Ethical Dilemma of

Steroid Use in MLB

Dinesh Kandasamy

William Walker

Ella Niyokindi

Jamella Montgomery

LaAsia Brown

2013, November 13

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Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the ethical dilemma surrounding the usage of steroids by

the baseball players in Major League Baseball (MLB). This ethical dilemma promotes the discussion of

whether steroids use is positively or negatively affecting the stakeholders. This analysis includes the

decision of the MLB players' to use or not use steroids, how the MLB is handling the situation and

provides recommendations to prevent unethical behavior in the MLB.

History of MLB and the Steroid Era

Philosopher Jacques Barzun once observed that anyone wishing to understand the heart and mind

of America should study the sport of baseball, viewed by many as the national pastime (as cited in Briley,

n.d.). According to Briley (n.d.) a number of scholars have suggested that baseball may be perceived as a

sort of mirror in which values, power, politics, fashion, class, economics, and race may be viewed in

microcosm, and they see baseball as a force for passing along such essential values as hard work, social

mobility, democracy and team work. For these reasons the importance of baseball in the American society

is held in high esteem.

According to the History of Baseball (n.d.) the earliest reference to baseball in the American

society dates back to 1791, and the formation of the National League in 1876 marked the beginning of

what contemporary fans would recognize as the modern major leagues. The Dead-ball Era lasted from the

beginning of the twentieth century until roughly 1920 and was so named because of the style of play that

characterized those years. Home runs were very rare, games were typically yielding low scores, and

pitchers dominated the game. According to Jentsch (as cited in Stromberg, 2011), “The twenties are often

called the golden age of sports, and there are a few reasons for that. After World War I , a lot of people

became more interested in entertainment and leisure activities. The other thing was a huge change in

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media, with radio, and with more newspapers.” Baseball grew to greater heights after the 1950s due to the

rise of cable and live telecasts of games on television. It also saw increased attendance after World War II

and increased revenue for all major clubs (Major League, 2006).

By the 1970s, baseball had turned into a business and the value/salaries of players soared. They

received individual attention and reached super-star status nationwide. The lure of big money and fame

pushed players harder and harder to perform better. Players pushed their physical limits and to combat

injuries and improve their performance, they took several drugs including amphetamines and anti-

depressants even as early as the 1960s. According to Gilbert (1969), drugs were used by most of the

players at that time and it was a widely accepted practice within baseball. By the end of the 1980s many

players started taking anabolic steroids and human growth hormones to build muscle mass and increase

their strength. Baseball flourished amidst contractual disputes between players and owners and minor

strikes until 1994 when the World Series was cancelled due to division between owners and the Players

Association. This damaged the reputation of the sport, and the fans grew angry with the players

(Associated Press, 2004). A large number of fans were in support of owners’ decision to cap their players’

salaries. The majority of them believed that neither the owners nor the players cared about them, which

led to a drastic decrease in the fan base for baseball (Jones, 2002) and ultimately decreased the revenue

and attendance at games after the strike. This period was considered as the worst in the history of baseball

and many believed that baseball would never be a favorite sport for Americans again.

After 1995, there was a dramatic increase in home runs, which brought a lot of fans back to

watching the game and in turn increased the attendance at the games and revenue for the MLB in contrast

to the situation immediately after the strike. The increase in home runs was mainly attributed to players'

use of steroids to increase the strength and power that helped them to hit the balls harder and longer. The

baseball fans and the society commonly refer to this time period as "power age" due to the increased

power hitting and "steroid era" due to widespread use of steroids.

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A surge in home runs and record-breaking performances by players brought back the lost

excitement among the fans and increased the attendance at the games and revenues for MLB. At the same

time there were many reports and incidents that brought to light the illegal usage of steroids and other

performance-enhancing drugs being taken by baseball players. MLB owners and even the fans ignored

those reports and were happy to see baseball bouncing back after its short period of downfall. MLB's

revenue increased exponentially and the players and teams generated millions of dollars. Players'

performance excelled and their recovery time from injuries were shortened. Players who used steroids had

an advantage on the field over those who didn’t use steroids, and this led to the players who did use

performing better in each game. To quickly recover from the injuries and meet public expectations many

players started to take steroids consistently. This illegal use of steroids continued for more that a decade,

and it is still an issue that is plaguing the sport of baseball. In 2002, former National League Most

Valuable Player Ken Caminiti estimated that at least half of major league players used steroids. Mitchell's

(2007) investigation found the following:

“In 2002, former National League Most Valuable Player Ken Caminiti estimated that at

least half of major league players were using anabolic steroids. Dave McKay, a longtime coach

for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Oakland Athletics, estimated that at one time 30% of players

were using them. … However, it is a fact that between 5 and 7 percent … tested positive for

performance enhancing substances. Those figures … understated the actual level of use since

players knew they would be tested at some time during the year, the use of human growth

hormone was not detectable … and … a negative test does not necessarily mean that a player has

not been using performance enhancing substances”.

The latest Biogenesis scandal broke in January 2013 and encompassed a total of fourteen players

accused of illegally obtaining and taking human growth hormones from the now defunct rejuvenation

clinic Biogenesis of America showing that many players in MLB are still using steroids and other

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substances to improve their performance (Schmidt, 2013). Alex Rodriguez, one of the players accused in

this scandal, said that it was the culture in MLB (as cited in Former MLB Trainer, 2009).

