Despite my obvious differences in opinion with Jose Canseco, I found some areas in which I can understand him in the next section of his book, Juiced. In chapter eighteen, Canseco highlights the summer of 1998 in the MLB. Both Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were chasing for the home run single season record. Canseco already mentioned the fact McGwire heavily used steroids previously in his book. Canseco also says how Sosa most likely used the drug as well. The two players did not receive much suspicion during the historical season and they brought the game of baseball back to life in America. McGwire ended up breaking the single season home run record with a grand total of seventy home runs. At the end of the chapter, Canseco describes how McGwire cleverly planted androstenedione in his locker to divert attention away from the fact he was actually on steroids.
In chapter nineteen, Canseco describes a difficult time in his life when he was forced to leave the game of baseball. As steroid suspicion grew, the league felt that they needed to make a statement to the rest of the players by getting rid of "the godfather of steroids," in Jose Canseco. Canseco describes how he was unfairly treated as numerous players were on steroids clearly and were showing this case in public. Canseco describes how common steroid use would be and how trainers and most owners knew about the drug use. Canseco also describes the fact that steroids did not give him the health problems he faced after his career. The health problems were never due to his steroid use and according to him, the steroids actually improved his overall health. At the end of the chapter, Canseco describes Barry Bond's massive transformation to break the home run single season record. People knew he was on steroids but did not know if he was taking them on purpose or not. Canseco describes how he believed Bond's steroid use was perfectly fine and should not have been seen as a scandal.
In chapter twenty, Canseco describes the benefits he saw in steroid use. Canseco stated that he believes steroid use improves and sustains life if used properly. He states how people have the opposite oppinion on believeing steroid use destroys a person's health. He describes at the end of the chapter how steroid abuse only happens with athletes of a different sport, such as power lifting. He notes at the end of the chapter that a person must be careful with steroids and can improve his or her health with correct usage.
After reading this section of Juiced, I found an area in which I can agree and understand Canseco. I believe he was unfairly kicked out of baseball because of the countless other people using steroids that were still in the league. True, Canseco helped to bring steroids into the game of baseball and educate people about the drug, but he never truly forced a person to take steroids. People were taking the drug in obvious places, such as the locker room. I think Canseco could really do nothing about the obvious steroid use around him. I also believe that the league should have kicked out all known steroid users if they decided to kick out Canseco. In addition, I had to disagree with Canseco when he described the health benefits of steroids. Personally, I can see a healthier lifestyle without steroids than someone who is using steroids for gains in athletics. In conclusion, I believe Canseco's circumstances were strange, but I believe steroids are not beneficial to a person's health as he would like to claim.
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