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Nick Sorensen
AP Language
S. Pritchard
1 December 2011
The Argument Against the Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs.
Steroids and other performance enhancing drugs like human growth hormones
are used to build muscle and strength. This makes performance enhancing drugs or
PEDs very popular with athletes. Many baseball and track stars have become infamous
for their use of steroids including home run champ* Barry Bonds. Outside of competition
PEDs may be legal for medical purposes but in controlled doses. The hormones in them
are used to treat delayed puberty , muscle wasting, asthma, and more. However
steroids and PEDs have negative effects. From the Mayo Clinic site I learned that
steroids while building muscle mass, also cause unwanted physical changes in men
and women, and more serious medical problems in the liver and the heart. Steroids
even have emotional and psychological effects. From the book Olympics I learned that
not only do PEDs have health defects but that they’re banned or illegal in most sports.
In fact if you fail a drug test in the Olympics they'll take your medals from you. This
happens because the leagues believe that the use of these drugs gives you an unfair
competitive edge. On Top 10 Pros and Cons.com experts argue that drugs should be
banned because of this unfair edge but others believe that if PEDs were legal but
controlled that they could be made safer for athletes to use. Other experts like
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Dr.Robert Simon of Hamilton College believe that athletes should have the right to
gain an edge even if it will have negative effects on health. However Richard Pound the
former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency argues if we allow athletes to take
PED’s that they’ll start taking larger doses of the drug in order to out consume all of the
other athletes. Steroids and PED’s while having positive effects should not be used
because the negative effects outweigh the benefits.
Besides from the approved health uses PEDs are used by athletes to get better
than the competition. Athletes from pro to the high school level have been caught using
PEDs. Some kids just take the drug in order to improve their appearance.They want to
impress girls by looking muscular and lifting more. With becoming a pro or even a
college athlete incredibly difficult many students feel the need to take steroids or other
drugs to give them a chance of winning a scholarship or draft spot. Competition is fierce
and at a certain level every athlete is working hard which is why some turn to PEDs for
that extra boost. Many young athletes see pro players excel due to the use of steroids
which may encourage them to use the drug. Pro athletes use PEDs to beat the
competition and also use the drugs in order to make the record books. Famous
baseball players like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark McGuire all
used steroids and stand near the top for various home run records. Before the
crackdown on PEDs by the Olympics some countries had doping programs. One
example was the East Germans who ran their program starting in 1972 and had almost
10,000 athletes use steroids. The East Germans ranked consistently in the top of the
medal charts during this time frame. This information came from Drugs in Sports:Then
and Now. Overall the number of steroid users has dropped due to the crackdown on
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them. However the use of stimulants and few legal drugs has increased amongst
athletes. There are always people who will try to find a new easier way to get what they
want which is why people use performance enhancing drugs despite their bad
reputation.
On ProCon.org. European doctors Bengt Kayser and Alexandre Mauron of the
University of Geneva and Andy Miah of the University of West Scotland argued for the
legalization of performance enhancing drugs. If drug use was legal they could be
controlled and studied by doctors. It would also avoid the problems of determining if an
athlete was using a drug for medical or performance reasons. Doctor Thomas Murray
of the Hastings Center argued against this. Drugs are illegal because they negate
natural abilities and give users an unfair advantage. Goal tending was banned because
it gave the players an unfair advantage just like steroids. Goal tending also doesn't have
health risks like steroids do. Legalizing these drugs would start an arms race which
could hurt and permanently damage many peoples health.
While steroids improve athletic performance they have many long term health
effects. Some of these effects are physical and others are psychological. Some of
these physical changes can be unattractive even though steroids are supposed to
improve physical appearance. PEDs do however have legal uses but use for
performance enhancing is illegal.
There are many different types of performance enhancing drugs most notably steroids.
