Poll: Fans Say Most Baseball Players Clean

But Suspicions Of Drug Use Higher Than A Few Years Ago, Particularly Among Young People

(CBS)  The 2008 Major League Baseball season opens in parks across America after a winter when the sport's steroids issue once again grabbed headlines. Many fans do not believe that the use of performance-enhancing substances dominates the game, but more suspect player involvement today than did a few years ago, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.

Only 11 percent think most players use steroids. In 2002, 6 percent thought most players were using steroids. Today, another 23 percent of fans think half of players do. Most - 58 percent - think a quarter or only a few players do.

The number who thinks use is confined to just a few players has dropped, from 31 percent six years ago to 22 percent now.

Suspicions are by far the highest among younger fans: one in five fans under age 30, a generation that has mostly grown up with prominent baseball players suspected of steroid use, say most players are using them.

The steroid issue matters to fans: eight in ten care and most (53 percent) say they care a lot if players are using illegal substances.

However, although many younger fans suspect wider use, they also seem less fazed by it: just one-third care a lot, compared to majorities of fans in all other, older age groups, who do care a lot. Two-thirds of fans over 60 care a lot.

Compared to professional football, though, baseball fans think baseball has gotten rougher treatment about the steroids issue from the news media. Forty-five percent say baseball has been more scrutinized than the NFL. Many (26 percent) are not sure.

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Read The Full CBS News/NY Times Poll

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Two of the more prominent baseball players who have been accused (but not proved) to have used steroids are Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. Some have questioned whether those allegations will impact their Hall of Fame chances. Although Bonds has won more MVP awards than anyone in history, and Clemens has more Cy Young awards than anyone who's ever taken the mound, many fans say they should not get in the Hall when they're eligible.

Clemens does fare better than Bonds in this regard; 50 percent of fans think he should get in. Forty-four percent think Bonds should get in.

Many fans have often sought to punish those using substances, if it is proven. In a May 2007 CBS News/New York Times poll, half the fans thought that in general, any record broken under the use of steroids should be stricken from the books.

Overall, 46 percent of Americans are interested in the game right now - saying they are either very or somewhat interested in Major League Baseball down from early last season. In May 2007, as Barry Bonds was breaking the all-time home run record, 59 percent called themselves very or somewhat interested in the game.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is the game's most popular player - more fans volunteer him as their favorite than any other; he is named by 9 percent. Both men and women put him at the top. In second place is his teammate in the Yankees' infield, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, at 5 percent.

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,067 adults nationwide interviewed by telephone March 15-18, 2008. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. A small oversample of African Americans was also conducted for this poll, for a total of 122 interviews among this group. The results were then weighted in proportion to the racial composition of the adult population in the U.S. Census.

[guldifx]

%u201CUsurpation of Public Funds for the Enrichment of Select Entrepreneurs%u201D


If baseball players want to take steroids in order to enhance their performance and their audiences don%u2019t care it%u2019s no business of the congress%u2019s or mine. If baseball team owners can%u2019t afford the stadiums their players perform in and want the taxpayers to foot the bill the congress should definitely take an active interest.

In Arlington Texas the taxpayers got a 200 million dollar bill and surrendered more than 100 acres of public property to add 150 million dollars to the personal fortunes of the baseball team owners. In Washington DC the bill was over 600 million and the enhancement to owners fortunes has been more carefully concealed.

The congress should be more concerned about protecting tax revenue from baseball tax schemes then they are about how the entertainers prepare for their performanc

[incog-nito]

And the fans know this how? Did they conduct their own investigation?

[irliberal]

Clean, dirty, who cares? It''s baseball.

[jcr103]

Poll: Fans say most baseball player clean. Wait, this just in...Poll: baseball players say most fans are not very smart.

[tejasdemo]

Most players cheat. Fact.

[j0xujahc]

How can anyone believe there are honest players? With all the money to be made, there is enormous temptation to find a way to shine brighter than the next guy. If someone offered to pay me tens of millions; I would be greatly tempted to just "try it". Remember, they are human. If we want drug-free players we need to ban the use of drugs just as strongly as we banned gambling and game-fixing. Can anyone say "Black Sox"?

[honestabe8]

credibility returned to the game of baseball? it''s entertainment...what does it matter if they have taken steroids?

[cheddarboy82]

what a dumb article. how would the fans know if there clean or not ? idiots.....

[inventagod]

Fans have been wrong before...

[samrensho]

"Poll: Fans Say Most Baseball Players Clean"

Most sports fans have the IQ of a doorknob.

[cheddarboy82]

steroids are great and should be used by all the players. Media likes to force lies and false statements about the drugs and sadly most morons in america fall for them. There are plenty of doctors, you can even go online and see, that say the harmful effects of most steroids are not true. Unfortunetly congress and other idiots act like it''s crack or meth. The real problems don''t get addressed though, instead steroids are the problem, get real. I like the story in texas about the kid who committed suicide, the parents blamed his gear use. In reality what the media doesn''t tell the general public was that the kid also experimented with a ton of drugs from heroin to x. Lets get over the whole steroid thing, it''s getting old.

[kisskillme]

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[brianbwb-2009]

"Poll: Fans Say Most Baseball Players Clean"

Reality: Most fans are suckers about sports.

[anappleadae]

Pleeeeease... Baseball, Basketball, and Football are professional businesses/athletes. What the professional athletes and their business partners agree to belongs with their contractual arrangement. Making performance enhancing drugs illegal is just another reason the Judicial Industry to enhance it''s budget and spread it''s influence.

Please... no more tax dollars for meaningless enterprizes.

[feelfree1]

gce65,

Re: "Bush being booed"

Thanks for the heads-up. I was wondering about that.

I just watched the video, and sure enough, the sniveling, mass-murderous weasel got pretty thoroughly booed.

I have a new-found respect for professional baseball, or at least for some of the fans.

[excoachken]

The only way to evaluate Barry Bond''s potential for the Hall of Fame is to eliminate his Home Run record from the criteria. If he is a good enough player to deserve a spot based upon his other offensive abilities (batting average, stolen basis, hits), his defensive abilities (gold gloves), and other accomplishments (Pennant winning teams he played for, sportsmanship,etc) without taking his HRs into consideration, I say put him on your ballot.

[gce65]

This is probably why lots of people still think Roger Clemens didn''t shoot up steroids, even in the face of multiple people besides McNamee testifying he did.

"Baseball, apple pie," etc...except that you later find out the apples were rotten to the core.

Hey, any mention of BUSH BEING BOOED at the opening game last in Wa, DC last night when he threw out the first pitch? Great video of it on Youtube and even in the right wing Washington Times today.

Bush out in the real public is like a tuuuurd in a punchbowl!

[feelfree1]

Correction-

Should be:

"Sure, our economy, society, military, and dignity, are facing catastrophic collapse, but what is really important here is whether or not the fans of the most boring sport known to man, believe that the steroid riddled "athletes" are using steroids."

[cdfoxtrot]

"Poll: Fans Say Most Baseball Players Clean". Yeah, and how would "the fans" know?????

[feelfree1]

Sure, our economy, society, military, and dignity, are facing catastrophic collapse, but what is really important here is whether or not the fans of the most boring sport known to man, are using steroids.