Dee Gordon Suspended 80 Games For PEDs
When baseball comes to mind, many people think of hot dogs, warm summer days, and America. But ever since the early 1980s, another idea is brought to the minds of those who love the game, performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
On April 28th, Miami Marlins’ infielder and 2015 National League batting and stolen base champion Dee Gordon tested positive for PEDs and was suspended 80 games without pay by Major League Baseball.
Gordon, who stands at 5’11” and only weighing slightly over 160 lbs, is not the stereotypical steroid user. Sports viewers are used to seeing mammoth-size players such as Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Alex Rodriguez. Seeing a player with the stature of Gordon, test positive for PEDs completely reimagines who we suspect could be possibly taking performance-enhancing drugs; it also puts players similar to Gordon under the microscope.
In an article by Grant Brisbee, a writer for SB Nation, Brisbee compares Gordon’s career with Cincinnati Reds’ centerfielder Billy Hamilton, stating:
“Billy Hamilton with performance-enhancing drugs is your favorite player. He's a freaking Time Magazine cover. But he's trying the natural way, I'm guessing, based on available evidence.Without Gordon and the dozens/scores/hundreds of players doing the PED thing, maybe Hamilton is a star. I'm not so concerned with the Sanctity of Baseball as I am concerned with sneaking into a co-worker's bunk at night and taking his scrip. Gordon was a star with the contract that someone else isn't going to get. That's screwed up.”
Hamilton may never become the offensive superstar that Gordon has become (Gordon has a .291 career batting average vs. Hamilton’s .240), but with Hamilton trying to make himself a successful player the right way, instead of succumbing to the temptation that is PEDs, Hamilton’s character off the field is much better represented than Gordon’s.
Dee Gordon not only hurt himself, being suspended without pay and risking serious health risks later in life, but he also hurt the integrity of the game and those who play the game.
Major League Baseball does not use enough of a deterrent to using PEDs. The high profile players, if caught, still make so much money that it does not even matter that they aren't on the field. Dee Gordon is losing 1.8 million dollars due to his 80 game suspension; to the normal income of Americans, that is a ton of money. When Gordon loses this 1.8 million dollars, he will only be losing 3% of his earnings for the next five seasons (Gordon signed a 5 year, 50 million dollar contract in January 2016).
People in favor of PEDs in baseball often use false cause when they determine that Major League Baseball thrives when PED users are in the games. They believe that the players bring in more revenue, which is completely unrelated.
With the high salaries in Major League Baseball, players are not deterred enough to not try PEDs. Former Oakland Athletics pitcher and current ESPN Baseball Tonight analyst Dallas Braden proposed that players who violate the MLB’s drug policy, should be voided of their contract.
Fans love home runs. They love seeing the air-filled muscles and the towering home runs that are a products of heavy steroid use, ala Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, and Barry Bonds. Some fans love the idea that PEDs help their teams, but it is not worth sacrificing your health and integrity just to hit a couple more long balls. Remember, baseball is just a game.
Major League Baseball already has strict PED policies, but Major League Baseball needs to create a way to form a deterrent from using PEDs, that would strike fear into the hearts of players.
