"Was particularly offensive" - Joe Rogan calls baseball steroid scandal uniquely 'American betrayal'

In a recent epsiode of The Joe Rogan Experience [JRE], Joe Rogan seconded his guest, American filmmaker Ken Burns' statements about doping in baseball, which has been a prevalent issue.

At the halfway point of the episode, Burns discussed how the sport has lost its spirit and is no longer played in the same manner as it was in its initial days. After that, the UFC commentator talked about the steroid era in baseball. He said:

"The steroid era to me was really fascinating because one of the things about baseball being some uniquely American is that the idea of someone cheating at this uniquely American thing was particularly offensive, whereas at the same time people were 100% taking steroids for football."

Check out Rogan's comments below (1:50:20):

Drug use in baseball has been a prevalent issue since the earliest days of the sport, and several successful baseball athletes in MLB history have been accused of using performance-enhancing substances. The period between the late 1980s and the late 2000s was also called the "Steroid Era," because several MLB players were alleged to have used steroids.

However, with the introduction of the MLB Drug Program, things appear to be better now. As per an MLB report dated Nov.30, 2024, on a 40-man roster, two players tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.

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Joe Rogan labels baseball as boring and exciting

In the same JRE epsiode posted above, Joe Rogan called baseball a unique "American pastime," which is boring yet exciting.

"Yeah baseball is a unique American pastime because it's boring, because you know, it's exciting." [1:44:46]

Meanwhile, his guest Ken Burns labelled the sport as "pure" and "American," after which the longtime UFC commentator, who opposes fighters getting an unfair advantage in the sport that Americans truly love, quipped:

"And to cheat at that [baseball] is offensive." [1:51:13]