How does it work when there are G.O.A.Ts by all counts in a sport, but their efforts don’t get recognised on account of controversies, misunderstandings or just mistakes? Can you separate the athlete from the misstep? By all reasonable counts, one should be able to, to still honour the dedication and passion that was put into the sport, thereby also honouring the sport; however, in the case of Baseball’s very own G.O.A.Ts, Barry Bonds, the Baseball Hall of Fame was not able to look past this hero’s errors.
And hero, he was, for the world of Baseball, as during his career, Barry Bonds holds the MLB’s all-time home run record at 762, which is certainly something worth recognizing, aside from the fact that he is the only player in MLB history to have more than 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases, he also earned eight golden gloves in the left field, so what is it that is keeping Barry Bonds out of the Hall of Fame. Well, an old case on steroid use, that despite him having won, lives on in controversy more than it does verdict.
The steroid controversy and its impact on Bonds’ candidacy
It all started with Barry Bonds’ trainer, Greg Anderson, who ended up being at the centre of one of the largest doping controversies in the history of sports. Around 2003, Greg Anderson put Bonds in touch with BALCO, Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, a company that Bonds initially admitted to being in touch with. Bonds came under scrutiny for using a performance-enhancing drug termed,’ the cream’ that was being distributed by BALCO.
Credit: sportsnet.ca.
What’s worse is that when Bonds was tried for the doping scandal in 2007, he allegedly lied to the grand jury about using the cream unknowingly. This perjury came under much more scrutiny than the drug use, and Bonds was initially convicted of an obstruction of justice in 2011; however, in 2015, all the charges were overturned, exonerating Bonds completely. Still, the scandal follows him.
When did Barry Bonds start taking steroids?
Because Bonds lied to the grand jury a lot of guess work has had to go into determining when his journey with steroid use began, but many believe it dates back to the 1989-1999 off season, when Bonds was 34 and fans noticed a significant change in his overall physique, with him looking almost instantly more built and muscular.
According to the investigative journalists Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, who wrote the book Game of Shadows that details Bonds’ drug use, Bonds was, at the age of 34 and despite being a 3 time National League MVP, feeling overshadowed by competitors like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, who were eventually linked to steroid use themselves. In a last-ditch effort to prove his supremacy, Bonds got in touch with the trainer Greg Anderson, someone who would play a pivotal part in his life over many years to come.
How did Bonds perform in Hall of Fame voting?
In the ten years that Barry Bonds remained on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot list for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, he never secured the 75% of the votes necessary to get inducted. So, despite being the all-time home run leader, his legacy was overshadowed by the BALCO scandal. Further, things got awkward in 2022 when Bonds was placed on the Contemporary Era ballot but received fewer than 5 out of 16 votes, which was far below the necessary percentage to get inducted.
June 28, 2016: Miami Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds (25) during MLB Baseball Herren USA game action between the Miami Marlins and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Marlins 7-5. MLB 2016: Marlins vs Tigers JUN 28 – ZUMAc04_
Regardless, Bonds has been inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame, therefore being forever commemorated in the franchise. This is only fair as well, considering Bonds was a big part of the team during the three straight National League East titles from 1990 to 1992, a period that saw Bonds also winning the first two of his seven MVP titles.
Could Barry Bonds ever get inducted in the future?
The dawn of 2025 puts a new spin on Bonds’ hopes of ever getting into Cooperstown. Though Bonds famously said after receiving his title in Pittsburgh, of the Cooperstown snub, “I don’t have to worry about those things anymore in my life. Those hopes, I don’t have them anymore” some may still hold to the hope that this man will be honoured, now, however, those few remaining slivers of hope have also died. As per a 2025 ruling, the Hall of Fame has made it even harder for people to become inductees, stating that: any candidate receiving fewer than five votes must sit out the next three-year cycle, and if that repeats, they become permanently ineligible for consideration.
This obviously doesn’t look great for Bond, who hasn’t yet managed to charm the voting committee into letting his past go, well, he wasn’t really successful in charming the grand jury at his first trial either, so this isn’t too surprising.
Regardless, it does feel like a let down, to know that Bonds was not able to be commemorated on this grand platform for his incredible feats and to know that if he doesn’t manage to win over the series soon enough, then by the time 2031 hits, he may be ineligible forever.
Bildnummer: 01803780 Datum: 29.05.1991 Copyright: imago/Icon SMI
Batter Barry Bonds (Pittsburgh Pirates) im Dugout – PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY (Icon50620203); Vneg, quer, Hitter, Schlagmann, sitzen MLB 1991, Major League Aufnahmedatum geschätzt Baseball Herren Mannschaft USA Einzelbild pessimistisch Randmotiv Personen
This being said, there are other players who have been accused of far worse crimes, such as domestic abusers, steroid users, cheaters, and racist who have been inducted to the Hall of Fame, which makes the issue with Barry Bond sting a bit more. Further, there were no explicit rules at the time Bonds played MLB, so the fact that he was tried for something that didn’t exist in his era of playing is unfathomable.
Of this, Bonds said, “Major League Baseball, and let’s get this clearly and straight, had a rule and has rules. Okay, whether they were broken or not broken, there were rules… My era there was no rules.” Continuing, he added, “Major League Baseball said if you did ‘x’ you were suspended for ‘x’… that means [the athlete] missed time in baseball, he was punished for that, his numbers still are the same. For based on what he has accomplished that does not prevent him from… getting into the Hall of Fame.” That being said, there is time yet for members of the Hall of Fame committee to rethink which side of history they want to stand on when it comes to the issue of Barry Bonds. We just have to wait and watch.
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