Even though the steroid issue has tainted the image of baseball in recent times, it is still loved by

the people of this country and considered as a favorite sport of America. According to Primo (2009)

"A baseball player does steroids and it's an assault on the game's integrity… Sports fans

care about the history of baseball, about the accomplishments, about what it stand for… The fact

that people get as emotionally upset as they do about steroids in baseball—calling for records to

be erased or given an asterisk … proves that … it truly cares about baseball. That love, that

identity, that quest for purity … is what makes baseball America's National Pastime."

Laws and Policies

Since 1938 the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act prohibited distribution of all prescription

drugs except when a physician, based upon an individualized determination of a proper course of

treatment, has authorized use of a drug by a patient under the physician's supervision (Human Growth

Hormone, n.d.). Under this Act if such illegal distribution was done with the intent to defraud and mislead

either consumers or government agencies, the conduct was punishable as three-year felony. Later in 1988

and 1990, two amendments were made to this Act to criminalize steroid and human growth hormone

trafficking, since, illegal drug trafficking in steroids became larger in scope. This amendment made

distribution and possession, with the intent to distribute, of steroids and human growth hormones a

criminal offense as opposed to earlier versions of the act that allowed conviction and prosecution if the

steroids were distributed with intent to defraud or mislead. It also provided that criminal forfeiture would

be available as additional penalty. The Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 2004 included a vast majority of

performance enhancing drugs and steroids in the list of controlled substances.

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Federal Law allows physicians to distribute human growth hormones in connection with either

treatment of disease or other recognized medical conditions. So, in order to prosecute physicians for

illegal distribution of steroids, additional evidence is necessary to prove that a physician is a drug dealer.

Obtaining such evidence can be difficult. Even with stringent laws, there is widespread belief that using

performance-enhancing drugs is not a serious offense (Steroid Laws, n.d.). Even though possessing

steroids is an offense, there is a high probability that simple possessors of anabolic steroids will never be

arrested and this is evident by the six million adult Americans who supplement with anabolic steroids for

performance enhancing purposes (Steroid Laws, n.d.). This evidence proves that the law is ineffective

when it comes to preventing the use of steroids and prosecuting people who illegally use them.

There are cases where players have taken steroids that are prescribed by the physicians citing

medical reasons. This makes it difficult to prosecute both the physicians and the players. According to

Volquez's statement (as cited in Sheldon, 2010), his physician prescribed medication for his treatment that

contained banned substances. In another incident, Ramirez said (as cited in Quinn, Wada, Nelson, 2009),

"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he

thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy… ". It was

found that in addition to artificial testosterone he had used human chorionic gonadotropin.

Mitchell (2007) states that MLB prohibited illegal use, possession and distribution of drugs since

1971. It prohibited steroids since 1991; however the Players Association did not accept this until 2002,

when it was included in the Basic Agreement. Only after 2002 was MLB’s drug policy formally included

in the collective bargaining agreement, and random drug testing of players was included until 2004. Since

1984, an informal arrangement existed under which drug testing was arranged on a case-by-case basis

through discussions between the Commissioner's Office and the Players Association. This was ineffective

because the Players Association opposed mandatory random drug testing for many years citing concerns

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for privacy rights of the players and also commissioners gave this illegal drug use issue a much lower

priority than economic issues like selling tickets and increasing revenue.

Fay Vincent, one of the former commissioners, said in an interview that most of the issues in

baseball, when he was there, were economic issues and it is lot harder to resolve them if they are turned

into moral ones (Brown, 2005). According to Smith, a former player, the drug testing programs were not

carried out as per the policy (as cited in Smith blast, 1987). He said that he was supposed to undergo

testing six to eight times in a year but he was not tested even once in a particular year. Larry Starr, a

trainer, blamed Commissioner Bud Selig for not taking any action to prevent players from taking steroids

(Former MLB Trainer, 2009). He said if the commissioner had not turned a blind eye to the issue, the so-

called steroid era might have been avoided.

“Someone ought to ask Mr. Selig whether he had any suspicion at all. Was there any one

time from 1990 to 2003 that you had any suspicion that people were doing something wrong or

cheating? If he says no to that question, he must not have watched many games.”

Starr also said that it was not possible for the trainers to monitor the players all the time and he

was afraid of losing the trust of players and managers if he had reported it to the commissioner because of

the way the issues were handled by the commissioner's office.

“They would say, ‘Do you have any evidence? Did you see people injecting themselves?’

If I said no — and I would have because I wasn’t going to sneak around watching guys in toilets

— they would’ve said, ‘Then shut up and do your job.’ Or they would have brought in the player

and asked him. ... I would’ve lost the trust of my players, my manager and coaches.”

In some cases, personal trainers have influenced players to take steroids. Barry Bonds, Giants'

baseball star, got steroids from Anderson, his trainer (Book details Bonds’, 2006). Even though his

physical appearance posed doubt in everyone's mind that he might be taking steroids the club owners and

the managers didn’t challenge Bonds for fear of upsetting their star. Later, Bonds said that he took

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steroids only to recover from pain and blamed his trainers for giving him steroids. He said that he never

asked for drugs voluntarily and all his teammates and reporters are aware of this.

