The Article:?Should Hall Of Fame Voters Have Considered Whether ?Steroid Era? Rejuvenated Baseball?
The Source: Forbes.com
The Date: 1/10/13
Imagine carrying the burden and privilege to vote former professional baseball players into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. For members of the Baseball Writers? Association of America?s (BBWAA), that is a reality. They were tasked with viewing the following statistics associated with two potential candidates (amongst many others) for inclusion into the Hall of Fame and making a decision on whether to vote them in or leave them out. Candidate one: 7 time MVP; 8 time Gold Glove winner; and 762 career home runs (most of all time). Candidate two: 7 time Cy Young winner; 11 time All-Star; 2-time world champion. These two candidates are Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, respectively. If a voter were to cast his ballot based upon outright statistics and awards (without names attached to those statistics), there is no doubt that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens would be voted in to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens,?Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire, all associated with baseball?s ?Steroid Era,? were denied entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. According to MLB.com, the ?voters had to consider each candidate?s place in an era played under the cloud of performance-enhancing drug use ? a conundrum in recent years that hit a crescendo this time around.? This, standing alone, was the only reason Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, and Clemens were not introduced into the prestigious club.
Everybody knows baseball is ?America?s Pastime.? However, many people conclude that the late 1990?s-early 2000?s, referred to as the ?Steroid Era? in Major League Baseball, ruined the purity of the game.? It was the era in which Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens were the marquee players in Major League Baseball. How could anybody forget the amazing race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire?while they were on pace to break Roger Maris? 61 home run record?? And what about the phenomenal ball smashing by Barry Bonds on his pursuit to 762 home runs? It was an extremely exciting time in baseball, and could be the era which kept the sport afloat.
Image Credit: Getty Images via @daylife
In 1994, the entire Major League Baseball postseason was cancelled due to the 232 day strike that occurred after a stalemate in negotiations between MLB and the MLB Players Association. This was one of the lowest points in MLB history; the fan interest in the league had dropped significantly. In fact, the following year?attendance had dropped by 20%. ?Baseball revenue also dropped from $1.87 billion in 1993 to $1.2 billion in 1994. Something had to revive baseball, and it came in the form of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.
It is not a stretch to claim that many people who were not regular baseball fans tuned in to MLB action because of the exciting home run race between the two sluggers. And while the two home run hitters may not have been an overwhelming influence for the ?die-hard baseball fans,? they did entice many indifferent baseball fans to start paying attention to the game, which is likely a significant factor in the?rejuvenation?of the business of baseball. ?Barry Bonds continued the excitement during the early 2000?s when he broke the all-time single season home run record.
In the aftermath of all of the buzz based on the breaking of records, a dark cloud arose. Individuals who were largely responsible for the rejuvenation of Major League Baseball have all carried the ?steroid? label since their respective careers concluded, which essentially has placed an asterisk to their accumulated statistics earned during their monumental seasons. This cloud was undoubtedly present when the aforementioned players were listed on the BBWAA voters? ballots.
The applicable question is as follows: While BBWAA voters denied all of the aforementioned candidates from entrance into the Hall of Fame yesterday, did said voters err in not considering the fact that the players potentially enticed fans to pay attention to the game, which had an effect of generating increased revenue for the league? Based on statistical data of attendance at games, the BBWAA voters may?believe they are justified to deny such considerations. This past season there were no astronomical records broken, yet?2012 ranked as the 5th highest attended Major League Baseball season in the history of the game.?This suggests that baseball fans do not necessarily need records to be broken (or at least the threat of same) in order to pay attention to the game. Further, it may be proof that the integrity of the game of baseball is more important to the BBWAA voters (and possibly fans)?than the shattering of a few individual records. However, but for the performances of Sosa, McGwire, and others, fan interest may have not resurfaced to allow a season like 2012 to occur.
Whether justified or not, Barry, Sammy, Mark and Roger will all have a hard time being inducted into the Hall of Fame with the steroid tag following them forever. It is argued that these four players were instrumental in bringing baseball back to its rightful position of prominence amongst the general public; however, statistical data, which baseball?aficionados?adore (and can be skewed to support one?s line of thinking), does not necessarily conclude the same. The inherent love of baseball will always replenish and find its way to the heart of its designated fan base. And for now, the individuals who vote players into the Hall of Fame will not forgive those involved in the ?Steroid Era? and grant them entrance into the Hall of Fame, whether they rejuvenated baseball, or not.
Darren Heitner?is an attorney at?Wolfe?Law?Miami, P.A. in?Miami,?Florida, Founder of?Sports Agent Blog, and Adjunct Professor of Sport Agency?Management?at?Indiana?University. ?Follow him at?@DarrenHeitner and learn more about him at?http://www.darrenheitner.com.
Benjamin Haynes, Esq.?contributed to this article. ?Haynes is a former Division 1 Basketball Player at?Oral Roberts University?and currently practices law in the State of?Florida. ?Follow him at?@BHaynes32.
Questions:
Should these players? ethical failures disqualify them ?from being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Is it fair to hold someone responsible for breaking a rule when that behavior has become a part of company culture?
Source: http://www.cfcbe.com/2013/01/11/what-happens-when-no-one-is-ethical/
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