By Will Stadler
A cause for conflict arose in William Peace University’s baseball team when Barry Bonds was left off Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame ballot once again this January.
Barry Bonds was a professional baseball player from 1986 to 2007. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants. According to Baseball Reference, Bonds made the all-star game 14 times and was voted as the league’s most valuable player seven times.
Peace baseball senior Kameron Ballance argues that the Hall of Fame ban placed on Barry Bonds is unnecessary and the league should change the ruling as soon as possible.
“I believe he should be allowed into the Hall of Fame,” said Ballance. “Everyone else in that era was doing steroids, it shouldn’t be held against him.”
Many agree with Ballance’s perspective, arguing that Barry Bonds was just the unlucky one from that era who was selected for the drug test.
Although Barry Bonds is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, he is not currently a member of Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Bonds tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) on two separate occasions between the 2000 and 2001 seasons, sparking a lifetime ban from the hall.
The topic of Bonds being banned is widely debated in the baseball community. Players like Ballance argue that Bonds should be allowed into the Hall of Fame because performance-enhancing drugs don’t teach you how to hit a baseball.
Baseball historians have broken up the history of baseball into several “eras.” The “era” that Bonds played (1988-2006) is actually referred to as the “steroid era.” Major League Baseball had to implement league-wide PED testing in the late 90’s because of heavy usage.
While many baseball players agree with Ballance, others deny the “even playing field” argument” even though Bonds wasn’t the only one to use.
Senior Peace baseball player Nick Tyler presents the other side of the argument, saying that Bonds cheated and is rightfully banned from the league’s greatest honor.
“I look at it from a very rule-driven perspective,” said Tyler. “I understand that he hit over 700 home runs but those steroids helped him hit a large chunk of them.”
Tyler believes that no matter how naturally talented Bonds was, he still cheated.
“Think about it this way, criminals can’t ever run for office,” said Tyler.
Tyler believes that no matter the justification, those positive tests will always be on Bonds’ record, meaning he should never be placed on the Hall of Fame ballot.
“When you put stuff into your body to be able to hit the ball 100 feet further, you shouldn’t be allowed into the Hall of Fame,” said Peace baseball head coach, Charlie Long.
Steroids had been banned by the league for 10 years before Bonds tested positive twice for the illegal drugs. Reports state that Bonds had his first failed drug test months before he broke the single-season home run record for hitting 71 home runs in 2001.
“He was a completely different player after steroids,” said Coach Long, who witnessed Bonds’ entire playing career.
Regardless of viewpoint, Bonds’ positive tests came after steroids were deemed illegal and the home run leader has been banned from the Hall of Fame for life.