"... I'm dealing with pain. All I want is the pain relief, you know? ... I never asked Greg.

When he said it was flaxseed oil, I just said, 'Whatever.' It was in the ballpark ... in front of

everybody. I mean, all the reporters, my teammates. I mean, they all saw it. I didn't hide it ... You

know, trainers come up to me and say, 'Hey, Barry, try this.'

In 2006, Commissioner Bud Selig formed “Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and

Treatment Program” to educate players on the risks of prohibited substances, to end the use of prohibited

substances, and provide orderly and systematic resolutions to the program. The Health Policy Advisory

Committee was also formed to administer and oversee the direction of the program.

MLB Economics

MLB is currently making more money than ever before, even through the recent recession and

steroid controversy (Brown, 2011). Revenue for MLB grew from $1.4 billion in 1995 to $7 billion in

2010, and it is still climbing (Brown, 2011). Attendance at live games is on the rise with each individual

team selling anywhere from 1.56 to 3.56 million tickets a season, and without every game being sold out

there is still room for further growth (MLB Attendance, 2013). On top of selling more tickets each year,

ticket prices are increasing as well (MLB Average, 2013). 35% of MLB revenue comes from the gates,

and so far this revenue stream has not been affected by steroid use (MLB Revenue, 2013). Even though

polls show that 94% of people think using steroids is cheating, this doesn’t translate to any decrease in

ticket demand as more fans are paying more money each year to watch baseball (Siperstein, 2013).

Although individual players can get higher paying contracts due to increased performance from

steroid use, an analysis of the big picture shows that team performance has only a marginal effect on team

profits. This can clearly be seen this year in MLB as the team with the worst record in the league, the

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Houston Astros, had the most profitable season of any team ever in the history of MLB

(Alexander, 2013). There is also revenue sharing between teams within MLB to help balance

revenues between teams with varied popularity and success. 31% of all local revenues are split evenly

amongst all MLB teams, and a luxury tax on teams that exceed the salary cap is distributed to the teams

with the lowest revenues (MLB Revenue Sharing, 2011). Revenue sharing doesn’t have the effect it was

meant to have on evening the performance of teams in the league, but it still safeguards the financial

stability of every team in MLB (MLB Revenue Sharing, 2011).

MLB also generates in money from sources other than just ticket and merchandise sales to fans.

This past season, revenues overall were up 7%, despite operating income falling 9% due to paying players

more and increased stadium costs on average (Hiestand, 2013). MLB makes a lot of revenues from

broadcasting. With more and more people watching TV shows on DVR and skipping the commercials,

broadcasting revenues for MLB are on the rise due to increased demand from networks for programming

that people want to watch live (Hiestand, 2013). Advertisers pay more for ad spots on live sports games

for this reason, so networks pay MLB more for the rights to air live games. Also, demand for

broadcasting rights of games is growing because more channels want to get in on this live TV market,

such as the upcoming Fox Sports 1 (Hiestand, 2013). MLB is also making money in new ways in recent

years, such as with online apps and services (Hiestand, 2013). Additionally, MLB teams have a shared

hedge fund, called the Baseball Endowment L.P., where the league has invested a shared money pool and

splits all the earnings evenly (Hiestand, 2013). Overall, MLB is making more money than ever, but this

is mostly due to diversifying revenue sources rather than success directly related to steroid use. However,

it is important to note the seemingly contradictory market behavior of MLB fans who make it known in

many polls that they are against steroids but simultaneously are spending more in higher numbers to

support MLB and its players who have been faced with steroid charges (Memmott, 2013).

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Individual players in MLB are all well paid, but have widely varied salaries based on their

performance or how they are expected to perform. Every MLB player who played the full 2013 season

made a minimum of $480,000, roughly 53% of MLB players made at least $1,000,000, and roughly 12%

make at least $10,000,000 (Baseball Salaries, 2013). MLB players are inherently passionate about

baseball and already want to do their best, but the potential to exponentially increase their personal

salaries – when they increase their performance on the field creates an even bigger incentive to take

steroids. The highest paid player in MLB, Alex Rodriguez, made $29,000,000 in the 2013 season and is

currently the center of attention in the steroid controversy (Baseball Salaries, 2013). Individual players

can also make extra money from advertising sponsorships if they are popular enough to be viewed as

marketable by advertisers (Helrich, 2010).

Health Effects of Using Steroids

Not only is the use of steroids in MLB prohibited, but it also has many negative side effects.

Players usually start by using just a little bit, to get a little bit stronger, but once they start using steroids,

they become dependent, making quitting almost impossible (Tolliver, 2004). Players use steroids to

improve their performances, which can increase their salary in future contracts, sometimes even doubling

it. They undergo a lot of pressure from their trainers, coaches and team owners to be the best, and in order

to achieve these goals they often turn to steroids. Researchers found that the most common steroids used

are anabolic steroids, which can quickly increase muscle mass, but have many long-term health effects,

including the risk of death.

