No sports blog would be complete without a healthy discussion regarding steroids. From strictly a business perspective, steroids tainted Major League Baseball and fans have to a large extent turned away from America’s pastime. Although recent record shattering moments should have increased baseball viewership substantially, the stain of the continuing steroid scandal makes viewership difficult for many fans.
The future does not look bright for the MLB. Earlier this year Alex Rodriguez, the man who almost saved baseball, admitted to using steroids during his stint with the Texas Rangers. The New York Yankees third baseman is on pace to beat the all-time home run record, a record unparalleled in its importance not only in the United States but worldwide. Had Alex Rodriguez played the game without steroids, he could have brought baseball back to its former glory.
But the truth remains that Alex Rodriguez along with too many others make a mockery out of the game every day. We live in a world in which arguably the all-time best hitter and pitcher, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, not only take steroids but are prosecuted by the government for their constant lies under oath.
Major League Baseball is quantitatively paying for its steroid transgressions. In 2008, Nielsen ratings reveal a consistent drop in television viewership all across the nation. This means less revenue for the MLB, teams, and eventually players. Not all players take steroids, not all teams encourage a culture in which playing well often means playing unfairly. However, the situation has gotten so out of hand that all of baseball must pay. Until professional baseball can clean up its act, consumers will continue to boycott its deceptive and deficient product, as they should.
For more information visit: http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2531:national-television-ratings-for-mlb-down-across-the-board-rsns-feel-hits-as-well&catid=57:television&Itemid=122
and
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/magazine/03/11/steroids1/1.html
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