Mark McGwire
If you were around and even remotely followed baseball during the 80’s and 90’s, you had to have heard of Mark McGwire. One half of the 1987 Oakland Athletics’ Bash Brothers, and future single season home run king, McGwire slugged his way into the hearts of Americans everywhere. The 1998 race to break the home run record—between himself, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr.—is widely credited to have saved the sport.
It wasn’t necessarily a shock that he was taking steroids, he was seemingly ageless: able to smack long balls further than sluggers many years his junior. Yet, when he came clean about his use–on that fateful day in January, 2010–it was still disheartening. St. Louis’ fans had suspended all disbelief, and faithfully believed that his talent was all natural. However, he stated that he took the ‘roids for health reason, which seems pretty far fetched.