Steroids Should Be Banned

The Olympic Games is an athletic event that radiates a standard of excellence and the athletes that partake in it exude the same merit. In 1967, there was a significant event that will be remembered throughout Olympic history. There wasn't shattered records, it was not the retirement of an Olympic hero, in fact the Olympic Games were not even held this year. This was the year that the Olympic committee decided to ban the athletes from using steroids. Shortly after this sanction was passed, many athletes were caught for taking performance enhancers and it was evident that the steroid usage had been prevalent among athletes. Over the past two decades the amount of athletes that have been found using steroids has increased drastically. Some people

Young athletes used to observe professional sports to learn from their idols; however, lately it has been more acceptable to watch sports purely for its entertainment value. Gendin appeals to “Let sport be recognized for what it is – professional entertainment,” (Gendin). Steroids have robbed the magic that makes sports worth watching. This is not what professional sports are supposed to provide, they are supposed to originate quality competition. For example, "Sports are probably as popular as ever, providing entertainment to millions of fans all over the world. But the use of performance-enhancing drugs is violating the moral principles that govern sports," (Scott). An especially critical environment where the manner of competition has changed is men’s and women’s professional leagues. It has become even more hostile between the two due to the fact that the attendance at men’s games is considerably higher than women’s. Gendin proclaims that the higher attendance can be attributed to the fact that, “the level of play is much better,” (Gendin). This plays into the steroid debate because it parallels to the situation between steroid-users and clean athletes. Gendin suggests that clean athletes do not have the same star power as steroid-users because the steroid-users perform at a much higher level. The use of steroids in professional sports not only altered the athletes’ figures, but also their mental capacity to stay