Baseball grew into America’s favourite pastime during an era in the early 1900s where ethical standards were much less rigid than they are today, both in society and sport. During baseball’s golden age the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) ran rampant, while an athlete’s personal life was separated from his baseball career entirely. Things have changed since then, both in America and elsewhere, as ethical standards have become more rigid and athletes have garnered more responsibility as role models in our culture. Major League Baseball, on the other hand, has failed to adapt with the times.
In the United States, MLB has been passed in popularity by the surging, well-run NBA and the seemingly-never-going-away-no-matter-how-poorly-run-it-is NFL.