“It’s not a sports problem anymore, it’s a social problem” said Dr. William N. Taylor, member of U.S Olympic Drug Control program (Silverstein 22). The use of PED’s has gone from athletic professionals to celebrities and has reached the lives of high school athletes and everyday people. In a survey conducted by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, physician and sports medicine expert, more than half of 100 teens that were asked, "If I could give you a pill that would make you an Olympic champion - and also kill you in a year - would you take it?" answered yes (Freudenrich and Allen). Many teen athletes, or teens in general, are willing to take PED’s if it means that they can reach their goals. PED’s are viewed as a short cut in order for people to reach the goals they want to see in their own bodies and athletic potential. Instead of working the old fashioned way to gain what they desire, modern society would rather have results fast, even if it means risking their health in the process. According to the 2005 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey: “6% of 12th grade males reported using steroids, among those admitting to using steroids, 80% believed the drugs could help them achieve their athletic dreams, 65% of users would use a pill if it guaranteed reaching their athletic goals, even if it might harm their health, 57 % of users said they would use it even if it could shorten their lives, additionally, 60% of users said that professional athletes influenced their (or a friend’s) decision to use PEDs” (Schafer and Porucznik). A prime example of this is 24 year old Dominic Dominguez, who admitted to doping in a personal interview. Dominguez admitted to using amphetamines and anabolic steroids in order for him to reach his dream body. When asked what fi... ... middle of paper ... ... Abuse." National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction. N.p., Aug. 2006. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. O'keefee, Michael. "Lance Armstrong Not Only Used Performance-enhancing Drugs, Cyclist Pushed Banned Substances on Teammates: U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Report." New York Daily News. The New York Times Company, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Schafer, Michael F., MD, and Mary Ann Porucznik. If You're Not Cheating, You're Not Trying 8.3 (2014): n. pag. Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Silverstein, Alvin, Virginia B. Silverstein, and Robert A. Silverstein. Steroids: big muscles, big problems. Hillside, N.J.: Enslow Pub., 1992. Print. Veliz, Charles. “Performance Enhancing Drugs Interview.” Personal Interview. 4 April, 2014. Wright, James Edward, and Virginia S. Cowart. Anabolic Steroids: Altered States. Dubuque, IA: Brown & Benchmark, 1990. Print.
Anabolic steroids have become an epidemic amongst athletes since the 1950's when a Swiss company by the name of Ciba Pharmaceuticals introduced what was to become the most popular anabolic drug for athletes called methandrostenolone. “By this time, the era of the steroid athlete was well underway and world records were being shattered and re-shattered with remarkable regularity.” (Oklobdzija & Weyrauch, 1989, para 3) From then on, there have been many cases throughout professional sports where athletes are reported or caught using anabolic steroids.
Those who believe the use of anabolic steroids should be allowed in professional sports have numerous arguments for those in opposition. Professional sports leagues have tried to stop the use of steroids by drug testing players and punishing those who do not pass. A number of major athletes, such as Lance Armstrong, have been stripped of their athletic accolades due to discoveries of drug use. Despite witnessing the fall of great competitors due to “doping,” people continue to use. Because of unsuccessful attempts at banning the drug, many people believe “it may be time to head in the other direction: legalize performance enhancers” (Smith 1). No matter how many rules and regulations are made against the use of steroids, athletes will continue to abuse the drug in order to get ...
For Chris Bell and his two brothers, nicknamed Smelly and Mad Dog, who grew up with not so ideal bodies, mega-men like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone were heroes. The Bells wanted the enormous, muscular physiques that they saw in these guys and in the muscle and fitness magazines, and would stop at nothing to reach that goal. This dream of having a larger than life strength and muscle mass however, eventually led the brothers to make a decision: whether to use steroids or not (Bell). When it comes to the issue of steroid use in today’s society, most people will initially think about its use in sports, recalling large controversies over the drugs like the cases of major leaguers Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. Not as well known; however, is the recreational use of steroids, outside of the realm of organized sports. This faction of steroid use is much harder to define. It is much easier to see why a professional athlete would want to use steroids: for the money, glory, and fame, etc, but why people in gyms and health clubs across the country are “juicing up” is not as clear. Recreational steroid users often argue that the benefits outweigh the negative aspects of steroids, and that taking steroids is “just as American as apple pie,” but many doctors, experts, politicians, and other people disagree. So how widespread is the use of steroids in gyms across the country? And what makes people go to such drastic measures to achieve the physique they desire despite the health and legality risks?
In today’s society in athletics, muscle mass and strength seem more important than in years past. It is believed that many athletes use anabolic steroids to increase their muscle mass and also their strength. Anabolic steroids are a group of synthetic hormones that promote the storage of proteins and the growth of tissue, sometimes used by athletes to increase muscle size and strength. Before the mid 1970’s the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) was used mainly by highly trained athletes especially those involved in weight training. Since then other athletes including those involved in recreational sports and non-competitive sports have started using the steroids. Steroids are also being used by many school age children especially those involved in sports in the schools. Everyone wants to be bigger, stronger, and faster and will do almost anything to gain this.
Yesalis, C.E. Anabolic Steroids in Sport and Exercise. (2nd Ed.) 2000. Human Kinetics, United States.
