The greatest honor that can be bestowed upon an MLB player is induction into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is a place where recently retired players can see their names etched next to those of the greatest players of all time. This year’s inductees include pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine (who have 355 and 305 wins, respectively), designated hitter Frank Thomas (who hit 521 career home runs), and all-time great managers Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox, and Joe Torre. This list of inductees is undoubtedly impressive. However, in recent years, Hall of Fame voting has become more complicated because of one period of time in baseball’s history: The Steroid Era.

The Steroid Era peaked in the mid-90s, when many players used these performance-enhancing drugs to gain a competitive advantage over their fellow players. Players accused of using steroids in the past have included Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez. Several players have produced drug tests that confirm their use.  The players who used steroids have tainted the MLB and have contributed to the corruption and loss of traditional values in the MLB.

Although the Steroid Era has been declared to be a thing of the past, there are still players who continue to use steroids today. Despite the fact that steroid use was most prevalent the 90s, it is evident that the use of the steroids still negatively impacts today’s game. It has undoubtedly affected Hall of Fame voting.

Voters are very skeptical about any player who was active during the Steroid Era. Who used and who didn’t? Drug tests can obviously determine this to some extent, but how many players used steroids and were not caught? That is a question that will probably never be answered. For players such as Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio, who were never personally accused of using steroids, have not received election into the Hall of Fame, as a result of the speculation surrounding the era in which they played in. The Steroid Era has undeniably placed a blemish on the history of baseball. It has caused, and probably will cause, many players to not be elected to the Hall of Fame simply because of the fact that they played during that era.