The Baseball Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson announced this week that they will be launching a new program aimed at educating the youth about performance enhancing drugs particularly steroids. The program will be called BASE (Be A Superior Example) which will spearhead various outreach activities around the country in the next 18 months. This initiative is supported by the Taylor Hooton Foundation, an NGO that is also focused on eradicating steroid use in young athletes. Another partner of the HOF is the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.

Educating the Youth and Students

Idelson said that it is not just about educating students and youths on the dangers of using performance enhancing drugs but the program will also serve as a medium in educating the youth about American culture. “It is through the education programs that we are able to fulfill our mission of providing context to the issues that have faced our game, as a reflection of American history, throughout its history,” he said. Aside from this, the HOF president also added that the youth will be thought topics ranging from history and character education to math and science, through the lens of baseball.

The launching of BASE will motivate young athletes adhere to clean and healthy competition. “The BASE program provides educational content, as mission-based programming designed to influence the lives of young adults and promote the healthy elements of playing all sports the right way,” Idelson said. The initial plan of the HOF includes conducting a nationwide survey and holding a summit in Cooperstown about performance enhancing drugs. A national registry for people who will pledge commitments to shun steroids will be created.

Anti-Steroid Campaign will not Focus on HOF Candidates

Idelson clarified that the launch of the anti-steroid campaign is not to target Hall of Fame candidates who are accused or involved in the use of anabolic steroids. “It is not intended to cast a directive to voters about Hall of Fame-worthy candidates,” he said. Part of the Hall of Fame’s mission is to provide education and does not only give honor to baseball greats or displaying baseball memorabilia.

However, some baseball writers associate the new initiative to the current problems in HOF voting- the inclusion of steroid users in the ballot. Two steroid users who still failed to get majority of the votes are Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. McGwire is already on his 5th year while Palmeiro is on his 2nd but the two baseball legend can’t even get 25 percent of the votes. For the 2012 HOF, only Barry Larkin got the nod of the BWAA (Baseball Writer’s Association of America.)

More Steroid-tainted Players in the 2013 HOF

Steroid use is still a major issue for the voters because it is considered cheating. Most of them vowed not to vote nominees who have steroid tainted records. Those players who are suspected of using steroids during their baseball career are also affected. In the 2013 HOF ballot, the names of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa will compete with those clean players for a Cooperstown slot. However, it will be hard for these three legends to get majority of the votes because of their involvement in the use of steroids and human growth hormone.

The HOF president is optimistic that the voters will not be affected or influenced by the new program. “We believe in allowing voters to use their own value judgment,” he said. But his statement Wednesday still highlights the voting guidelines. “Hall of Fame voting has been a part of this nation’s fabric since 1936, and has touted the virtues of character, sportsmanship and integrity, along with the contributions to the game, as integral qualifications for earning election,” he added. Steroid tainted players receives a failing mark on these basic requirements-character and integrity.

On the other hand, the BASE will definitely help young athletes understand the pros and cons of using anabolic steroids and other PED’s. Let’s just hope that the new generation of baseball players will not rely on performance boosters but on their own skills.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS