Should
the use of
Performance
Enhancing Substances
be legalized in Sports?
By: Klemens Koestler,
Mayson Morris, & Izzy Thompson
• Performance enhancing drugs can
cause cancer, strokes, heart
attacks, and lead to aggression.
• Men may experience reduced
sperm count, shrunken testicles,
inability to achieve an erection,
and irreversible breast
enlargement. Women develop deep
voices and excessive body hair
(effect for females are more
permanent than for males).
• Depression and addiction are other
psychological tolls performance
enhancing drugs have.
Ban It
Performance enhancing drugs are morally wrong.
• Steroids might create the feeling
of invincibility and promote
excessively macho behavior, and
sometimes, attacks of rage.
Blood Clotting
•
HGH side effects include allergic
reactions, diabetes, gigantism in
teenagers and acromegaly in
older athletes when used
extensively.
• EPO thickens blood which causes
clotting in blood vessels and
circulatory strain.
Gigantism
Ban It
Performance enhancing drugs are morally wrong.
• Consumers want sports to
become more exciting, causing
players to use steroids.
• Sports are more dangerous
than actual steroid use.
• Painkillers can be just as
dangerous as steroids but are
still legal in sports.
• Its too late to start banning
performance enhancing drugs
they are already in the sport
system.
Make It Legal
It should be legalized under the supervision of a medical doctor.
“To say that we should reduce
drugs in sport or eliminate them
because they increase
performance, is simply like
saying that we should eliminate
alcohol from parties because it
increases sociability.”
“As we've argued, performance
enhancement is not against the
spirit of sport, it's been a part of
sport through its whole history, and
to be human is to be better, or at
least to try to be better.”
(Julian Savulescu)
Julian Savulescu
Make It Legal
It should be legalized under the supervision of a medical doctor.
Marion Jones was once a world champion in track and
field. She held lots of records and won many medals,
the most valuable achievement she won was her 5
medals in 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia
Everything she achieved were stripped away from her
in 2007 because her name was caught on the BALCO
scandal. BALCO is a ring that supplied anabolic
steroids to athletes.
In 2008 she admitted to taking steroids. During that
year the court found out that she lied to the jury about
steroids twice. She was sentenced to 6 months in jail
for perjury.
Marion Jones
Barry bond is considered to be
among the greatest players in the
history of baseball. He has got 7
MVP awards, 14 All stars and 762
home runs.
His achievements in baseball were
shadowed by the BALCO scandal
like Marion Jones. He has also lied
to the Grand Jury despite being
under oath.
Barry bond was not re-signed with
the San Francisco Giants. He
became a free agent and spent the
2008 baseball season without any
activity.
Barry Bonds
Ken
Caminiti
Ken Caminiti was a baseball star who last played for the Atlanta Braves. His awards include
three golden gloves and the 1996 MVP. Ken Caminiti was the first baseball player who
admitted to steroid use. His admission led to various League wide and congressional
inquiries regarding the use of performance enhancers among other players.
10, grade 10 students were interviewed
• No:
• Yes:
• “It would be unfair to the nonusers.”
• “Because its unnatural. Results
should be based on natural
ability.”
• “Because steroids are used by
pros anyways, they may as
well be legalized.”