According to Deni Carise, a scientist and clinician, MLB players who use steroids have a higher

risk of heart problems and sterility (2013). External visible side effects include the development of severe

acne all over the body and baldness. Some examples of the internal long-term health risks are headaches,

kidney failure, liver erosion, immune system deficiencies, impotence, sterility, high blood pressure,

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stomachaches, and water/salt retention problems (Carise, 2013). Dan DeIuliis & David DeIuliis stated

that the use of steroids in MLB players will also cause shrinking of testicles and the development of

breasts, and users can even develop other psychological issues such as increased aggression and

irritability (2012). MLB players’ careers can be shortened after extended use, due to lack of competency.

Researchers have shown that players can grow sick from their reaction to these drugs in their bodies, and

eventually they can become too fragile to be out in the field playing baseball (DeIuliis, 2012).

Steroids in Society

MaCallum (2008) gives compelling evidence to prove that the steroid culture extends far beyond

sports and highly criticizes the American culture of personal physical enhancement. He wrote,

"… But the culture of personal physical enhancement has pushed the use of steroids and

HGH everywhere -- from Hollywood to the music industry to your next-door neighbor who

doesn't want to grow old. ...

We are a juiced nation.

We are a nation on dope.

We are a nation looking for enhancement, a way to age gracefully, perform better and

longer, and, at the outer edge, vanquish what was once considered that alltime undefeated

opponent known as aging. We do that by Botoxing our wrinkles, lifting our faces, reconstructing

our noses, despidering our veins, tucking our tummies, augmenting our breasts and taking a little

pill to make sure we're ready when, you know, the right time presents itself. We also do it by

injecting human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone, America's new golden pharmaceutical

couple."

According to his report, Mayo Clinic estimated that three million people in the U.S. use anabolic steroids,

the synthetic versions of testosterone that are illegal when they are used for non-medical reasons. Also,

according to John Romano, senior editor at Muscular Development, fifteen million Americans use PEDs.

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MaCallum states that sports only reflect the culture, but it doesn’t define the culture (2008). He also gives

evidence that shows steroids are used by people from all walks of life, including professional

bodybuilders, Hollywood actors, hip-hop musicians, rappers, police officers, guards who protect U.S.

officials and players of other sports besides baseball.

According to Siegel (2007), "In fact, the steroid scandal is emblematic of the way we live now."

He states that exorbitant salaries have increased the pressure to succeed at all costs and the unprecedented

prosperity has pushed many people in two mental directions. One is the feeling that breaking that rule is

justified because the rewards are so great and the other is the feeling that everyone is breaking the rules.

According to Holtzman (n.d.), Kruzan (n.d.) and Conan (2008) the American "win-at-all-cost"

characteristic and the thinking that one has to be bigger, stronger and faster than everyone else are the

underlying drivers for rampant steroid use in sports and society in general.

According to the article Steroids having negative (2010),

"Steroids, growth hormone and other PEDs are not only having an enormous impact on

athletics, but also on American culture. They've changed the way we think about health and

fitness. … Jersey Shore made it shockingly clear how intent many young men are nowadays on

developing the kind of freakishly bulked-up physiques previously associated with competitive

body building. … ‘We've been inundated for years with these images of steroid-enhanced bodies

that go beyond any naturally occurring parameters,’ says Harrison Pope, a psychiatry professor

at Harvard Medical School. ‘It's resulted in a growing Western cultural focus on male

muscularity.' "

Dr. Charles Yesalis (as cited in McCallum, 2008) estimated that at least half a million, and

probably close to three quarters of a million, children have used steroids or performance enhancing drugs

in their lifetime. According to Matuszewski (2013), 66 percent of Americans believe that hearing about

steroid use by professional athletes encourages adolescents to take performance-enhancing drugs.

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Stakeholder Analysis

The four typical main groups of stakeholders in an organization are shareholders, employees,

customers, and the public (Anderson, 2010). MLB has an interesting organizational structure that is not

set up like a standard, publicly traded corporation. MLB is more of a network of privately owned

companies, which are the individual teams. There are no shareholders, so this category of stakeholders is

really made up of the league commissioner and team owners. The other stakeholder groups have sub-

groups as well, and these will be broken down in the analysis to follow.

Shareholders

Team owners

Low impact. Owners of MLB teams are not negatively affected when their players use steroids.

There really isn’t much public outcry blaming owners for players on their teams using steroids. Team

owners are not at risk of losing their teams whether or not their players use steroids. Also, team owners

are currently making more money than ever, even with the current scandal, and the negative activities

generating positive results. Long-term, there is no evidence to support the idea that steroids will hinder

the success of MLB therefore impact is low. Overall, steroid use has a positive but low impact on team

owners, as their ownership is safe regardless and they are making more money.

High control. The owners of MLB teams have a high level of control over steroid use by their

players. These owners could set a precedent that steroid use is not tolerated by refusing to sign contracts

with known users. Individually this may not be effective, but if all the owners did this together it would

influence players not to use. Also, team owners have the ability to create team policies such as contract

clauses that would allow teams to drop players that are caught using after being signed. The team owners

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could then strictly enforce this with team issued drug tests to make sure players are actually not using. It

would make it far more difficult for players to get away with using steroids if team owners chose to do

this.

Commissioner

High impact. The MLB commissioner is unlikely to be affected when players use steroids, but

since the potential effect is so drastic; there is a negative high impact. If the scandal gets out of control

and the league needs a scapegoat, the commissioner could take the blame and potentially lose his

position, livelihood and reputation. This is unlikely, as only a few commissioners have ever been fired.

