How Steroids Saved Baseball

For over one hundred years baseball was America's pastime. Men, young and old, cherished spending a summer afternoon at the ballpark singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame while eating a delicious hot dog. It was baseball that kids chose to play in the afternoons after finishing their homework or during the summer when there was nothing else to do. Everyone played baseball. But in the summer of 1994, America's love affair with baseball ended and its place as America's pastime ceased.

With the work stoppage in August of 1994 and the eventual cancellation of the 1994 postseason and World Series, major league baseball suffered its most damaging blow. More than just the revenues associated with empty ballparks and concession stands, baseball lost the heartbeat of its game, the fans. It was a disheartening blow for a league that was experiencing increases in attendance and television viewership. Teams like the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees were setting attendance records and watching as their team apparel was selling at astronomical rates.

The 1994 strike hinged on the distrust between owners and players. With salaries increasing uncontrollably, some owners felt the playing field unfair and therefore uncompetitive. The players felt that the owners' attempts to correct this wrong had little benefit to and for the players. Led by acting commissioner, Bud Selig, the postseason was eventually cancelled and baseball faced an uncertain future. Over the next six months, things unraveled to the point that President Bill Clinton sought to intervene and baseball players sought relief through the court system.