Daniel Pedersen

Emilia Grant
UWRT 1102
February 26, 2015
Inquiry Proposal: Steroid Use in the MLB
In my inquiry research paper, I will be taking an in depth look at the positive and
negative aspects of steroid use in major league baseball. I will not only be examining the effects
steroids have on an athletes body, but also the many effects on how the game is played. The
main question that I intend to resolve in my paper is if legalizing steroids would better the MLB
or be a bad thing for the league and its fans. The fans who buy tickets to the games or watch the
MLB on T.V. are really what drives the league. So what I will focus on mostly is how baseball
fans would react to players being able to use supplements to enhance their performance. Would
it make a more exciting game? Or would most people think that it would create an uneven
playing field? Would steroids ruin a sport that is meant to be played with our natural bodies?
These are a few of the things I hope to address in my paper and analyze more deeply in my
research. So far I have found two articles that explore both the pros and cons of steroids being
used in professional baseball. The first one is titled, The Only Good Reason to Ban Steroids in
Baseball: To Prevent an Arms Race. This article brings up an interesting point that I never
thought about: it would turn baseball into a competition for the best doctors and new substances
rather than the best players. The second one is titled Sports performance-enhancing drug
scandal widens; MLB stars Bonds, Giambi linked to steroids. It focuses on certain athletes and
how their personal steroid abuse situation was handled.
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Outline:
I.

II.

III.

IV.

Would legalizing steroids be beneficiary to the MLB?

a. Health risks
i. Short term effects
ii. Long term effects
b. How it effects the fans
i. Gain viewers
ii. Lose fans
c. Changes the sport
i. Arms race
ii. Where to draw the line
Health risks
a. Short term effects
i. Infertility, baldness, hormone changes
b. Long term effects
i. Liver damage, high blood pressure, heart problems
How it effects the fans
a. Gain viewers
i. More exciting (like watching superheroes)
b. Lose fans
i. Ruins the natural game people love (integrity of the game)
Changes the sport
a. Arms race
i. Creates more focus on latest and greatest supplements (access to drugs)
b. Where to draw the line
i. Rewriting the rules (what else should they allow? Better bats? Balls that
go faster?)