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Joe Smith
Mr. Butschle
American Literature
29 November 2013
Steroids: Friend or Foe?
Charles Yesalis, an esteemed professor, once said, “It’s human nature to obtain an edge,
whether in combat, in business, or in sports” (Jost). It is true; an edge is constantly sought out,
especially in athletics. Often times, this edge that athletes want so badly is obtained through the
use of steroids. Steroids are interesting drugs that can greatly help people when used for the
right reasons. On the other hand, when steroids are used for a competitive edge, they can really
hurt the user. Steroids negatively affect athletes and should not be used because they hurt the
user, they give athletes an unfair advantage, and they are too accessible to young athletes.
First of all, athletes should not use steroids because they cause psychological and
physical harm to the user. Steroids mimic male sex hormones, build tissue, strengthen bones,
and repair muscle (“Update”). Sure, steroids make the user stronger, faster, and more muscular,
but there is a catch; steroids have many, many negative effects. For example, steroids can cause
the formation of tumors on the liver, as well as the formation of blood-filled cysts on the liver, a
condition called Peliosis Hepatitis (“Performance”). Not only that, but steroids raise the user’s
risk of cancer and heart attacks; steroids can also cause high blood pressure and heart disease.
Steroids do not only affect the heart; steroids have been known to cause kidney and prostate
problems and an increased risk of ruptured tendons (“Update”). The effects of steroids are not
only inside of the body; steroids can cause damage to the outside of the user’s body as well.
Some of the unattractive side effects that may occur include: acne, hair loss, male breast
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development, and voice deepening in women (“Baseball”). Almost all of the unattractive affects
can be reversed if steroid use is stopped. Steroids not only affect the user physically but also
psychologically. Steroids are highly addictive. Steroids can also cause fits of rage and
irritability, luckily though, this aggression can be reversed if the steroid use is stopped
(“Performance”). Therefore, athletes should not use steroids because they can harm the
user in a number of different ways.
Secondly, athletes should not use steroids because they create a disadvantage for those who do
not use them. Those who make the terrible choice of using steroids not only hurt themselves, but
they ruin the sport for the athletes who rely on hard work and practice to perform well. If
average players used steroids, their chances of becoming a star player would be much better.
Also, the players who take steroids can take away from players who have set records in the past.
For example, Barry Bonds, a player accused of using steroids, hit 762 career homeruns. The
former leader, Hank Aaron, hit 755 homeruns throughout his career; he set that record from pure
talent – without the use of steroids. Since Aaron hit only seven less homeruns than an alleged
steroid user, imagine what he could have done if he had used steroids, and more importantly,
Barry Bonds probably would not hold the record had he not used steroids. Roger Maris is yet
another example of an honest player cheated of his record by steroid-using Barry Bonds. Roger
Maris, who formerly held the record for most homeruns in a season, hit sixty-one homeruns in
one season. Sadly though, this record was also taken by Barry Bonds. The record now stands at
seventy-three homeruns in a single season (Jost). Although fans are well aware of players who
have used steroids, many of the players still get a lot of support. In a recent poll, it was found
that fans still feel many of the players who used steroids still deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
The poll showed that sixty-four percent of fans feel that Sammy Sosa should still be in the Hall
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of Fame, sixty-two percent of fans feel that Roger Clemens should still be in the Hall of Fame,
and sixty-one percent of fans feel that Mark McGwire should still be in the Hall of Fame
(“Baseball”). With those statistics, it is not exactly fair for the players who want to succeed by
just working hard because quite clearly players will not lose any support even if they cheat
Representative Henry Waxman agrees:
Over the past century, baseball has been part of our social fabric. It helped restore
normalcy after war, provided the playing field where black athletes like Jackie Robinson
broke the color barrier, and inspired civic pride in communities across the country. Now
America is asking baseball for integrity. An unequivocal statement against cheating. An
unimpeachable policy. And a reason for all of us to have faith in the sport again.