The USADA site page Effects of Steroids, Doping and Performance-Enhancing Drugs
lists different kinds of drugs used and their effects. Steroids the most well known PED is
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actually used in the medical field to treat delayed puberty, some types of impotence,
and wasting of the body cause by diseases like HIV infection. However it is illegal and
not sanctioned for athletic performance enhancement usage. Steroids are known to
cause anger and aggression often called “roid rage” . Steroid users may feature
withdrawal syndromes associated with depression and in some cases suicide. Physical
changes like acne, stunted growth, and baldness may occur. Guys are known to
develop breasts, lose sperm and have testicles shrink. Girls on the other hand will have
deeper voices, abnormal hair growth, abnormal menstrual cycle, and loss of breast
growth while using steroids. These effects are due to the hormones in anabolic steroids
like testosterone. The Mayo Clinic also listed that steroids cause liver damage,
depletion of good cholesterol, tumors, hyper tension, heart and circulatory problems,
prostate enlargement, and drug dependence.
The next group of PEDs are Peptide Hormones, Growth factors, and related
substances. Some of these drugs are used in cancer treatment or for premature birth
patients. Use of these drugs are illegal and according the Mayo Clinic fitness site
Human Growth Hormones actually are NOT proven to improve either strength or
endurance.
Androstendione is a hormone sold as a nutritional supplement. Mark McGuire
used this drug while it was legal. Manufacturers and bodybuilding magazines claim it
can allow athletes to train harder and recover quicker. According to the Mayo Clinic
Fitness page it is illegal in the U.S.A and it is not scientifically proven to make you
stronger or to increase testosterone. It also carries many of the defects that steroids
have like testicle shrinkage, acne, and enlargement of breasts. With masculation in
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women. The drug also depletes good cholesterol putting you at risk for heart attack and
stroke.
Diuretics are medically used to treat hypertension,kidney disease, and
congestive heart failure. Without medical super vision diuretics can cause potassium
depletion and even death. The drug can also cause muscle cramps, dehydration,
headaches, sweating, nausea, and nervousness. Sound like a nonperformance
enhancer to me. This information came from the USADA Effects of Steroids,Doping and
Performance-Enhancing Drugs site page.
The USADA also listed stimulants as a PED. These are used by doctors to treat
Attention Deficit disorder, asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity. Unfortunately when used
without medical guidance and dosage they may cause anxiety, weight loss, insomnia,
addiction, increased heart rate and blood pressure, tremors, and increased chances of
stroke or heart attack.
Blood Doping is another form of PEDs that the USADA listed as having no
medical uses. It can cause blood clotting, stroke and increased stress on heart.
Julia Gottschalk was an Olympic swimmer who was forced to use steroids and
suffered from the many physical changes. A fellow East German shot putter named
Heidi Kreiger actually had a sex change because she became confused about her
identity. This information came from Drugs in Sports:Then and Now a website.
The Mayo Clinic fitness page Performance Enhancing drugs:Know the risks
listed the hormone Erythropoietin as another notorious PED. This drug that is medically
used to treat severe kidney disease increases the number of red blood cells and
hemoglobin resulting in increased movement of oxygen to muscles. During the 1990’s it
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was used by many cyclists until it allegedly contributed to 18 deaths. The cause was
stoke, heart attack, or pulmonary edema.
As you read, performance enhancing drugs are risky because they’re dangerous
to your health. From changes that affect gender traits all the way to death, performance
enhancing drugs are a dangerous substance that while being ok in small medically
approved doses should not be illegally abused. Some of the drugs out there aren't
proven to even have performance enhancing benefits which makes their use pointless
and unintelligent. The health problems with performance enhancing drugs are more
likely to keep you in the hospital and off the field.
Besides the health risks PEDs are seen as unsportsmanlike and immoral. Many
athletes like Barry Bonds,Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa used steroids and broke
numerous recods for home runs. Steroid users now dominate the 600 home run club
but stand little chance of making it to the hall of fame. During the cold war the East
German Women's Swim Team dominated winning 11 out of 13 gold medals at the 1976
Montreal Olympics and breaking 8 world records. This shows that steroids do give
athletes a competitive edge. Should athletes have this competitive edge however.
