Zev Chafets argues on ESPN that steroid users should not be kept out of the Hall of Fame. His argument is that steroid users are no different than players of past generations, many of whom engaged in questionable activities off the field (consorting with gamblers, the Klan, and gangsters) and were “happy to use any substance they thought would give them an edge” on the field. As to the latter category, Chafets points to Hall of Famers of the past using non-anabolic steroids, amphetamines, monkey testosterone (hey, it was 1899), and other substances. He argues generally that we have to judge one generation against itself, not past generations. So Barry Bonds’s greatness, even if steroid-enhanced, must be measured against his contemporaries, many (most?) of whom also were using steroids.

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