(“Update”)
To that end, players who use steroids not only hurt themselves, they put the athletes who
do not use them at an unfair disadvantage.
Lastly, athletes should not use steroids because the use of steroids, once only found in
professional sports, has spread to young athletes at the high school and middle school level. This
poses a huge problem because if steroids can have such negative effects on the adult human
body, imagine what they can do to a growing teenager’s body. In fact, when teenagers use
steroids, the steroids can signal the user’s bones to stop growing Shwab. The University of
Michigan’s Institute for Social Research conducts an annual survey of student drug use, and they
found that the steroid use of twelfth graders has grown steadily throughout the twenty-first
century. Since steroid use has grown so rapidly, it is no surprise that the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention found that more than six percent of teenagers nationally have used
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steroids (“Update”). It is scary to think that steroids have become so prominent in this country
that high school and middle school athletes are able to get them so easily.
Shockingly, steroid use by teenagers is not always their choice. Coaches tend to add a lot
of pressure to student-athletes, even if they do not mean to. Since there is this added pressure
from coaches, the athletes tend not to worry about their team as a whole, but they worry about
their personal performance, and sadly, the athletes feel that they need steroids to take their talent
to the next level (Schwab). In March, the parents of Rob Garibaldi of Petaluma, Calif., and
Taylor Hooton of Plano, Texas, told Congress that steroids ultimately led to the death of their
sons, each of whom was not only seeking to bulk up but do it in a way that modeled successful
professional athletes. Another parent, Frank Marrero of Vacaville, California, recalled how his
nineteen-year-old's addiction to steroids and paranoia led to his suicide by gunshot; "if coaches,
parents, and athletes were armed with the right information beforehand, perhaps our son would
still be alive," Marrero said (Livingstone D-3). Both Marrero and Garibaldi blame their sons’
coaches for pressuring the young athletes to be bigger and better. Coaches, as well as athletes,
know what's going on but are often powerless to stop the use of performance enhancers. Some,
in fact, are willing to turn a blind eye. This must stop.
In 2005, there were congressional attempts to crackdown on steroid use in professional
sports because of the impact that professional sports have on teenagers throughout the country
today. Legislators claimed at the hearings that seeing their role models using steroids will make
teenagers more likely to use steroids (“Update”). It is sad to think that athletes, who get paid
such large amounts of money and are so famous, take advantage of the money they earn to obtain
steroids, and through the use of these steroids, they not only hurt themselves, but they also hurt
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the kids who look up to them. Young athletes deserve better role models. Steroids must be
banned from athletics at all levels.
In conclusion, athletes should not use steroids because they hurt the user, they give
athletes an unfair advantage, and they are too accessible to young athletes. Humans are
competitive creatures, and when it comes to something like sports, everyone wants any
advantage possible. As Charles Yesalis said, “It’s human nature to obtain an edge whether in
combat, in business, or in sports,” and sadly, more times than not, the edge obtained in sports is
obtained through the use of steroids (Jost).
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Works Cited
“Baseball Steroids and HGH.” Issues and Controversies on File: n. pag. Issues and
Controversies. Facts on File News Services, 5 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
Jost, Kenneth. “Performance-Enhancing Drugs: An Overview.” CQ Researcher 14 (23 July
2004): 616-622. Rpt. in Performance Enhancing Drugs. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Feb.
2011.
Livingstone, Seth. “Fight Against Steroids Gaining Muscle in High School Athletics.” USA
Today 8 June 2008: D-3.
“Performance-Enhancing Drugs are Harmful to Health.” Performance Enhancing Drugs. Ed.
Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In
Context. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
Schwab, Greg. “Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs Is a Problem Among Teens.”
Performance Enhancing Drugs. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At
Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
“Update: Performance-Enhancing Substances.” Issues and Controversies on File: n. pag. Issues
and Controversies. Facts on File News Services, 22 June 2007. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.