Accusations of Racism and Barry Bonds' Home-Run Record

Barry Bonds has shown enormous strength and perseverance in breaking the all time home-run record that had been established by Hank Aaron. Many people assert that the new record is tainted. There is a claim that Bonds used steroids or performance enhancing drugs. These people believe he could not have reached this milestone without the help of drugs. Barry Bonds has not tested positive for steroids and has denied he has used these drugs.

There have been recent claims from some people in the African American community that racism is a primary factor in these allegations. I do not agree with this position. It is undeniable that racism has been a problem in American history. When Hank Aaron approached Babe Ruth's career home-run record, racism was indeed alive and well. There were many hateful and mean spirited threats directed toward Hank Aaron and that is a sad part of our past. I do not think racism is a factor here. After all, Bonds broke the record of a fellow African American. Americans in general today celebrate the accomplishment of many African American sports heroes. When Emmitt Smith became the all time rushing leader, his achievement was celebrated by White and Black Americans.

Unfortunately, the stigma of drug use in our contemporary society is a problem. Barry Bonds is a product of modern times and steroid use by some major league notables has been discovered. However, at this point his guilt has not been proven. Therefore, we should celebrate his achievement. If the future brings new evidence then we deal with the topic as necessary, but for now Barry Bonds is the Home-run champion.