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This chapter examines the congressional hearings conducted on March 17, 2005, to probe drug use in Major League Baseball (MLB). On March 17, 2005, the Steroid Era crisis hit critical mass as a handful of players sat before the House Government Reform Committee to answer questions about drug use in professional baseball, among them Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling, Jose Canseco, and Frank Thomas. Conspicuously absent was Barry Bonds, the man who had by then become the Steroid Era's public enemy number one. At the time, Bonds was the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO). The committee wanted to know if McGwire indeed used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, who else in the league used them, and when the use of such drugs began. This chapter considers what the hearings accomplished and the drug scandal involving BALCO.

This epilogue reflects on the history of drug and alcohol abuse in baseball, first by recounting the story of Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez. Known as A-Rod, Rodriguez has become the most recognizable face in baseball with regards to the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)—possibly in all of sports. In the wake of the Mitchell Report findings, Rodriguez adamantly proclaimed his innocence when he was connected with PED use, later admitted that he lied about his past drug abuses, and then doubled down on the denials when indicted yet again, this time for transgressions related to the 2013 doping scandal involving Biogenesis of America. On January 11, 2014, Rodriguez, after a lengthy period of arbitration, was formally suspended for 162 games—at that point the longest non-lifetime suspension in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. This epilogue considers some of the reasons why people are so bothered by the use of PEDs in baseball and suggests that drug use in baseball could be ascribed as a direct corollary to the American obsession with winning.

This book charts the history of drug and alcohol use in Major League Baseball (MLB). It aims to recover the story of baseball and drugs from the tyranny of baseball mythology by analyzing the perceived problem of drug use, with particular emphasis on illegal recreational and performance-enhancing drugs, in MLB. It examines how the drug testing movement, for two decades the persona non grata of professional baseball, surged to the forefront of Major League thought following the congressional hearings of 2005, culminating in the 2006 establishment of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The new testing protocols were buoyed by the findings of the Mitchell Report, which explicitly warned against retroactive punishment—the league could not slash and burn its way to integrity by torching past transgressions—and instead focused on the need for diligence in the future.

This chapter explores how Barry Bonds became one of the most hated athletes in baseball history. It traces the fans’ contempt for Bonds during his first years in baseball in 1985, as they got the impression that he was cocky, noting that he rarely acknowledged his teammates and he was vocal about his talents. It explains that Bonds’ reputation plummeted when he became involved with the performance-enhancing drugs scandal that plagued Major League Baseball. It adds that his reputation did not recover even after beating the all-time record for having the most home runs in baseball in 2007, as his team, San Francisco Giants, did not renew his contract even after achieving such a feat.

This chapter explores the elevation of Sammy Sosa’s and Mark McGwire’s reputations during the 1998 Major League Baseball season and the subsequent decline of their image as sports legends. It notes that during the 1998 season, the two athletes were locked in a chase to break the record of 61 home runs in a single season by Roger Maris. It explains that the two athletes’ involvement in the performance-enhancing drug use scandal damaged their reputations and somehow caused them to lose their voice, as they seldom appeared in interviews or gave statements, with Sosa even hiring an interpreter to express his sentiments during the heyday of the scandal.

This chapter explores the female track and field athlete Marion Jones’ fall from grace. Once seen as the country’s dream girl, Marion Jones’ involvement with performance-enhancing drugs caused her to lose her reputation as an athlete. It notes that Marion Jones’ fall also was a milestone for all female athletes: her fall from grace was taken equally without aggravation or mitigation for being a woman.

Human fascination with performance in large part stems from an obsession over humans’ own athletic abilities, as well as over human limitations. When viewing a hummingbird zip around the yard or a cat perform incredible maneuvers around the house, humans continually marvel at the abilities of nonhuman animals. However, countless people tune in to the Olympics or other athletics events to marvel at the remarkable achievements of human athletes. This chapter first examines how human athletic performance is shaped through morphology, training, or other means, such as performance-enhancing drugs like steroids. It then goes on to compare humans to nonhuman animals in this regard.