However, due to this risk, there is still a negative high impact for the commissioner.

High control. The commissioner has a high level of control over steroid use in the MLB, as he is

responsible to implement new policies as well as to enforce policies. Just like team owners, the

commissioner could turn a blind eye to steroid use, but he could also take a firm stance against it. The

commissioner essentially has the power to decide league punishments such as suspensions and fines, as

well as the frequency and manner of steroid testing. The stricter the commissioner is, the fewer steroids

will be used in MLB.

Employees

Players

High impact. MLB players are highly impacted by steroid use, and this impact can be both

positive and negative. Players that use steroids can potentially perform better, win more games, win more

championships, increase their pay with a better contract and gain more fans. The major negative impact

on players is the physical side effects and health issues and eventual career loss that can result from

steroid use. Also, if players get caught using, they could potentially be suspended from playing, lose

salaries from missed games or fines, ruin their chances of inducted into the Hall of Fame, lose fans, and

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generally lose respect. Players are definitely highly impacted by using steroids, and whether or not this is

positive or negative largely depends on if they get caught and their use goes public.

High control. MLB players have a high level of control over steroid use. First and foremost, they

ultimately decide for themselves whether or not to use steroids. Players can also influence each other

through peer pressure, and this can affect the decision both ways. Players can sway other players,

especially on their own team, to use or not to use steroids by vocalizing their own position on whether

they feel it is right or wrong. Also, when it is known that certain players use steroids, other players may

feel pressured to use them as well to keep up, even if this is unspoken. Additionally, the Players

Association gives players some control over league policies and enforcement. The Players Association

essentially serves as a union and fights for players’ rights by limiting testing and negotiating penalties if

players are caught using steroids.

Non-players

Other than the players, there are many employees that work for MLB teams and the league as a

whole. Examples of these employees are coaches, vendors and custodial staff at stadiums, cameramen,

trainers, and publicists. These employees are more peripheral to steroid use, but are still stakeholders.

Low impact. Steroid use by MLB players has a low impact on employees. With the continued

success of MLB, these employees are not at risk of losing their jobs due to any controversy. These

employees are also not going to be blamed, praised, or paid any more or less whether or not steroid use

occurs in MLB unless a situation occurs when fans stop attending games. Overall, there is low or no

impact, positive or negative, on these employees.

Low control. Employees other than players have almost no control over a player’s decision to use

drugs or creation and enforcement of anti-steroid policies by the team owners and commissioner.

Trainers and coaches have some control over players' personal decision to use steroids. This can be seen

in situations where trainers suggest that players use steroids. However, this is not the norm and is not a

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major influence. The players themselves still make the final decision whether they want to take steroids

or not, and there are more significant factors, as previously noted other than suggestions from trainers and

coaches.

Customers

Individuals

Customers of the MLB are often individual members of the public that choose to directly

patronize MLB. This patronage takes the form of spending money to attend live games or purchase

merchandise.

Low impact. Individual customers have a low impact on steroid use in MLB. There are some

people that are completely against players using steroids and think that something should be done about

it. However, with attendance trending upwards in the recent past this does not seem to have an affect on

the demand for MLB patronage. It is clear that the people who are upset enough by steroid use to stop

spending money, are outnumbered by those who enjoy seeing the athletes’ success whether or not they

use steroids. The low impact of steroid use on fans is both negative and positive to different types of

people, but overall this impact is more positive as seen primarily by the increasing attendance at games.

Low control. Currently, individual customers have a low level of control over steroid use. Unless

spending by individual customers declines on an aggregate level, players will continue to use if they

choose and team owners and the commissioner will continue to enforce policies as they see fit. Even if

people begin to dislike a player, they are unlikely to then dislike the entire team or league, especially

since most people become fans of the sport or a particular team due to family tradition or hometown

pride. Combine this with profit sharing and rising revenues overall across MLB, and the result is that

individual customers’ opinions on steroid use doesn’t affect MLB enough to sway decisions on steroid

use.

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Companies

Other than individual customers, there are also companies that broadcast games on TV that are

customers of MLB. These companies are customers because they pay MLB directly for the rights to

broadcast the games on TV.

Low impact. The impact of steroids in MLB on these companies is very low. With the demand

to watch these games increasing despite any negative opinions on steroids, companies will still continue

to air these games and make money from the ad revenue. As long as they are still generating revenue

from MLB, broadcasting companies have no reason to care about any controversy surrounding steroid

use. The impact is neutral, as these companies are not directly making any more or less money due to

steroid use in MLB.

Low control. These companies have very low control over steroid use in baseball as well. This

is especially true due to DVR technology increasing their demand for programming that people still want

to watch live like sports games. Demand is also rising with new channels like the upcoming Fox Sports

1. Even if these companies became more concerned about the controversy, MLB is aware of the

increased demand for their games and will continue to charge more for the airing rights. As long as

demand remains high for rights to air MLB games, MLB will hold the power, and these companies will

hold little if any influence on decisions about steroids.

