Trickle Down Effect

Throughout the "steroid" era, our nation's youth was exposed to the effects of a very dangerous drug. Everyday, genetic freaks took the field to play the game at a level never before seen. These were superior athletes who used performance enhancing drugs to transform themselves into superstars. While these athletes experienced high levels of success, young athletes modeled their games after their favorite pros. They dreamed of crushing home runs and being the best.

For the average kid, a shot at making the big leagues is quite slim. It takes something very special, which only a select few possess, to take your game that far. As professional athletes began to experiment with steroids in the early 1980's, amateurs saw them as a way to increase their odds at actually making it. Many types of performance enhancers have the ability to transform somebody with an average skill set into an athlete of incredible talent.

This information is deadly when it falls into the wrong hands, and that is exactly where it went. Before long, even high school students could access these deadly drugs. Illegal everywhere in the United States, steroids were smuggled across the Mexican border or created in secrecy within our borders. Across the nation, thousands of high school students experimented in order to gain an advantage over their competitors. Ingredients were not regulated and sometimes included deadly toxins.

Overall, the situation seems to be improving thanks to campaigns by professional organizations across the sport. The MLB has done its part increasing awareness about the problem. This is just an example of how the selfishness of a group of athletes can send shock waves through the entire sport. Kids died, many were injured, and the integrity of baseball was ruined. With the glorification today's athletes receive, they need to think about the big picture when acting in the public eye.