fan, baseball is still the great game it once was. To the average fan, the excitement is just not there because teams are finding ways to score runs without the assistance of players who have the ability to consistently hit fifty home runs per season.

3. Increased spending on drug testing.

(NYU Sports & Society Program)

In my opinion this is an issue that is not discussed enough because it is in fact a problem that may have been able to be avoided.

Drug testing typically runs the league about $400 per person, which I certainly wouldn’t consider to be cheap. In terms of the league’s annual budget, this may not seem that much. However, when the league increases its number of tests by nearly three thousand in just two years, it starts to significantly add up.

Major League Baseball spent approximately $3,263,200 on drug testing in 2015.

While it is crucial to the MLB’s identity for it to remain focused on removing steroids from the picture, a steady increase in testing may start to have serious financial effects. Unfortunately the steroid era and its implications have caused the league to take such action, but it is a necessary step to ensure its players do not use drugs.

2. Improbable records.

(barrybonds.com)

Sorry everyone, but I don’t think you’ll see anyone hit 74 home runs in a single season or finish their career with 763 home runs.  It just doesn’t seem possible. The way the game has evolved over the last decade has prevented anyone from making any sort of run without the assistance of performance enhancing drugs. 

Alex Rodriguez had the best chance, and we all know how his story turned out.

Still, the records are there which gives fans benchmarks to measure current players against while hoping to see them broken. Pitching is also much better today, but without the common thread of PED’s offensive production in terms of power is much lower than twenty years ago.

1. Major League Baseball still exists today.

(Redlegs Review)

The Steroid Era saved baseball. While there are obviously two sides to this claim, I personally believe that without it, we would not be enjoying America’s pastime in 2016.

Take 1994, when Major League Baseball was tested to its extreme limit. The players went on strike in the wake of a new collective bargaining agreement that would have severely altered their benefits as employees. The strike left many fans in the dark, wondering if they’d ever be able to enjoy baseball again.

While the league recovered from the strike, it took years filled with steroids and exciting home runs to recapture the loyalty and interest that was eradicated after 1994. Perhaps the most defining moment of baseball’s return was the famous 1998 home run race, where Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battled each other for the single season home run record.