Sports Leagues, the International Olympic Committee, and the World Anti-Doping
Agency have all banned steroids making it even more immoral to use an outlawed
substance. When famous athletes use these drugs it makes the drug more popular.
Drugs in Sports Then and Now had all this information and listed that the sell of
Androstenedione increased by 1000% in young athletes when it was discovered that
Mark McGuire used it in 1998. However other surveys showed recent drop in PED use
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of among college athletes. Probably due to the fact that many of these drugs are illegal.
Instead the sales of legal performance enhancers has slightly increased.
In the book Olympics by Chris Oxlade and David Ballheimer it talks about how
the use of performance enhancing drugs are banned in the games. drug tests are held
for all athletes now a days and medal winners who test positive are stripped of their
medals. Most major leagues according to the book Sportsmanship by John Bowman
also have bans on steroids etc. and punish athletes with suspensions. The notorious
Mitchell Report in the MLB was a collection of drug tests released to the public that
identified the use of steroids and HGH (human growth hormones) in many athletes
including all star Alex Rodriguez. In Baseball there is an unofficial ban on PED users
from making the hall of fame. Asterisks are placed on records achieved thorugh steroid
use. Drugs in Sports: Then and Now showed that in 2003 only 5-7% of baseball players
had tested positive for steroids. In 2005 a NCAA report showed that drug use among
student athletes had declined.This shows that testing is an effective method for ratting
out users. However billions of dollars are spent on new drugs some that are designed to
get around testing which makes this battle against PEDs continue.
Athletes shouldn't use steroids but that doesn't mean they shouldn't try to beat
the competition. Hard work and a good diet are the best ways to improve your health.
Getting lots of exercise will keep you in shape without all of the nasty side effects from
PEDs. Science and technology are also used to improve athletic performance. Teams
have high tech ways and machines that help you get the most out of your work outs.
Many athletes have rallied against steroids. Drugs in Sports:Then and Now talks about
the National Coalition for the Advancement of Drug Free Athletics. A notable advocate
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and spokesman for this group is all-pro linebacker Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens.
95 year old fitness guru Jack Lalanne has a statement on the organizations website
decrying the use of steroids. With every major American sports league having instituted
drug tests and banned PEDs athletes should avoid the risk of being caught which brings
them punishment and shame. Athletes of all levels shouldn't us PEDs but also should
try to influence fellow athletes and individuals to not use PEDs and stop people from
dealing the drugs illegally. Drugs are not needed to improve athletic performance and
should not be used. Athletes need to set a good example because they re role models
and if they don't use drugs then the younger generation will be influenced to not use
drugs.
While steroids and PEDs can improve muscle mass and have approved medical
effects their use for competitive edge is wrong and harmful to the athlete. The drugs
cause a variety of health problems and unwanted physical changes. PED’s are also
banned or illegal meaning an athlete could face harsh punishment and shame. Steroid
users lose awards and are shunned out of the higher echelons of sports. Performance
enhancing drugs are more trouble than their worth and should not be used for athletics.
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Works Cited
Bowman, John. Sportsmanship. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group,
INC.,1990. book
Oxlade and Ballheimer, Chris and David. Olympics. New York: Darling Kindersly
Limited.,1999. book
“Performance-enhancing drugs: Know the risks.” MayoClinic.com. Dec.23,2010.
Web. 10/31/11.
. “Effects of Steroids, Doping and Performance-Enhancing Drugs.”
www.usada.org/effects-peds/.10/30/11. web. 11/1/11.
Meyer, Brandon et. al . “Drugs in Sports: Then and Now.” SportsMedia.org. Sunday,14 March,2010. 11/1/11.
. “Top 10 Pros and Cons-Sports and Drugs.” ProCon.org. 5/6/09. web.
10/31/11.