Every year high school, college, and professional athletes try to get just ?a little bigger,??a little stronger,? and to increase the amount of weights they lift by, ?just a few pounds.? To achieve these goals athletes often turn to anabolic steroids to aid them in achieving their goals. Anabolic steroids are a quick, but dangerous way to increase muscle mass, and they can carry many risks including some life threatening side affects. Years after taking steroids athletes can live to have serious heart problems, sterility, or possibly not even live, all because of foolish decisions they made in the past. These potentially fatal drugs are not widely known by young athletes at all, because they don?t know about the risks that can go along with them. In school, every student is taught about marijuana, cocaine,heroin, sex, liquor, and all those other health risks, but they?re never taught about ?roids? or ?juice.? (slang words for steroids) That should be changed, because it is known that student athletes often use steroids, not knowing the risks. Many times they take the risk because they hear about professional athletes taking steroids. But, despite their widespread use in sports, steroids can have more negative than positive effects on athletes of all types. Steroids are chemical substances that can be made naturally by the body or produced synthetically. There are many different types of steroids that are used for different things other than just athletes enhancing muscles. For example, there are types of steroids that can be used by women as birth control pills, and other types that are used for menopause treatment. The abuse of steroids is almost always found to be in the case of athletes, and that is the focus of this paper. ?All anabolic steroids are synthetic compounds whose molecular structure is similar to that of the natural male sex hormone testosterone. Testosterone affects development of the male body in two important ways: it has an anabolic effect - increases growth, especially of muscular and skeletal tissue - And an androgenic effect - increased development of male sexual characteristics. Anabolic steroids are constructed stythetically in such a way that they maximize the anabolic effect of testosterone while minimizing the androgenic effect.? The way that steroids work can easily be interpreted by a foo...
Lafee, Scott. "Steroids: To Test or to Educate?" School Administrator, 01 Jun. 2006: 47. eLibrary. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Human beings have always had a strong competitive nature, and many people have a inclination towards achieving fame and glory. Professional sporting events measure the great spirit, unique natural talents, and competitive nature of humans as they attempt to heroically represent the entire race. Often times humans search for the ultimate advantage in sports to put themselves above and beyond the other athletes. Unfortunately, some athletes turn to unnatural agents to supplement their own natural talents. They often ignore the side effects of the drugs and more importantly ignore the damage they do to how they are perceived and how people view the game. Athletes who use performance enhancing drugs, also known as PEDs, create a monstrous persona,
The era in sports from the late 90s and into the 2000s has often been nicknamed “The Steroid Age” due to the raging use of anabolic steroids and other PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) by professional athletes. The usage of drugs in sports has never been more prevalent during this time, and many people are making it their goal to put an end to the abuse. Influential athletes such as Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez, and Roger Clemens, who were once held as the highest role models to the American people, now watch as their legacies are tarnished by accusations of drug use. The American population, and lovers of sports everywhere, have followed in astonishment through recent years as many beloved athletes reveal their dark secrets. As organizations such as the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) and BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) attempt to halt the use of PEDs, both the drug users and their high-end suppliers work diligently to avoid detection. The use of performance enhancing drugs in recent years has proven to be cancerous to the honesty and competition of modern sports. Although some strides have been made over the past few decades, the use of steroids is in full swing in Major League Baseball, The dangerous side effects of the drugs are often overlooked and many do not realize the message this sends to the youth. The support for halting the usage of PEDs is in need of attention or professional sports will face the loss of all progress made through the past two decades in its war on steroids.
Bigelow, Barbara C. "Steroids." UXL Encyclopedia of Drugs and Addictive Substances. 2006. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 26 Jan. 2011.
You’ve all seen them, the enormously large muscle-heads at the gym, the participates of the World’s Strongest Man Competition, the amazing offensive tackles, and the lightning fast runners. They were all unnaturally strong, and looked like gods. You tend to obsess over how beautiful their bodies are, how strong they are, or how fast they can run. All you can think about is reaching that level of athletic excellence, and nothing will hold you back. At times like these some people tend to take the quick fit to get closer to their idols, in the form of steroids. But what individuals tend not see is the horrible side effects that accompany the use of these anabolic steroids. These powerful drugs have both positive and negative results from their use. Along with increased strength and size, users of steroids suffer from a wide range of sicknesses such as cancer, shrinkage of testicles, bad acne, hair loss, damage organs, intense mood swings, and impotence.
The intent of this essay is to show that steroids have many negative effects and that steroids, and other natural supplements, should be closely studied by the FDA. This essay will also support the claim that the professional sports industry needs to eliminate steroid use and set a good example for younger athletes.
Steroids became an option to athletes in the Olympics and other major sporting events during the 1950’s. But this use of steroids among athletes only became widely apparent when Canadian sprint runner Ben Johnson tested positive for steroid use after winning the gold medal for the one hundred-meter dash during the 1988 Olympics (Francis, 45). Now a skinny fifteen-year-old can just walk down to the local gym and find people who either sell or know how to get in contact with those who sell the drug that will make him envious of his friends. Steroids are an attractive drug. While steroids seem harmless to the unaware user, they can have a risky effect. Most of the time whether the users are new or experienced, they do not know the dangerous consequences steroids can have on their bodies and their minds. Though steroids cause a relatively insignificant number of deaths in our society, the banning of steroids is justified because steroids have a lot of side effects not known to the uninformed user.
Ryan Burns, Mrs. Stutz, English p4, 6 May 2014 Doping in Sports History of Doping Many people believe that doping (taking a drug to enhance performance and beat the competition) was derived from the Dutch word Dop- the name for an alcoholic beverage made from the skins of grapes and started with the Zulu warriors taking it to improve their battle prowess. It is now known that the ancient Greek athletes used special diets and potions to enhance their performance.
Athletes And Drug Use Many people believe that drug use in professional athletics is not a serious problem, however it is more widespread and serious than people think. In professional athletics, the use of drugs is looked upon as somewhat of a serious problem, but is also very discrete and low key. Every once in a while one might see a prominent figure in a certain sport being reprimanded for the use of some outlawed drug, however this is just one of the many who happen to get caught. Athletes today seem to find no moral problem with using performance-enhancing drugs, or in other words cheating. Also, many of them feel that because they are "stars" there should be no repercussions for their illegal activity.