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The Black Sox Scandal vs Steroids: Which Was a Bigger Baseball Sin?

On the one hand, you have the throwing of the 1919 World Series by eight players, which acts negatively and selfishly toward the team, fans, and everyone surrounding baseball.

However, although the thought process of steroids could be to support one's team, in most cases it's just as selfish and used by ego-maniacs in search of personal glory.

On the other side of things, the White Sox were throwing a World Series for a bigger cause; to revolt against a cheap owner in the form of Charles Comiskey.

Regarding steroids, there was no real bigger cause.

Although you can argue the cause was to help a team win, the counter argument would be that the big name steroid users didn't really win, minus Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco (Canseco only played 67 games the year the Athletics won) in 1989, arguably Roger Clemen's and Andy Pettitte's championships in 1999 and 2000 with the Yankees (they actually weren't that great in those seasons), and Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz in 2004 and perhaps 2007.

Yes, they won MVP awards, Cy Young awards, and other statues, but most baseball enthusiasts sleep better at night knowing, in most cases, they didn't get to spray the World Series champagne. It is questionable the times they did win, whether their performances were the reason the team won or if they were enhanced at all (except seemingly Ortiz and Ramirez for the Red Sox).

Steroids seem to be for one's personal gain whereas, while completely negative toward an entire fan base, the Black Sox scandal at least had some meaning and ironically a far worse punishment.

Let's investigate.

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