In the wake of Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurikson Profar’s 162-game suspension for violation of steroid use, Major League Baseball (MLB) has been plagued with steroids for decades.
The MLB has a rich history of its athletes being caught using performance-enhancing drugs. According to Baseball Almanac, a website that tracks baseball’s history, over 12 baseball players have been suspended for violating the MLB’s strict policy in the past five seasons.
According to the MLB’s website, the league has a policy named the Major League Baseball Joint Drug Prevention. Human-grown hormones and steroids are the leading variables that athletes have been found guilty of taking. The policy states that when a player is found in violation for their first time, the MLB imposes an 80-game suspension. Second-time offenders face a 162-game season long suspension. Third-time offenders are subject to a lifetime ban.
“When I heard about Profar, it really upset me as a Braves fan,” said Tommy Kiser, a senior management information systems major. “For an athlete to be making that much money and fail not one but two drug tests is beyond frustrating. It makes no sense to me.”
Profar was found guilty of performance-enhancing drugs (PED) use before the 2025 MLB season, resulting in an 80-game suspension.
The MLB is largely known for the amount of PED use. In the 1990’s, Mark McGwire was a slugger for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1998, he smashed 69 home runs in one season, the most ever in a season. In 2010, he later pleaded guilty to steroid use, resulting in his career being questioned, and his chances of making the Baseball Hall of Fame were gone.
Other MLB athletes, including Barry Bonds, Aaron Rodriguiz and Jose Canseco, have been found guilty of violating the league’s steroids policy. These players were the face of the MLB in the late 1990’s and 2000’s. This time period of extreme steroid use was coined as The Steroid Era.
“I’m not an expert on steroids and how much it really affects players ability to hit the ball further, but I do know that it was common in the time period,” said Brayden Wilson, a senior communications major. “The generalization is that if the MLB were to test every player in the 90’s, more than half would have tested positive for PED’s.”
Barry Bonds, a member of the San Francisco Giants back in the late 90’s and 2000’s, was found guilty of steroid-use after his playing career. Bonds won seven MVPs and also hit 762 home runs, the most home runs by a single player in the MLB.
Bonds was accused by the federal government of supplying steroids to players across the MLB. Since the scandal, the MLB has denied Bonds entry into the Hall Of Fame as a result of the scandal. He was never found guilty in court.
“I think the whole scandal just shows how good Barry Bonds is,” said Ritvik Salla, a junior marketing major. “He is the best hitter ever and the MLB has tried to drag him down. If he was never found guilty, why is he not in the Hall of Fame?”
Steroids have been a part of the MLB’s history for the past 50 years. The league has a strict policy, and players continue to violate it. Jurikison Profar is the latest example of a professional athlete falling short.
For information regarding the MLB’s steroid problem, please visit www.baseball-reference.com/blog/steroids-in-sports.html.