According to Don Hooton, chairperson of the foundation and father of the late Taylor Hooton, Mark McGwire is the best man to talk about and spread the word against steroids, its abuse and negative effects.

McGwire’s popularity among kids as well as his persona is an advantage for him as speaker about performance-enhancing drugs. Being back in the spotlight is a great way for him to start getting his message across especially to teens and young students.

Ever since retreating to a more private life after his retirement from Major League baseball, McGwire has been busy with his own foundation. He promised that his foundation would spread the message against steroids and its ill effects to its users.

Several months after the controversial congressional hearings on steroids, Don Hooton received an envelope containing a check from Mark McGwire’s foundation.

The Taylor Hooton Foundation was named after Don Hooton’s son, a high school baseball player who died after committing suicide. It was believed that the reason for his suicide was due to depression, a side effect brought about by his use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

For the past three years, the Taylor Hooton Foundation has been receiving “substantial” amount of donations from Mark McGwire’s foundation, which his representatives, requested that the amounts be kept private.

From St. Louis Today:

Within a few months of the congressional hearings that have come to define baseball’s steroid era, Don Hooton, who testified at the hearings and is the father of a steroid-user who had committed suicide, received a nondescript envelope in the mail.

Tags:  Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, Steroids, Taylor Hooton Foundation

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One baseball fan, Lucas Swineford requested hundreds of other baseball fanatics to protest against steroid. His urge to boycott the April 17 games is due to his dismay when New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez admitted to the public that he used to take steroids. Swineford get disappointed to the fact that steroid is still an on going issue in baseball. During an ESPN interview of Alex Rodriguez, claimed that he was pressured to use steroids to maintain his million-dollar baseball career.

Lucas Swineford, founder of the Baseball Fans Give Back, appealed to the fans of Major League Baseball to donate at least half of the MLB ticket price to charity, and spend three hours of volunteer work instead of watching a game on that date. Lucas said that what he did was not a negative move; it’s a protest against steroid. He just wanted to encourage everyone to devote at least a day doing humanitarian efforts.

From NJ.com:

Swineford, who works in the IT department at Yale University and now resides in Easton, Conn., said he created Baseball Fans Give Back because he was disgusted by Yankee All-Star Alex Rodriguez’s admission during an interview on ESPN that he once used steroids.

“As a big baseball fan - I’m a Mets fan - I was frustrated and disappointed with the steroids issue that’s been going on in baseball,” Swineford said.

Lucas Swineford chose April 17 in honor of the late Roberto Clemente of Pittsburg Pirates. Clemente died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972 when he was on his way to Nicaragua to bring help to the earthquake victims. Lucas said the he has always honored Roberto Clemente for his charitable works.

According to Lucas, bad athletes should not spoil the reputation of the whole group because athletes can serve as good influence to children.

Tags:  Alex Rodriguez, baseball, Major League Baseball, steroid

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions