(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Steroids have been a cause for concern in the baseball world for the past decade.

Thinking about all the great names that have been mentioned in the Mitchell Report such as Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Mark Mcgwire, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and many more, it puts a significant dent in the sport itself. With the increasing popularity of steroids being distributed among baseball players in the Major and Minor Leagues, no one knows what to expect.

There is no doubt about it that the use of steroids in Major League Baseball have tainted the sport. Just think about all the questions that will remain unanswered specifically because of steroids.

Questions that come to my mind are: Would Barry Bonds still be the all-time homerun leader if he didn’t take steroids? Would the Giants have even gone to the World Series in 2002 if Barry Bonds didn’t take steroids? Would Alex Rodriguez have 583 career homeruns without the help of steroids? Who else could have 500+ career homeruns by taking steroids? All of these questions can go into a deep analysis, but the truth behind the matter is that they will never be answered.

With that being said, another argument can be brought up. Should steroid users be allowed in the Hall of Fame?

To me, the answer is a simple no. If someone is caught cheating, there is no way their names should be next to the greatest of all-time. Barry Bonds will not have his named erased off the top of the homerun leader list, but he can still be rejected from the Hall of Fame.

The world of baseball views steroids as cheating, therefore a player who cheats by using illegal substances wouldn’t fit properly in the Hall of Fame next to players like Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, etc., who had tremendous careers without any help from drugs. Maybe the question should be, "Do steroid users DESERVE to be in the Hall of Fame."

Different fans might have different opinions on the issue, but in reality, steroids have changed the game of baseball and steroid users don't belong in the Hall of Fame. Of course, Dodger fans have no problem letting Barry Bonds know he is a cheater, but why does Manny Ramirez, who also got caught cheating, get a standing ovation in his first game back from a 50-game suspension?

It's all the questions that surround the whole steroid scandal in sports that truly change the game in the eyes of the fans, past players, managers, general managers, club owners, etc.

If no one took steroids, the game would be so much different than it is today and there would be numerous different outcomes in games and history.

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