After a decade of refusing to comment on his reported steroid abuse, St. Louis Cardinals slugger and potential Hall of Fame candidate Mark McGwire has admitted to using steroids on and off over a ten year period. A sporting legend in the United States he is more commonly known on these shores for appearing in an episode of the popular TV show ‘The Simpsons’. In 1998 McGwire would participate in a truly historic home run chase where both he and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago cubs would smash Roger Maris’s 37 year old record of 61 home runs. In a tightly fought contest where they matched each other hit for hit over a 6 month period it was McGwire who eventually won out finishing with an impressive tally of 70 home runs to Sosa’s 66.
In that same year though was the far less publicised admission from the Cardinals star that he used androstenedione, an over the counter muscle enhancement drug which was deemed illegal by the NFL, IOC and World Anti Doping Agency at the time but not as fate may have it by Major League Baseball (It was eventually outlawed in 2004).
This admission was forced after an article was written questioning the legality of his sudden, historic surge in power. As displayed in all sports, great success is met with great doubt and even greater scrutiny.
The steroid era as the late ‘80s to mid ‘00s is known had already claimed the reputations of some of the game’s greatest player s namely Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Jose Canseco and many more but McGwire had steadfastly refused to acknowledge any questioning of his achievements. Why the sudden change in heart? Two reasons: Firstly and most importantly he was offered a job as hitting coach with his beloved Cardinals, he obviously felt he had to be honest with himself before he could start trying to be sincere with his players.
Secondly, the Hall of Fame. History has not looked fondly on those who have admitted to the use of illegal substances. Under a cloud of suspicion and needing 75% of votes from national journalists to be enshrined in Cooperstown, New York (location of the Hall of Fame) he obviously felt honesty was the best policy-better late than never one must observe.
Voting tallies of just 23.5%, 23.6%, 21.9% and 23.7% further outline the fact that if you are suspected of having used banned substances it is more than likely you will not receive immortality among the game’s greats.
There are two sides to this highly controversial story: On one hand there are those that believe that this was an era where the majority of people used performance enhancing drugs and that the best should indeed be recognised.
The other side believes however that while this was the ‘steroid era’ there are those who did not use and only those who are 100% free of doubt and have achieved Hall of Fame numbers deserve to be awarded the game’s highest honour. With 11 years left on the ballot it appears Mark McGwire may best the first big casualty of ‘the national past time’ to fall foul of an increasingly sceptical nation.
