Does the MLB Have a Drug Problem?

By Frankie Wallace
Updated: June 29, 2019

Drug use has been on the rise in the U.S. for quite some time. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24.6 million Americans over the age of 12 had used some type of illicit drug as of 2013. That number has been on the rise for over a decade. While serious drugs like opioids and narcotics have become serious problems for the U.S. as a country, they have also created issues in the sports industry.

Drug abuse has occurred in almost every popular sport, from cycling to football. It’s easy to assume that drugs used by athletes are meant to increase their performance, but that isn’t always the case. Athletes in all different sports have been caught with opiates, alcohol, cannabis, and anabolic steroids.

All of these drugs fall under different classifications or “Schedules,” with Schedule 5 drugs having a low potential for abuse and Schedule 1 drugs having a high risk for abuse. Schedule 1 drugs are also typically considered extremely unsafe and have no medical use. In the MLB, drugs that fall in Schedule 1 or 2 are strictly prohibited.

Like most other major sports leagues, the MLB has put guidelines and rules in place to keep its players from abusing drugs. The league has even continued to make those rules tougher over the years, with a player facing an 80-game suspension for just their first drug testing violation. But are drugs really that much of a problem in the MLB? If so, what else is being done about it?

Striking Out With Cocaine

Cocaine and opioids are often popular drugs of choice with professional athletes. When it comes to cocaine, many professional athletes think it can enhance their performance and give them more energy. But research shows it actually can diminish endurance, on top of creating several other potential health risks like high blood pressure, tremors, and seizures. If a cocaine user is pushing their physical limits (like in a baseball game) the effects can be even worse, causing major cardiovascular issues that could potentially be fatal.

Cocaine has been a big problem in the MLB. The most notable height of cocaine use in the league was during the Pittsburgh Drug Trials of the 1980s. But, recent interviews within the league have suggested that many players still use the drug for a variety of reasons.

Players can’t seem to stay away, and the draw to drug use is nothing new. We can even look back to the 1960s and 1970s, where famed pitcher Denny McClain faced legal troubles for drug trafficking and cocaine use. More recently, players like Tommy Hanson and Jose Fernandez’s deaths were eventually linked to cocaine abuse. The drug causes more than just legal problems — it can be the end of a player’s career, or even their life.

The Opioid Epidemic

Opiates can start out innocently enough. Athletes often have to deal with injuries and pain, with shoulder injuries being especially common for baseball professionals. So, getting prescription drugs to deal with those problems doesn’t seem like it would be a problem. Unfortunately, opiates are highly addictive. If a prescription painkiller is supposed to be used for 30 days straight, it can make that risk of addiction even greater. When an athlete (or anyone, for that matter) starts to feel better when using them, they can start to abuse them in order to feel that “high” all the time.

Even young athletes are starting to be at a greater risk of addiction. Kids involved in organized sports are facing more pressure to perform, so more injuries tend to happen. As a result, things like surgery and painkillers are often the norm, which can push an addiction at a very young age.

Unfortunately, that can easily lead to other drug use, including heroin. For people under the age of 50 in the U.S., a heroin overdose is the leading cause of death.

Opioids can cause a slew of harmful symptoms, including:

Dizziness
Respiratory issues
Hearing loss
Vomiting
Sweating

Of course, overdosing on opiates can also be fatal. Most doctors agree that chronic pain needs to be treated more effectively. This is especially true for athletes who depend on staying healthy and in shape to win games. But, prescriptions like OxyContin and Vicodin may not be the best way to do it.

Alcohol in the MLB

It’s not just hard drugs and narcotics that have created problems in major league baseball.

Some of the most successful and famous players in the MLB have struggled with alcohol over the years. Doc Gooden — youngest player to ever win Rookie of the Year — struggled heavily with drug and alcohol abuse, eventually writing a book about it. Mickey Mantle, one of the most notable players of all time, had to have a liver transplant and eventually ended up dying of cancer that had been linked to years of alcohol abuse.

Baseball games help to create a type of “party” environment, and most stadiums around the country serve alcohol. But, the league itself has been a heavy promoter too. They include beer advertisements in their press conferences and even have associated drinking with “champions” on their official social media platforms. A culture shift within the league likely needs to happen in order for its own players to start taking the problems with alcohol seriously.

Can Drug Abuse in Professional Sports Be Stopped?

Drug abuse and “doping” is nothing new in professional sports — especially baseball. Pud Galvin is often known as the “Godfather of Juicing,” and he was a pitcher that publicly admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs all the way back in 1889.

Again, most major sports leagues have their own strict drug policies. As street drugs become more easily accessible throughout the country, those policies have also continued to become even more detailed. But it may be nearly impossible to stop drug abuse in the MLB completely.

Whether a player gets addicted because they were originally prescribed a painkiller or they seek out a street drug on their own, no one can be monitored 24/7. Relapse is a serious concern; in fact, a federal court determined that the risk of substance abuse relapse is a disability in and of itself. However, it’s up to these professional sports leagues to enforce as many rules, regulations, and random drug tests as needed to make sure their players stay safe.
Suspensions are becoming more prominent in both minor and major league baseball for players who have tested positive for drug use. When a player can’t be a part of the game, they’re losing money (and may be fined by the league on top of it). The hope is that even if a player isn’t concerned about their own health or the risks associated with drugs, they’ll stop abusing any type of substance because they want to keep their job and their income.