Public

General public

The largest portion of the public is the general pubic. This includes everyone in the public

society that is exposed to MLB on a general level. MLB fans and general sports fans, especially those that

are engaged enough to watch on TV or read about baseball in the newspaper or online are differentiated

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from individual customers, as they are not directly patronizing MLB as the money they may spend on

cable or a newspaper doesn’t go to MLB.

Low impact. Similar to the reasons described in the individual customer section, steroid use has

shown to have a low impact on the general public. There are a lot of people that are upset about the use

of steroids in MLB, but they are not upset enough to stop being a fan of their favorite team or the sport in

general. The impact is seemingly neutral, because even though there is some controversy in public

conversation, people still watch and follow MLB and new fans are still being made despite the issues.

Low control. The general public has no control over steroid use in baseball at this time. If people

that are directly patronizing MLB don’t have a major influence on decisions by players, team owners, and

the commissioner, then logically the general public would have even less influence since they are not

directly spending money.

Youth athletes

High impact. The lenient penalties on players in MLB for players that use steroids reflects an

accepting attitude within MLB and our society. This has had a high impact on youth athletes because we

see more youth baseball players engaging in steroid use. The article “Few willing to talk about steroid use

in college ball” explains the new trend of steroid use among high school and college players (Grodin,

2005). Little to no testing of steroid use is in place at these levels, so when an example is set forth by

MLB it is easy for youth athletes to follow in this path. In competing to gain scholarships to play for top

colleges or enter the major league, players feel the need to use steroids to get to the next level of playing.

Due to all of the negative health effects of using steroids, this high impact of influence is definitely a

negative impact.

Low control. Although a minority MLB players may choose to stay clean to be better role

models, youth athletes have no more direct control over MLB players’ decision to use steroids than the

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general public does. Also for the same reasons as the general public, youth athletes have little if any

control over the decisions of team owners and the commissioner.

Families

The families of the players are stakeholders, and they do not fit into any of the other three main

categories of stakeholders. This would make them part of the pubic, although they vary from the rest of

the public especially in their degree of control.

High impact. Steroid use in MLB has a high impact on families of MLB players. Family members

are interconnected, and so the impact on the players is reflected in their other family members. Players

making more money as a result of using steroids will have a positive impact on their families, but

negative impacts are present as well. The negative health effects on the players can be a burden on the

family and even cause strain in family relationships. Also, there can be a large negative impact on

children of players who use steroids that could grow up with a poor role model as a parent figure,

especially if they see their father scrutinized in public scandal. Overall there is a more prominent

negative impact on players’ families, as any extra money they may receive is essentially negligible as

every MLB player is already paid enough for them and their family to live comfortably.

High control. Families of MLB players’ can have a high level of control over whether or not they

choose to use steroids, even if they may not have any control over policies or enforcement of those

policies. Generally, family members can hold a lot of influence over one another, and this applies to

steroid use as well. There are a lot of other factors influencing MLB players’ decision to use steroids, but

if they have strong family ties then their decision can be highly influenced by their family compared to

any other factor.

19

Ethical Analyses

Egoism

Egoism determines whether an action is right or wrong by focusing on the way the action affects

oneself. From the egoism perspective, if something feels good it is good and if it feels bad it is bad.

There is no responsibility to consider any other stakeholders besides oneself. In regard to players using

steroids, the team owners and commissioner from an individual self-interest would think it is a positive

behavior. The article “To Baseball’s Chagrin, Steroid Era Goes On” by Lynn Zinser, addressed the “lack

of action by the baseball owners” in the current “steroid era” (2012). When the players break records and

show great athleticism it draws media attention as well as new fans to support the game. Attention helps

the MBL brand; the profit grows when the audience grows. Broadcasting companies are willing to pay

higher amounts for airing live games because they know that MLB has a large audience. If players are

making the game exciting for the audience by using steroids, team owners and the commissioner won’t

disapprove because it benefits them financially. The rising success of MLB makes team owners and the

commissioner feel good, so through egoism they would approve of steroid use. From the egoism

standpoint, using steroids would make a positive impact because players would perform at a greater level.

Players are rewarded on their performance by gaining advertising sponsors, higher salaries in contracts,

and more fans.

Cultural Relativism

Society at large doesn’t approve of using steroids, but the evidence discussed earlier in the paper

show that the American "win-at-all-cost" culture and the pressure to be bigger, stronger and faster than

anyone else has created a steroid culture in our society. This is one of the main reasons why the steroid

use is so prevalent among people from all socioeconomic walks of life. Previously, the use of steroids was

20

limited to professional bodybuilders, but now many people, from Hollywood stars to young athletes, use

steroids to grow bigger, look younger and various other reasons. Using steroids to enhance one's

performance or looks is considered as a norm in the modern society.

Looking at the history of baseball and the steroid era we can understand that usage of steroids,

human growth hormones and performance-enhancing drugs by baseball players has become more

widespread since two decades ago. At various occasions through various tests and investigations, it has

been proven that a lot of the players were under the influence of steroids on and off the field. Frank

Thomas' statement shows that there was a secret society within MLB that consisted of players who used

steroids (2011). Also, Mitchell found that the estimated number of players who used steroid range from

20% to 30% during the “steroid era”, and even a higher percentage of players were using lower doses

(2007). According to Alex Rodriguez, usage of steroids was a culture in MLB. This proves that there is a

sub-culture within MLB, which consists of players who use steroids.

