Spring-training rumors are usually about trades, not drug testing. But this year, many Major League Baseball fans wonder if the sport's stars are cheating by using illegal substances called steroids. These drugs help players enlarge their muscles, which improves their strength. But steroids have dangerous side effects.
Last Wednesday, members of the U.S. Senate met with baseball commissioner Bud Selig and player representative Donald Fehr to discuss reports of widespread player abuse of performance-enhancing drugs.
In February, criminal charges were brought against four people accused of providing steroids to professional players. Among those named was the personal trainer of the Giants' Barry Bonds, one of baseball's best players. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that federal investigators found that steroids were given to Bonds and other players, including the Yankees' Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield. All three deny taking steroids, and they have not been formally accused.
FLUNKING THE DRUG TEST
Last year, more than one out of every 20 players tested positive for steroids. But Major League Baseball did not announce the names of the drug users or punish them. Instead, it will begin a new system. Players will be tested twice a year. Those who test positive will receive treatment but won't be suspended. Only after five positive tests can a player be suspended for up to one year.
"It's a complete and utter joke," said Dick Pound, the chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, of the rules. Fehr, the head of the baseball players' union, disagrees. He told the Senate that random drug tests violate players' privacy.
GROWING CONCERN
Suspicions about steroid use have grown in recent years as players have hit record numbers of home runs. And past MVPs Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco have admitted that they used the drugs during their careers. Now, the pressure is on baseball to clean up its act. Congress is threatening to impose new drug rules for the game, and fans are wondering which stars are really cheating.
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