Hall of Shame
Cragon McBride
Mr. Cravens
Wednesday Comp. II
9 October 2012
Argumentative Essay
Hall of Shame Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa may very well have saved Major League Baseball. The season after the MLB strike of 1994, attendance and TV ratings were the lowest they had been in over a decade. Baseball needed a way to boost interest and increase the games appeal and more importantly to the league, revenue. And it received that boost in the form of the greatest home run race the game has seen. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were pacing their way to history in pursuit of breaking Roger Maris’ single season home run record of 61 home runs that had stood for 37 years. After the 162 game season, McGwire and Sosa finished with 70 and 66 home runs, respectively, and had made a positive impact on the game of baseball. However, it is unlikely that the two men will ever have a place in Cooperstown, New York in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame because they played in the steroid era (late 1980’s to the late 2000’s) and their admitted steroid use. Major League Baseball players who have used or been accused of using steroids should be considered for Hall of Fame induction. It is often speculated that players who use steroids are more likely to hit more home runs per season. Arthur De Vany proves in his article “Steroids And Home Runs.” from Economic Inquiry, that in the past 40 years, there hasn’t been a significant increase in the number of home runs hit by major league players (490). People argue that because more home runs are being hit per season, and that records are falling with short tenure, that there is a direct correlation to steroid use with out considering other variables. The baseball season has been extended quite a few times. In 1919, Babe Ruth broke a 36 year old record of 27 home runs with 29. This seems to be a remarkable feat, until one considers that Ned Williamson’s (The previous record holder) record came in a season of 112 games, where as
Mr. Cravens
Wednesday Comp. II
9 October 2012
Argumentative Essay
Hall of Shame Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa may very well have saved Major League Baseball. The season after the MLB strike of 1994, attendance and TV ratings were the lowest they had been in over a decade. Baseball needed a way to boost interest and increase the games appeal and more importantly to the league, revenue. And it received that boost in the form of the greatest home run race the game has seen. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were pacing their way to history in pursuit of breaking Roger Maris’ single season home run record of 61 home runs that had stood for 37 years. After the 162 game season, McGwire and Sosa finished with 70 and 66 home runs, respectively, and had made a positive impact on the game of baseball. However, it is unlikely that the two men will ever have a place in Cooperstown, New York in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame because they played in the steroid era (late 1980’s to the late 2000’s) and their admitted steroid use. Major League Baseball players who have used or been accused of using steroids should be considered for Hall of Fame induction. It is often speculated that players who use steroids are more likely to hit more home runs per season. Arthur De Vany proves in his article “Steroids And Home Runs.” from Economic Inquiry, that in the past 40 years, there hasn’t been a significant increase in the number of home runs hit by major league players (490). People argue that because more home runs are being hit per season, and that records are falling with short tenure, that there is a direct correlation to steroid use with out considering other variables. The baseball season has been extended quite a few times. In 1919, Babe Ruth broke a 36 year old record of 27 home runs with 29. This seems to be a remarkable feat, until one considers that Ned Williamson’s (The previous record holder) record came in a season of 112 games, where as