Within the subculture, usages of steroids or other performance enhancing substances is accepted.

These players are aware that they are breaking federal laws and MLB policies, but they were able to

rationalize their behavior because of their perceived approval from their peers within the subculture.

Sometimes even the trainers encouraged players to use steroids.

MLB didn’t take this issue seriously for a long time. The commissioner didn’t impose stricter

rules at the beginning and the player's association didn’t cooperate with the league to implement random

drug testing even after knowing that there is a possibility that a lot of players are using steroids. The

owners knew about this issue but didn’t take any action to prevent players from taking steroids.

According to the larger culture of MLB that included other players who didn’t use steroids it was

unethical to use steroids but most of these players who were aware of the fact that other players were

using steroids didn't come forward to report it.

21

These are the factors that helped in the growth of steroid culture. Players who used steroids

considered inaction from owners, peers, and the league as indirect acceptance. It sent the wrong signal to

the players that it is not unethical to use steroids to improve one's performance. This encouraged more

and more players to take advantage of steroids and at the end it became a norm within MLB. For this

reason, players with a view of cultural relativism can easily rationalize steroid use.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is an ethical doctrine, which essentially states that something is good only if it

brings about the most happiness to the most people. In the case of steroid use in MLB, individuals who

are associated with the utilitarianism view will say that MLB players shouldn't use steroids. Before a

utilitarian determines whether an action is ethical or unethical, they always have to look at its negative

and positive effects on all stakeholders. Then, a decision can be made which is based on balancing

everyone’s happiness. A utilitarian believes that if the total impact of an action satisfies the greatest

number of people, then it is then ethical, and thus can be put into practice.

Through a utilitarianism view, MLB players would choose not to use steroids. It’s clear that

steroid use can benefit players by enabling them to make more money and perform better. As players

gain a competitive edge, they also improve their self-esteem, which can further boost their performance.

If a utilitarian player were determining whether the positives outweigh the negatives, they would ask a

question like, who benefits from MLB players using steroids? The impact of steroids is more negative

than positive when looking at the big picture of all stakeholders. MLB players can personally benefit

from this action, but it also has negative effects on these players like the health risks. Most of the other

stakeholders are not highly impacted, however steroid use can negatively have a high impact on the

commissioner, players’ families, and youth athletes. Overall, there is more harm done than good when

considering all stakeholders. A utilitarian would conclude that taking steroids is unethical.

22

Through utilitarianism, team owners and the commissioner would choose to strictly make and

enforce policies that would prevent players from using steroids. The logic is the same as for why players

would choose not to use steroids, because it would be more beneficial than harmful when taking all of the

stakeholders into consideration. Since steroid use in MLB is harmful to several stakeholders, and not

purely beneficial to any stakeholders, the most ethical decision for team owners and the commissioners is

to do whatever they can to keep steroid use out of MLB.

Deontology

Under the deontology viewpoint, the Commissioner’s duties are to enforce the regulations

throughout the league and uphold the integrity of the sport.  The commissioner needs to keep steroid use

in MLB to a minimum and reprimand baseball players when steroid use has been detected.  Bud Selig has

received a lot of negative backlash for his minimal efforts of prohibiting steroid use in the league and

disciplinary actions against the players. Amidst the negative feedback he has received from critics as well

as baseball players, he says he wanted to restore confidence back in the game.  In a CBS News article,

Bud Selig said, “I’ve been saying for some time my goal for this industry is zero tolerance toward

steroids” (2009).

Team owners also have a duty to make sure their players are not using steroids and will follow

the policies the Commissioner has put in place for the league.  The owners have known on several

occasions that players were using steroids to increase their performance in games and this was being

ignored for the sake of winning games and monetary gains.   It has been proven that team owners were

only looking out for their best interest in their franchise rather than fulfilling their duty to uphold the

standard procedures of drug testing, the penalties for use of steroids, and the integrity of the sport.

Former Commissioner Fay Vincent commented on the new policy in an article “I’m glad they’re

strengthening it.  I think after three violations, someone should be out of the baseball permanently.  I

23

think you can argue about whether it’s 100 days the first time or 200 the first time, but I think there’s got

to be a more severe sanction” (2005). Current commissioner Selig also declared regarding steroids,

“They’re not a baseball problem ... They’re a societal problem,” suggesting that MLB shouldn’t be

singled out for failing to prevent PED use among its players (2013).  His position clearly shows that he is

making an attempt to suppress the issue of usage of steroids by the players and to gain trust from the fans.

The blame should not solely rest on his shoulders.

A lot of people say that the commissioner is not making strong enough efforts to enforce the

regulations.  His ultimate mission is to not only to make sure baseball players are being held accountable

for using steroids, but also to recapture the integrity of the sport and reinstate total honesty back into the

fans that continue to support professional baseball.  This could mean that Bud Selig has a deontology

view of this situation.  However, team owners not doing much at all to intervene with steroid use shows

they likely do not have a deontology view.

