Gobirds115’s Proposal

For my research essay, I will dive into a topic that has been a big issue in Major League Baseball for decades, PED/Steroid use. In the 1990’s/2000’s, It became noticeable around the league that some players were becoming these muscular freaks of nature. It became far more noticeable when they began shattering records due to their immense strength and constant availability. Eventually, the MLB caught on to the trend and in 1991 they banned the substances from being used and in 2003 they started mandatory testing. With these rules in place, the truth of course came out and a lot of peoples perspective of guilty players changed. While I do agree with the MLB did to stop the obvious abuse of PED’s/steroids, I do believe that there is still a place for these substances to be used in a logical/practical way in baseball.

Major League Baseball plays the most games at the highest frequency rate of any American professional sport. The game also requires muscle groups to perform in ways that they never usually perform in any other sport. Therefore, injuries are bound to happen, and more strenuous injuries to the obliques, elbows, and hamstrings happen as a result of the strange, quick, and jerky motions used in baseball. Because these injuries are so serious/strenuous, most players who still get caught using PED’s get caught when coming back off the IR in efforts to expedite their rehab and prevent re-injury. Based on my research, I believe that if PED’s were used but regulated by a specific staff that these injuries that put players out for months would occur less and would be easier to recover from.

Gobirds115’s Sources

6 Benefits of Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Background: This article discusses the benefits of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy). Not only does it discuss the physical benefits that it provides but it also improves brain functions like memory and mood.

How I Intend to use it: I intend to use this source as an introduction to performance enhancements in my paper. I believe that TRT is a useful alternative to steroids because it’s something that already is in the players. I believe that monitoring Testosterone levels of the players, setting a league wide level for testosterone and using TRT to level players could be a way to increase muscle function and improve player health.

Should We Accept Steroid Use in Sports?

Background: This article includes 6 experts on steroids and their opinions on whether or not they should be allowed in sports. The decision was split 3 for and 3 against. The 3 for steroid use in sports use reasoning that people should have control over what they choose to put in their bodies, sports itself are dangerous which make steroids a tool for safety, and that steroids only help players be the best they can be. The 3 against steroids argue that it could have long lasting health effects and influence young kids into taking these drugs because their role models are.

How I Intend to use it: I intend use this source as professional opinions/backup to my argument in favor of steroids being involved in sports. The part I intend on focusing on is the aspect that people are prescribed all kinds of drugs to help with all different kinds of ailments so it shouldn’t be treated differently when athletes are in need of help for specific ailments.

Epidemiology and Impact of Abdominal Oblique Injuries in Major and Minor League Baseball

Background: This article is full of research and statistics on oblique/abdominal injuries in professional baseball. The article goes in depth on different types of injuries, different methods of treatments, recovery times, and lots of useful information on the obliques/abdominal functions.

How I Intend to use it: The statistics in this article show that oblique/intercostal/abdominal injuries are the leading injuries for missed time. They also show that in the some methods of rehab/recovery, injections are used but the effectiveness isn’t very prominent. However, they stress that core and trunk strengthening works in prevention of these injuries. So using this information I’d position the argument that regulated and proper use of PED’s/steroids would serve as a tool to help strengthen the core/trunk at a higher rate and also serve as a rehab tool to speed up recovery.**I will find another source that on effective PED’s for core/trunks to buddy with this one, just haven’t gotten there yet**

*UPDATE 3/7*

I was able to use the statistics in from this source to provide statistics on oblique injuries which allowed me to make claims and reason based on the statistics provided in this source.

Recurrent hamstring muscle injury: applying the limited evidence in the professional football setting with a seven-point programme

Background: This article discusses different types of hamstring injuries suffered particularly in football. The emphasis of the article is on the different methods of rehab and treatments for hamstring injuries. Some methods they mention are physical therapy/strengthening, biomechanics assessment, injections, etc.

How I Intend to use it: There is a small part in this article that mentions the effectiveness of epidural steroids for Hamstring injuries and lumbar spinal injuries. This part of the article mentions the almost immediate effectiveness of the epidural steroid following the injection. This would be worth mentioning in my paper, maybe not a huge source to focus on but definitely something worth touching on because it supports my argument of a steroid being used for healing.

Androgenic anabolic steroid-induced liver injury: two case reports assessed for causality by the updated Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM) score and a comprehensive review of the literature

Background: This article examines multiple different people who have or reportedly used Androgenic Anabolic Steroids (AAS) and their current health status. They mainly focus on the effects of AAS on the liver. They claim that mis management of AAS can lead to drug induced liver injury (DILI). There is plenty of research and statistics within their article to back this up.

How I Intend to use it: I intend to use this article as a counter argument to what I’m proposing. I have to address the possible threats that certain types of PED’s like AAS can pose and show awareness. In doing this, it allows my proposal to be more justified due to the fact that I’m addressing potential concern while still conveying my argument.

**BELOW ARE THE NEW SOURCES I USED/WILL USE IN THE DEFINITION/CATEGORICAL PAPER AND CAUSAL PAPER**

“MLB steroid suspensions (2005-2022).”

Background: This source has a list of every player suspended from PED’s since the year 2005.

How I used it: I used the statistics given in this source to give insight to my readers on how many suspensions occur because of PED’s and how many games are missed. I also used them as for facts to help create a claim and reasoning.

“What is Clostebol? the steroid Fernando Tatis Jr. took by accident and got him suspended“

Background: This article was written after Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. tested positive for clostebol. Tatis claims he took the drug because his physician prescribed it to him to treat ringworm and that he had no intention of using it to enhance his performance. Tatis served an 80 game suspension as a result of his test.

How I used it: I used Tatis’ case as an example as to why the rules should change regarding banned substances and built an argument around it which included a solution to the problem of banned substance abuse/misuse.

“Major League Baseball’s Minor League Drug Prevention And Treatment Program.“

Background: This is just a list of every banned substance in MLB and each category of banned substances.

How I used it: I used this in my definition paper to set the parameters and define what I would be arguing.

Current State of the Research Paper

I think that so far, I have some decent framework to construct this paper. I believe the 5 sources I’ve chosen so far make some good points and further down the road as I tie in some more sources, specifically sources about different aspects, my paper will begin to shape up quite nicely. What I’m hoping for eventually with this paper is to really tie together the scientific and logical reasons to allow some sort of regulated version of PED’s back into baseball along with how it will effect the culture around baseball.

*UPDATE 3/7*

I finished the definition/categorical installment of the research paper. I feel that I did well on the definition part but may have misinterpreted the categorical part. I didn’t use many of these sources as most of them didn’t quite pertain to what I was defining or fit in to the topics I was diving into. However I was able to find more sources that better served this paper.