By Shawn Stewart

Do Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa or Roger Clemens deserve to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? This has been a debate for many years now. Some will argue that sports is all about numbers, statistics and results. While others will argue character should play a big role when making the decision. Cheating in sports can be defined as the deliberate breaking of rules in order to obtain an advantage over the other team or players. Cheating has been going on in sports for many years. Back in 1919 the Chicago Black Sox were asked to "throw" the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money. Eight players, including "Shoeless" Joe Jackson were banned from baseball for life. Pete Rose, one of the greatest hitters in baseball history was banned from baseball because he gambled on his team as a manager of the Cincinnati Reds in the mid 80's. Neither Joe Jackson or Pete Rose are currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame due to their choices that caused a stir in the sports world and are actually still debated today.  

Fast forward a few years to when steroids became very well known in the sports world even though it was not acceptable. Many MLB players decided to start using this illegal drug, however it might not have well talked about as "illegal" at the time, or maybe they were a little lenient on the testing side of it, but the point is, it was still considered cheating in the eyes of certain influencers in the sports world. Players like Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens became well known athletes in the baseball and sports world, especially in the late 80s’ and early 90s’.  Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record of 60 in 1927 when he hit 61 in 1961, on the last day of the regular season. That record held for 37 years until 1998, when the greatest home run battle of all time took place. This was a battle between Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs. Both hitters were chasing the record which had remained unbroken for almost 40 years. In fact both players broke the record in 1998, with McGwire finishing with 70 and Sosa was not far behind with 66. That record held for another three years, until Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants broke McGwire's record and finished with 73 home runs.  When Hank Aaron broke Bath Ruth's all time home run record in 1974, nobody thought the record would ever be broken again,  but in fact it was! Barry Bonds not only broke the single season home run record in 2001, he also broke the all time home run record in 2007. A record that still stands today, but should it actually stand?

All of these players were linked to the steroid era, and it seems they were not severely punished  for the decisions they made. Cheating is not acceptable, especially in sports. Joe Jackson and Pete Rose never took steroids, but cheated nonetheless. If Joe Jackson and Pete Rose don't belong in the Hall of Fame, then why do McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Rodriguez and Clemens continue to be in the discussion?  I know numbers and stats are important in sports, but don't you think these players need an asterisk by their name? Records are meant to be broken in sports, that is inevitable, but the cheaters of the sports world do not deserve the recognition or praise they continue to get, especially if they are not going to be a role model for our future generations. Some of the true heroes of baseball include Roger Maris, Bath Ruth and Hank Aaron. In my honest opinion, Roger Maris still holds the all time single season home run record, and Hank Aaron still holds the all time home run record,  but if McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Rodriguez and Clemens make it to Cooperstown, then I better see Rose's and Jackson's name on the wall right next to them!

You can follow Shawn on Twitter @ShawnSportsNut.