Canseco, Steroids and the state of America’s pastime.

In 2007, 10 Major League Baseball teams saw more than 3 million fans click through the gates. The New York Yankees led attendance with more than 4 million for the year while 9 other clubs were well over the 3 million mark. The approximate overall attendance throughout Major League Baseball was 79 million people in 2007. I attended many games last year here in Seattle. I am not the biggest Mariner fan, I am just a baseball fan. I would attend any game, in any city.

Last year in September, The Washington Times reported that attendance has risen for four consecutive years. Meaning that despite the constant bombardment of steroid discussion and the use of performance enhancing drugs becoming a hot topic around the league, fans love this game and will continue to attend the games and support their teams. That is how I see it. This steroid business, from a fan standpoint, is just a fact about the game that is in the back of their minds. What I mean by that is, the people that pay money to attend the games, watch the games on television or buy merchandise that supports Major League Baseball are doing those things because they love the game. They understand that performance enhancing drugs have become an issue with the game however, most of the true fans don’t pay too much attention to it. They see it, accept it, and hope something is done to correct it- all while they are watching the game with a tasty beverage and a smile.

The Mitchell report. A 409-page report that identified 86 different players being linked to steroid use in baseball. The identification of the players came in all different degrees of involvement. George Mitchell released this report after months of behind-the-scenes investigation in December of 2007. Many of the names used in the Mitchell report are household names and future hall-of-famers.

Do you think the release of the Mitchell report will have any effect on the state of Major League Baseball as a whole? Attendance, TV ratings, merchandise sales, etc? I subscribe to many MLB blogs through RSS Feeds, and this topic seems to be on people’s minds. Let me point this out to you: We are one week into the 2008 baseball season. 19 of the 30 teams are averaging over 30,000 tickets sold per game so far this season. The NY Mets are averaging over 50,000 when they play at home. It seems to me that regardless of what Jose Canseco, The Mitchell Report or any of the National Media say or do that seem to put the game under the radar, the fans will continue to attend the games.

I would like to state that “The Mitchell Report” may seem to have put a dent in the reputation of many players however, I know that this report will have a positive impact for the future of the game and it’s players.

Jose Canseco, former Major League Baseball player and the face of steroid use in baseball, released a book in 2005 titled “Juice”. The book is autobiographical, focusing on his days as a Major League ballplayer, his family life and many off-the-field incidents. The heart and soul of the book deals with anabolic steroids and his personal experiences. In the book, he takes the credit for introducing steroids to baseball.

Recently, in his newest book “Vindicated”, which was released on opening day this year, Canseco spoke about Alex Rodriguez. Canseco said he educated Rodriguez about steroids and even introduced him to a known steroid pusher in the late 1990’s.

There is alot of speculation in all aspects of this steroid-era. One thing is perfectly clear though. Baseball is a great game. Baseball has great fans. Despite all that is happening outside of the game itself, the fans love this game and will continue to support it and continue to purchase peanuts and cracker jacks. That is America’s Pastime. Play Ball!