Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds: The Successes and Failures

Both Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds became icons of American sports, courtesy of their longball binges. But each one maintained a different persona, a different way of carrying themselves in the public eye.

One overcame endless adversity to become a legend; a humble guy who young kids could look up to. The other ruined himself through his selfishness; cheating to get by the man who emphasized class. He tarnished what would have been a great career in order to achieve a monumental one.

Hank Aaron was before my time, but his story is well known. The fact that he broke Babe Ruth's home run record is impressive enough, but the fact that he did so with racial tensions surrounding him is even more so. Hate mail and death threats were as routine as round trippers, but that didn't faze Aaron from not only breaking, but distancing himself from Ruth's record.

Many would have collapsed or just walked away rather than play under the pressure as Aaron did. He not only played, but played well, registering a .305 average for his career and helping the Milwaukee Braves win a World Series in 1957.

Hitting that record-breaking home run must have been the most satisfying and relieving thing Aaron had ever done. He had withstood the racism and mindless hate, and accomplished what no man had ever done before: hit 715 homers.

Today, Aaron is praised for his courage and skill; a man who used his abilities to the fullest and came away a winner. This is a story of great triumph and inspiration to all. But its polar opposite is far too close to home.

Barry Bonds and his story are much more familiar to me, as I have witnessed it firsthand. Bonds, desperate to be the best, took steroids in order to be so. The steroids worked, and he went on a rampage like no other. He hit 73 home runs in one season, and then went on to break Aaron's record.

Initially, people just saw this as a fantastic player really finding his power stroke. However, steroids quickly became suspect. After a time, it became apparent that Bonds had used them.

Shockwaves have been sent through the league due to Bonds' failure to comply with the rules. Bonds had always been a good player, but he was now unbelievable. Once his doping became known, the MLB lost a lot of credibility. Aaron had brought triumph, but Bonds brought dread.

At a time when we should have been celebrating a great moment for sports, all we could look at was Bonds' doping. He has further ruined himself by perjuring himself, and he is deservedly despised by most of the sports world.

Bonds failed to see the man Hank Aaron. If he had done so, he would have seen a great player and a great man. They go hand-in-hand, but Bonds seemed to miss the memo on this.

With these two records, we see one surrounded by success, and the other mired in failure. Aaron overcame the opposition on and off the field, while Bonds compromised integrity to steal some thunder from Aaron. You tell me who the winner is?