Author: Baseball is a game loved by many and for good reason. However these scandals may have put some doubt into some people’s minds for awhile due to their outcome.
1.The Steroids Scandal: It happened years ago but still lives on and on. Jose Conseco claimed that more than 50% of professional baseball players were using steroids at the time and the Mitchell Report went in depth to find out if this was true. It was found years later that some of the biggest names in baseball had in fact used steroids to influence and enhance their performance. This has proven to be a sad fact for baseball and the controversy and disbelief carry on years later.
2.Pete Rose: He was an All American player and what the game was all about. He played a great game and so many looked up to him and respected him. Unfortunately he will always be remembered for his antics off the field because he was gambling to excess. He became better known for his gambling, much of which was quite controversial, than for his efforts on the field.
3.Cocaine Scandals: The Pittsburgh Pirates had a good amount of players on their team that were found to be using cocaine. There were trials held to get to this fact but it was unthinkable to some that professional baseball players would use such a damaging substance, particularly in their game.
4.Wife Swap: Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson pulled something that was unthinkable in life, much less in the game. They swapped wife and families quite literally and took on each other’s wives. Not only is this unethical in life, but proved to be quite damaging to their careers. Only one of the marriages would end up working out but the damage was deep for both players.
5.1919 Black Sox: This is known as one of the biggest scandals in sports of all times. Several players on this team were given money to throw their games so that a different outcome came about. In the end and after a lot of scandal that came out, the players were never even given the money but the damage to their careers would forever be remembered.
6.Hank Greenberg: He was just shy of beating Babe Ruth’s record but many felt that because he was Jewish he kept getting walked. He was a good player and he very well could have beat the record, but due to him being walked time and time again many believe that there were forces working against him and his success.
7.Home Run King: It’s a battle that has gone on for years and likely will for some time to come. Mark McGwire was known for being the “Home Run King” due to his record, but then steroids clouded that judgment. Then Barry Bonds was found to be the next king but scandal clouded that as well. So who really is the “Home Run King”? The battle rages on!
Baseball is such an All American game, but these scandals have cast a shadow on it. You can still love the game but will forever remember these huge scandals.
Mary Fred composes posts concerning where to get sports management degrees.