Steroid users in the Baseball Hall of Fame. We already know that they are there, but we will not let more in if they are known. Why is that? There has been this huge dispute over whether known steroid users should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame or not. To be honest, there is a good argument for both sides here, but one side has to get the edge. A very big baseball player, named Joe Morgan, expressed his concerns regarding known steroid users in the baseball hall of fame. He is 100 percent against it happening. His reasons are that it is “not right,” “they take away from other players who did not use,” and “already established hall of famers with no longer come to Cooperstown.

First off, Joe Morgan’s first point is obvious, but there is no reasoning for it. Like obviously we know that it is not right to go against the rules. Nobody said it was right. But many people believe that known steroid users should still be in the Baseball Hall of Fame whether it is right or wrong. Joe Morgan stated “They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here. It’s not right.” Right there when he says “Steroid users don’t belong here” is right where you can stop him. That is because there are already cheaters in the hall of fame. Clearly they do belong there if there are already some of them in the hall of fame. Yes they may have cheated the rules along the way, but they did still accomplish what they did and it should be recognized. That is why the solution of putting an asterisk on a players name who did something wrong would be the best way to go.

Next, Joe Morgan’s second argument does seem to catch the eye and make someone think a lot about it. Morgan states, “By cheating, they put up huge numbers, and they made great players who didn’t cheat look smaller by comparison, taking away from their achievements and consideration for the Hall of Fame.” This is actually very true. There most likely are other players that are not in the Hall of Fame that would be if some other players did not cheat and use steroids. Obviously we can not say this for sure but the probability is very high. With that being said, it is still very hard to not put some crazy accomplishments in the hall of fame, such as Barry Bonds with his Home run Records. Like it was stated before, known steroid users should be in the hall of fame with an asterisk next to their name because there are already cheaters in the hall of fame. Some we know about and others we do not. Eventually there has to be a solution and this is the most fair way to do it. There is no perfect way.

Lastly, Joe Morgan makes the argument that some previously established hall of famers will no longer go to Cooperstown. Many of them believe it is unfair since they did not use steroids or cheat in any way. Joe Morgan says, “It’s gotten to the point where Hall of Famers are saying that if steroid users get in, they’ll no longer come to Cooperstown for Induction Ceremonies or other events.” For this all we can say is that they are missing out. Who would not want to be there for the induction of Barry Bonds or even Roger Clemens? It does not matter if it goes against your beliefs because that is such a historic moment that everyone would want to be there for. Arguably one of the most successful baseball players getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is something we do not want to miss.

Overall there are many points to both sides of why known steroid users should or should not be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It turns out the benefits of known steroid users being in the hall of fame just outweighs the costs in the end. Guys like Joe Morgan may say it is not fair, but it really is when you think about how many players that are already in the Baseball Hall of Fame have cheated and used steroids or other performance enhancers throughout their careers. It only makes sense to find a way to include the newer guys that may have fiddled with the rules.

References: Mather, Victor. “Joe Morgan: Keep Steroid Users Out of Baseball Hall of Fame.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Nov. 2017, http://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/sports/baseball/joe-morgan-hall-of-fame-steroids.html.