Everyday another story surfaces regarding the Mitchell Report and the athletes listed in it. Everyone knows drugs are wrong. Everyone knows the side effects of these drugs. Yet, as more and more drama unfolds surrounding baseball’s performance-enhancing drug scandal no one has bothered to examine why these players would take them in the first place.

In a recently released book, The Lucifer Effect, Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D. outlines the reasons why individuals can act against their morals perpetuating seemingly inexplicable acts. His trademark experiment involved taking normal college students and splitting them into two groups, guards and prisoners. A simple coin flip decided the roles but what transpired explains the dark side of human nature.

It took less than a week for the experiment to spiral out of control. The students quickly departed from their normal behavior and took on the roles of their characters. Guards abused the prisoners physically and emotionally while prisoners acted as though they were truly incarcerated. Zimbardo cut the cord on the experiment because of increasing safety and health concerns for all participants.

The take away from this experiment is that good, well-adjusted people can do horrible things without even thinking what they are doing is wrong. The observed behavior is a direct result to the expectations of the environment. Or, said anther way, one acts based on what their perceived role requires of them. To apply this reasoning to baseball, college sports and high school sports it is no wonder athletes take harmful drugs to boost performance.

The situation frames the thinking of the participants. If a great athlete, who leads his team, sees or hears of others gaining an advantage then they will most likely mimic to maintain their social ranking. While the players in question must face penalties for their wrongs, one cannot place the complete blame on them alone. Baseball as a whole must be examined to shift the values. Major League Baseball (and its commissioner) must face the scrutiny as Roger Clemens if the outcome desired is a positive solution.

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With all the recent news about Roger Clemens and performance-enhancing drugs the ends to this means appears unclear. Typically, we like to focus on how to make individuals and teams improve their performance, legally, but we are baffled as to what MLB intends to get out of this modern-day witch hunt. We have questions. So, today we offer you our best nine innings of questions for MLB:

1. How many careers is the Mitchell Report worth? Let’s say one of the listed players is innacurate and they never took performance-enhancers. Unfortunately, their name will forever be linked to the Mitchell Report. Would ruining one player’s career be worth it?
2. What does Brian McNamee have against Roger Clemens? It is neither normal nor rational to keep bio-hazardous material. Was he going to put it on Ebay?
3. What does focusing on the past accomplish for the future in this situation? It has yet to be seen whether all of this will deter players from taking drugs. However, it is not really clear minimizing drug use is the main point of the Mitchell Report and subsequent hearings.
4. Why not focus the time, energy and money in turning MLB into a zero-tolerance league? If you have ever been caught doing any performance based drugs in the minor leagues, college, high school, little league, or any other time then you are banned from the Majors.
5. Has anyone contacted Vince McMahon about an XLB? All of the players banned from MLB could play in Xtreme League Baseball where performance-enhancing drugs are not only allowed, they are mandatory. Before every game, each player has to take performance-enhancers. It would be great, who doesn’t want to see an 800 foot home run!?
6. Are we really spending tax dollars to sort out Roger Clemens’ past behavior? It may be possible that this nation has more important issues to tackle such as education, poverty, and health care just to name a few. MLB should take care of their own problems.
7. Will every player listed on the report be subject to the same scrutiny as Roger Clemens or is he the sacrifice? The budget and timetable of this ordeal seems very unclear.
8. Whether the allegations surrounding Clemens are true or false, where does this leave his career? Unfortunately, he is too late in his career to reinvent himself. This may be the final chapter for him.
9. Will all of this really increase the popularity of baseball? The NBA gains traction across the world everyday especially in the Asian markets. The NFL has officially become America’s pastime. People are even watching more golf!? Baseball manages to see a decrease in fanbase. What is MLB going to do to bring the fans back?