Under the deontology viewpoint, the players’ duty is to perform better in the sport, follow the

rules, and be a role model to others in their profession.  MLB players are featured as the star of the team

and/or league and there is an increased amount of standards placed on their shoulders to shine through the

sport. MLB players know the strict penalties imposed on them if they choose to use steroids.  However,

some players feel huge amounts of pressure on their shoulders to perform their best game as well as the

reputation they have to uphold to their fans, their families, and themselves. The most important factor is

that professional players should be honest if they are abusing steroids and that they should seek necessary

treatment for their abuse.  Players’ use of steroids has increasingly been overshadowed by their

performance of the game.  The Commissioner believes mandatory drug testing should the final and

crucial action for players to confess their addiction but since players continue to deny their use, it’s his

only resort.

24

Some players are in compliance with the league regulations but they also believe that these

policies will not eliminate the use of steroids from the sport.  No professional athlete wants to be held

accountable after being tested positive for steroids and will make justifiable reasons for taking steroids.

Professional players completely understand that it is morally and ethically wrong, but for some players

they feel this is their only option to earn or maintain high salary contracts, endorsements and respect from

their fans and team owners.  The MLB players that use steroids don’t seem to be worried about their duty

to the sport and fans, so like the team owners, it is unlikely that MLB players see this situation with a

deontology view.

Group Ethical Analysis

We find players using steroids in MLB unethical due to the negative influence they have over the

youth, players, and the game of baseball. Within this steroid era, the youth is finding it a norm to indulge

in the use of steroids, which is leading to many health problems for these up and coming players. MLB

players themselves are facing legal issues as well as losing the public support. The image of baseball is

becoming deceptive. The traditional all-American game is changing and the public is not accepting of

this new sport with players using steroids. The expectation of the players being honest role models is

being questioned and the integrity of the sport is being threatened. MLB players have a responsibility to

stay clean, and team owners and the commissioner have a responsibility to be stern on the players to

discourage the use of steroids. How the MLB handles steroid use among the players will influence public

opinion as well as the ethical standards of the sport.

25

Conclusion and Recommendations

Conclusion

Using steroids, human growth hormones and performance enhancing drugs has potential short-

term benefits for players and to some extent it has helped baseball to grow in the past, but illegal use of

steroids poses a serious threat to the integrity of the sport. Fans and our overall society have lost trust in

the players' natural abilities and records and it has affected even the honest players. Players who use

steroids have an unfair advantage over the others, so it indirectly pressures the other players to use

steroids in order to stay in the competition. Steroids might improve athletic performance but any abuse of

steroids might negatively affect player's physical and mental health in the long-term. The poor example

set by players who abuse steroids encourages the young athletes to abuse steroids, which is adverse to

their health. The younger generation gets the wrong message that it is acceptable to cheat in order to be

successful and could potentially create a generation of unethical sportsmen who would depend on drugs

and artificially blown physique rather than natural talent.

Recommendations

Ultimately, the decision to use steroids is a personal choice that each player faces. For the

reasons discussed in our ethical analysis, we feel that it is the most ethical for MLB players to avoid use

of steroids. Players should also be more vocal about the need to uphold the integrity of the sport and

encourage the other players to also decide not to use steroids. When players know about teammates using

steroids, they should persuade them that it is unethical, and provide a positive supporting setting to help

them stop. If players are aware of their teammates using steroids and unable to convince them to stop,

there should be an anonymous way to report this to the commissioner. Essentially, there should be a

26

whistle blower hotline for MLB. MLB players should also speak out to the youth in baseball, and let

them know that it is hard work and dedication that leads to success, not chemical shortcuts. This would

make MLB players, better role models, and would hopefully help with the incidence of high school and

college athletes using steroids to further their baseball careers. The culture of baseball starts with the

players, and if MLB players make a personal decision not to use and a conscious effort to monitor and

support each other, steroid use will dwindle and hopefully vanish over time.

The commissioner and MLB team owners have a lot more they could do. We think that there

needs to be more testing, strict and even enforcement of league regulations, and the implementation of

individual team policies. Simply put, players are less likely to use steroids if there is a greater chance of

getting caught. The league should give much more frequent random drug tests to all players, and once a

player is caught using one time they should be given mandatory weekly or biweekly drug tests. Once a

player is caught using steroids, all of the money required for their personal drug testing should come out

of their own salary. This will ensure that the league doesn’t suffer from costs of increased testing, and it

will be another way to deter personal use.

MLB policies and regulations need to be strictly and evenly enforced when players are caught

using, rather than situational interpretation. Every player who is caught should receive the same

punishment, and repeat offenses should carry longer suspensions and higher fines. Some of the money

that players are fined should go towards youth drug education. This will benefit the public and counteract

the negative influence of MLB steroid use influencing the youth.

Finally, since there are currently no official team policies on steroid use, MLB team owners

should set up steroid policies that further dissuade players from using. It wouldn’t make sense for team

owners to bench their own star players, and simply paying these players less would create a conflict of

interest, as the team owners would unfairly benefit from this. However, if a player is caught using by his

team, one game’s pay for that player should be evenly divided amongst the other players on the team who

27

are not using steroids. This will give players an incentive not to use steroids and also not to look the other

way turn a blind eye if their teammates are using. Also, team owners could write new contracts in a

similar way, so that if players are caught using steroids a portion of their annual pay will go towards other

players on the team. In the current situation, MLB teams don’t profit from steroid use, but currently

individual players can, if this system is changed it will be harder for players to rationalize using steroids.

28

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