Rodriguez was one of the best baseball players who many people believed he had the potential of taking the game far. Little did his fans know that he had been using steroids to improve his performance. This transpired only when he came out clearly and confessed that he had been using the dope. This was after he realized that he owed an apology to his fans not to mention risking being banned from the game. With the experience that past players who confessed to using the same received minor penalties, Rodriguez decided to come out clearly and save the situation before it got out of control. His disclosure brought a great embarrassment to the game leading to most fans assuming that every baseball player was using steroids. The rampant use of these drugs by the players is not only spoiling the game but also sending wrong signals to our children. The challenge now lies with the Major League Baseball (MLB) of establishing measures to ensure that players are discouraged from using this dope.
In as much as MLB would like to forgive Rodriguez, There is a need for stern steps to be taken against as a warning to others. To begin with, he has insulted baseball fans and players for finally admitting his crime after denying it severally. Several steps can be taken against him to ensure that he pays for his mistakes. The video game industry needs to suspend him from participating in future baseball video games. Most of the kids who play these games eventually tend to imitate their paragons. By doing so, other players will learn that their popularity might be diminished by their indulgence in doping. Parents will also take the initiative of discussing with their children the consequences of using unsafe substances in attempting to improve their athleticism. For instance, a child who is fun of Rodriguez, on opening his or her baseball video game to find that his favorite player has been left out of the game would demand an explanation to this. On learning that it is due to his use of harmful drugs, the child would know the adverse effects of using these drugs and hence Shan from repeating the same. This will help in reducing incidences of our kids using steroids in the future as well as discouraging current players who might be deliberating on using the same (Perez star.com Par. 1&2).
It is wise to note that even if he is banned from playing baseball in the future; his accomplishments are relatively above the standards. He is considered as one of the ten supreme baseball players yet. Some of his cohorts might argue that his performance has been above average hence least improved by the use of steroids. They can also bicker that other baseball players have been victims of the same hence Rodriguez is not exceptional. But the fact remains that he has committed a crime tantamount to punishment. This qualifies him to be disqualified from the Baseball Hall of Fame. If people who have not committed major crimes as his can be left out of the Hall, why should he be permitted? By allowing him into the Hall it would emerge that the management is partial in implementing its penalties. His celebrity might lead to the management being compassionate in executing their punishment but this would raise the question of why spare people who have committed major offenses and punish those who commit petty crimes such as gambling. It does not matter how Alex committed this offense. His confession proves that he has already done it and thus he deserves to pay for his mistakes. Letting him go unpunished would encourage more players to use the same (Bostwick 1&2).
By him using steroids, Rodriguez has ruined his image as well as tarnished the baseball image. But this does not qualify him to be banned forever. Many other players have been using the same drug. Banning him from the game would seem like discrimination. The responsibility ought not to be directed to the players but MLB. This is because they knew of the issue long before but made no effort to curtail it. In a system where a significant number of people operate against the stipulated rules in an attempt to improve their status, one does not blame the people but the management. People will always do all they can to see that they have advanced. Most of those asserting that Rodriguez should be banned forever have also engaged in some irregularities in one way or another along with their life. MLB allowed the use of steroids initially and should be blamed for what is happening today (Torgersen Par. 3& 4).
It would be unfair to ban Rodriguez from baseball forever as there are so many other players who have been using the same drugs throughout their life in the game, and there is no way of identifying them or quantifying the benefits they have accrued from using them.
Works cited
Bostwick, Bruce. “Should Alex Rodriguez be banned from the Hall of Fame?” 2009. Web.
Perez star.com. “Why Alex Rodriguez Should Be Banned From Baseball Video Games.”2009. Web.
Torgersen, Chris. “Should baseball players who have used steroids be considered for the Hall of Fame?” 2009. Web.