Leeds Academic working with Major League Baseball to address doping

Leeds Beckett University is working with Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States to adapt and deliver RE>ACT – a Clean Sport Bystander Intervention Programme. MLB RE>ACT will be delivered in the Dominican Republic, which is a major source of talent for the MLB. Each of the 30 current clubs has an academy on the island designed to identify and prepare future professional baseball players; yet drug-related issues have been a consistent problem within this population and the MLB is actively seeking ways to break the pattern of doping sanctions amongst this population.

Dr Kelsey Erickson, Senior Research Fellow, in Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie School of Sport, is leading the project. She said: “This is a unique opportunity for us to adapt the RE>ACT intervention to a specific sport and context, which is how the intervention is ideally designed to function. The Dominican Republic presents a challenging environment given performance enhancing drugs are legal and easily accessible. Also, players are scouted from a very young age and can sign contracts with academies as early as 16 years of age. For many of these players, just an academy signing bonus alone could mean a life-changing moment in their and their family’s financial situation. The temptation is there and so is the opportunity.

“The MLB is actively looking to educate academy players on the risks associated with using banned substances and show them that they can succeed in baseball without them. We are excited to support these efforts by delivering RE>ACT. It is interesting to navigate the challenges of adapting the content, translating the materials and session into Spanish, and being there to observe the session rather than to personally deliver it. I have enjoyed seeing the project come to fruition.”

Kelsey was in the Dominican Republic last week for program delivery, and a final report will be submitted to the MLB and key partners shortly. It’s hoped it will mark the start of long-term working relationship with the MLB.