Steroids…the word meant nothing to the youth of 1996 when Ken Caminiti became the National League MVP. Ken Caminiti later admitted to taking anabolic steroids during his MVP year and very quickly became the first baseball player to have his confession released to the media. He died at the age of 41 from a heart attack. Steroids…the word, now, is effecting the youth of today in multiple ways. Kids have given their loyalty to the opposite team and sworn to never root for a certain player again. I believe that names such as Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettite, Alex Rodriguez, and Manny Ramirez, all accused and or convicted of taking steroids, have crushed many kids’ perception of their baseball heroes and have ruined their love for the game, it sure has for me. This is ridiculous! I mean, now every time a player hits a homer, people say, “oh, he’s on steroids”. Steroids are illegal in baseball and are dangerous to your body and so why do players take them? Is it to recover from an injury or to strike out an opponent? But that is cheating, right? The multiple steroid issues in baseball today are causing most of the youth in the country to lose faith in their ballclub, the players, and the game itself. But unfortunately some teens feel that if their role model is taking steroids to improve their athletic ability, then so can them. As professional sports players continue to use steroids, high school kids around the country do too. In 2005, there were nine Dallas, Texas high school football players that admitted to taking steroids in order to bulk up, which soon caused Texas officials to begin drug testing the students, like in professional sports. That 2005 incident wasn’t the first or the last case of steroids being taken by high school kids. It’s a real shame to this country to see the youth of today follow the bad example set by their role model. Professional athletes have not spoken publicly about the dangerous effects steroids have on one’s body, especially one that is not yet fully developed? Steroids only create cheaters in sports and turn a national pastime into national disgrace. Professional athletes should act on their responsibilities to the many kids who look up to them and discourage the use of steroids in sports.