The Steroid Era

The Steroid Era, generally believed to have been from around the 1980s to the 2000s, was a period in Major League Baseball when some players would use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in order to boost their stats. Steroids were banned from the MLB in 1991, but there was barely any enforcement of this until 2003.

With an increasing number of players hitting over 40 home runs in a season, steroids became a more serious discussion by the end of the 1990s. A few players, such as Mark McGwire and Ken Caminiti, came clean about using steroids and estimated that there were plenty more players committing the same crime.

In 2001, the first randomized steroid testing was implemented in the minor leagues. Then in 2002, players and owners agreed to have anonymous drug testing begin in 2003, although there would be no punishment for testing positive. But after it was discovered that around 5-7% of tests done in 2003 were positive, the league decided to implement punishments and major leaguers began to be tested.

A first offense resulted in counseling while a second offense resulted in a 15-day suspension. At this point, many drugs were being banned by Congress and were being placed on baseball's banned list. By 2007, dozens of major league players had been suspended, a few went to prison, and the investigations continued.

In December 2007, George Mitchell, a lawyer, wrote the Mitchell Report. This report is known for naming 89 players who were connected in some way to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The most famous players mentioned were Jose Canseco (mentioned 105 times), Barry Bonds (mentioned 103 times), and Roger Clemens (mentioned 82 times).

The report ruined the careers and reputations of many of the players, and also raised controversy over Hall of Fame worthiness. The Steroid Era was a major setback in the integrity of baseball, but it may have been necessary to finally establish more effective steroid testing methods.

Sources:
https://theundefeated.com/features/ten-years-ago-the-mitchell-report-rocked-major-league-baseball/
https://www.denverpost.com/2007/12/13/a-timeline-of-steroids-in-baseball/
http://www.espn.com/mlb/topics/_/page/the-steroids-era