Informative Speech On Steroids

Introduction

I want you all to ask yourselves how far you’re willing to go to be the best at the thing you do most. For some people, the choice they must make is going to be a very big one with very real side effects.

I’m sure many of you watch professional sports and the Olympics. I’m a very big fan of sports and I researched this topic because I find it incredibly interesting how far these athletes are willing to go to be the best at their craft. Although I have never done them, I passively gain knowledge about performance-enhancing drug usage in sports and the effects it has on the body every day.

Today, I want to tell you all about how prevalent PED usage in sports is, why these athletes are pushed to turning to PEDs, and the risks that

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that if a substance can make your strength, power, speed, or endurance better it’s a performance-enhancing drug. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005) Performance enhancing drugs can be grouped into four categories. (Steve Olivier, 1996)

A. A performance-enhancing drug can be described as stimulants such as amphetamines, caffeine, and cocaine.

Many of you might be thinking to yourselves “I must be a drug addict if caffeine is a performance-enhancing drug.”.

Caffeine can make you more alert and less tired. This is why many people with wake up in the morning and drink a cup of coffee.

Stimulants like caffeine have been used since the times of the Roman gladiators. These gladiators used them to avert fatigue and injury. (Ramlan Abdul Aziz, 2006)

The use of PEDs like cocaine and caffeine were seen even in 1886 when a cyclist died during a race. The cyclist had caffeine and cocaine in their body at the time of death. (Bisk)

B. The next form of a performance-enhancing drug is anabolic androgenic steroids.

There are two types of steroids, anabolic, and cortisone

“Why should I be Clark Kent, when I can be Superman?”. (Doping in Athletics documentary) This is a decision that athletes must make. They must decide that they want to be clean and be worse, or use performance-enhancing drugs and compete.

A. In major league sports, athletes look for ways to be better than the competition at any cost. (Dan Levy, 2013) This can mean using performance-enhancing drugs for some athletes. When you’re competing for millions of dollars the bad side effects may not seem all that bad.

A nineteen-year-old kid will do a lot for a chance at millions of dollars even risking health. (Science of steroids documentary)

B. You’re a product of the people you hang around with. If your teammates are all doing performance-enhancing drugs you’re a lot more likely to be open to the idea of taking them. No one wants to feel like they’re the reason that the team is losing.

Coaches can also be a reason that players would take drugs. (Dan Levy, 2013) If a coach says “You’re not going to be playing on this field unless you take these.” you’re going to have to make a choice.

C. I believe the biggest reason that athletes are pushed into PED usage is everyone in here. I am talking about us as consumers. Consumers demand the best out of athletes. The athletes feel forced to provide to the consumer in any way