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Tyler Allen
Colin Hull
English 2010
10/02/2013
Ruining Sports
Steroids have been a growing problem in sports since they were introduced
into the world. Athletes are using steroids to get bigger, faster, and stronger. Ken
Camiti, a professional baseball player states,
"It's no secret what's going on in
baseball. At least half the guys are using [steroids], They talk about it, They joke
about it with each other....I don't want to hurt fellow teammates or fellow friends.
But I've got nothing to hide."(Perry). This being said, many athletes and reporters
ask the question, if we made steroids legal it wouldn’t be cheating, would it? Many
athletes and fans believe that professional sports should legalize steroids – By doing
so, this would solve all of the problems. Steroids are a mainstream problem in
sports and should not be legalized because it threatens the health of athletes,
destroys the integrity of the sports, and overall is known as cheating.
Health of the Athletes
Steroids have so many physical and physiological effects. The negative effects
might outweigh the potential benefits to the users of the drug. ”Steroid use includes
cancers, heart enlargement, increased blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels,
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and musculoskeletal injuries”(Perry, Dayn). There are also many side effects that
change sexual characteristics of the user.
The Dangers
Steroids are dangerous, just like other drugs the DEA considers steroids to be
a controlled substance or in other words a drug like cocaine or marijuana. The side
effects are just as dangerous as these types of drugs. According to the National
Institute of Drug Abuse
“Males who take large doses of anabolic steroids typically
experience changes in sexual characteristics. Although derived from a male sex
hormone, the drug can trigger a mechanism in the body that can actually shut down
the healthy functioning of the male reproductive system”. Some possible side
effects:
- Shrinking of the testicles
- Reduced sperm count
- Impotence
- Baldness
- Difficulty or pain in urinating
- Development of breasts
- Enlarged prostate
Females may experience "masculinization" as well as other problems:
- Growth of facial hair
- Changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle
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- Enlargement of the clitoris
- Deepened voice
- Breast reduction
For both males and females, continued
use of anabolic steroids may lead to health
conditions ranging from merely irritating to
life-threatening. Some effects are:
- Acne
- Jaundice
- Trembling
- Swelling of feet or ankles
- Bad breath
- Reduction in HDL, the "good" cholesterol
Figure 1
Side effects of
steroids in males
- High blood pressure
- Liver damage and cancers
- Aching joints
- Increased chance of injury to tendons, ligaments, and muscles (National Institute
on Drug Abuse)
There are so many side effects that steroids have on the body. Both male and
females are eligible to these side effects. There are more negative effects that
steroids have than positive effects when abused.
Some people argue that steroids are good for the health and help athletes
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recover after games or after a surgery. Many people have no idea that Cortisone is
actually a steroid; most people have used this when they have been injured. There
are so many different types of steroids that some are actually used for good
purposes. This is true, but when athletes start using steroids they become addicted
to the way steroids make you feel and look.
Steroids can be addictive to the human body. The addiction can stem so deep
that an athlete may keep using and abusing the drug until the effects are
irreversible and devastating. This hurts athletes, their families and even the fans in
the stands. Drug addiction can bring
out the worst in people; steroid
abuse brings out rage that usually is
taking out on families and close
friends.
Sports are supposed to be
played for fun and to enjoy exercising. This is what
sports were invented for, going out with friends and
Figure 2
Sammy Sosa before and
After Steroid use
just having fun. It didn’t matter 50 years ago if you
had a million home runs all that mattered was if you were having a good time. In
the last few years, it has gotten so competitive that athletes all over are doing
whatever they can do, so they can be better than their opponents. Imagine setting
a record for the most home runs in a single season or the most tackles in a season
and you did it without steroids. Now imagine someone else who has been using
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steroids, passing your record and setting a new one. How would you feel? You used
your own talent to set the record and someone else beat it by using a drug;
steroids.
Cheating or Not
Some people may argue that if we allow all athletes to use steroids it will even
out the playing field and overall wouldn’t be cheating. Tim Cowlishaw, a sports
reporter, has stated, “If linebackers want to blood dope, if sluggers want to be
ripped, if golfers want to look for another 20 yards off the tee ... hey, go for it.
Athletes know the consequences. Or at least they know that considerable risks may
be in play, although even now we don't know exactly what anabolic steroids do and
don't do to people 10 to 20 years after they are used”. (Cowlishaw). This is
definitely a huge risk for athletes and for the honest players in sports; this would
not even out the playing field. Some athletes don’t want to use steroids because
they know the consequences, however if everyone else were using steroids then
that would not make the game unfair.
Keeping the Game Clean
We live in a society where bigger and better is most peoples desires. From
tummy tucks to face-lifts the US people are always trying to improve themselves.
However steroids aren’t the way athletes need to improve themselves. Steroids
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should be used solely for what they were created for, medical purposes, not to
improve a body physically to compete in sports. In conclusion, Steroids have many
bad side effects that hurt athletes and the integrity of sports.
Proposal
Many athletes in today’s world know the beneficial results of steroids, and that they
can outweigh the consequences of getting caught. Ryan
Braun, an MLB player, was suspended earlier in the season for
only one season. Alex Rodriquez, another MLB player, was
suspended only two seasons after his second offense of
abusing steroids. Unfortunately, these consequences are not
enough to put an end to steroid use. According to Michael
Dillingham a professor at Santa Clara University and trainer
for the 49ers he states. “In most other professional sports, the
Figure 2
Alex
Rodriguez
suspended
for Steroids
inmates are running the asylum. There is no effective testing, and
the penalties are pitiful” Most suspensions are very little for
example 50 games out of a 200 game season or only one season
out of 15 that the player can potentially play. The absence of time on the court or
field does nothing in the scope of synthetically enhancing their bodies to achieve
success.
I propose that all athletes have a mandatory drug test each year. This will improve
the testing and find all steroid users. When athletes violate the drug rules I propose
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that harsher consequences will be enforced when it comes to using performanceenhancing drugs. Potentially suspending the players forever. Some may say this is
too harsh but athletes will know the consequences and therefore have a decision to
make. I believe these consequences would make an impact on the alarming misuse
and abuse of steroids. Athletes everywhere would be scared of potentially losing
everything they have worked for their whole entire lives and will keep many
athletes steroid free and help to keep sports clean.
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Works Cited
Abuse, National Institute on Drug. "Anabolic Steroids: A Threat to Body and Mind."
NIDA Research Report Series 1991: 1-9. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Sep.
2013
Beaton, Al. "MLB Releases Official Statement of Alex Rodriquez." Bless You
Boys. N.p., 05 Aug. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.
Cowlishaw, Tim. "If all PEDs were Legal, it Wouldn't be Cheating--would it?" Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette: A.6. Feb 07 2013. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Sep. 2013
Dillingham, Michael “Steroids, sports and the ethics to winning” Santa Clara University.
Aug. 25 2004. Web 25 Oct. 2013
Mehlman Maxwell"Biomedical Enhancements Entering a New Era." Issues in Science and
Technology (Vol.25, No.3) 2009: 59-68. SIRS Issues Researcher.
Perry, Dayn. "Pumped-Up Hysteria." Reason 2003: 32-9. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web.
22 Sep. 2013
Imaged Cited
Figure one
Sztym, Michael The price you pay, Web accessed Oct. 8 2013
Figure two
Banks, Paul Jan 18, 2013, Web accessed Oct 15 2013
Figure three
Rose, Mark February 9, 2009, Web accessed Oct 8, 2013
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