Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees superstar and international playboy, has been facing more turbulence as he demands and wholeheartedly believes he deserves his $6 million home-run bonuses. I strongly feel that all the marketing bonuses are completely worthless and invalid given A-Rod’s willing usage of performance enhancing drugs to get a leg up within the competition. He was not thinking about how he represents the Yankees as a team or even New York as a state; just himself. Knowing what we know now, I can’t help but disregard whatever records he has previously broken since anybody can get juiced up and knock a ball out.

Not only did A-Rod strongly deny any use of performance enhancing drugs, but he spent millions of dollars backing up his lies by doing the “only plausible thing” – buying stolen documents in an attempt to fight the MLB’s attempt to ban him. The only successful outcome out of his “masterful” plan was getting tossed the longest suspension in baseball history.

Fortunately for him, the Yankees locked him up for another three years according to this contract that averages around $61 million for the remaining years. Yet, here sits A-Rod pouting and throwing a fit. How could the Yankees steal $6 million right from under him? A-Rod has 654 career home-runs under his belt; he only needs six more in order to tie Willie May’s 660, which would ultimately allow him to become eligible for the bonus. Also, if a drug-free A-Rod can manage to tie Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds’ career home runs, he can rack up an additional $18 million. So, he can potentially pocket a total of $24 million in bonuses, which is highly absurd. How can a blatant cheater, who violated the MLB’s drug policy, still potentially be awarded that much money? Home-run bonuses are already unordinary for a basic player, so why should a cheater be treated at a higher standard?

A-Rod signed the marketing deal back in 2007, but did so under false pretenses. If one party breaks the abiding guidelines it would be deemed as invalid, which is exactly what it should be. A-Rod even admitted to the Drug Enforcement Administration that he paid the former owner of a medical clinic in Florida, Anthony Bosch, $12,000 a month for steroids and PEDs. Bosch had a slew of troubles himself as he illegally posed as a doctor who supplied steroid injections. According to the report, A-Rod used these substances prohibited by the MLB for about two years. The way he sidestepped around drug tests for so long was using his urine only mid-stream, which Bosch advised. For some odd reason, this tactic worked because during the American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers, he did exactly what was advised and passed, allowing the Yankees to go on and win the series. A-Rod did everything he could to achieve his dream of breaking Barry Bonds’ record. Unfortunately it led to a situation that I don’t think can ever be fixed within his team and with his fans.

Personally, the $6 million bonus will be an upright joke if it is awarded to him. Give the bonus to the truth athletes. Give it to the athletes that work endless hours in the gym; to the athletes that take care of their bodies and maintain a clean self-image to all those who follow in their footsteps. I’m sure A-Rod is a gifted athlete, which is why he’s in the position he’s in. However, by taking steroids and PEDs, the notion of him really earning and achieving his success cancels out.

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