Should athletes be allowed to take drugs to enhance their performance, providing the drugs do no long- term damage to their bodies. Athletes are willing to pay a heavy price to achieve their ultimate goal in their chosen sport. They put in a lot of time, dedication, and practice to be the best in their field. Many modern day athletes are seen as celebrities as they reach the peak of their sporting career, but if they use performance enhancing drugs to get to this level it is frowned upon by society. This essay examines performance enhancing drugs and should they be allowed in sports.
Pro athletes are also viewed as winners because they perform at such a higher level than the average athlete. This being said, there is a price for pro athletes who enjoy the fame and success. It’s hard to maintain a competitive edge over other athletes and some athletes are willing to do whatever it takes to win. For instance, they use drugs that are considered illegal, and they could be banned from their profession if caught. Therefore, many athletes are willing to risk it all by taking performance enhancing drugs to be the best in their profession mainly for three reasons: the pressure to perform, the life style, and the desire to be the best.
Now performance-enhancing drugs are being used more then ever by athletes to improve their athletic abilities. Athletes also use steroids because they want to be the best in the sport that they participate in. Even non-athletes are using steroids because they want to gain more muscle without doing all the work. The use of steroids is cheating. Through looking at the effects of performance-enhancing drugs, the unfair advantage they give a player, and the affects they cause others and sports they should be banned completely from the world of athletics.
This article will provide a broad overview of Anabolic Steroids and discuss the pros and cons of their use. Among the topics covered will be: a brief history of Anabolic Steroids, usage trends in athletes, physical and psychiatric effects, the relationship between Anabolic Steroids and other illicit drug use, and current medical uses of the drug. History of Testosterone and Anabolic Steroids: An Overview Testosterone is more than a “male sex hormone”. (1) It is an important contributor to the robust metabolic functioning of multiple bodily systems. (2) Testosterone has several positive effects on sexual function, but its most significant effect is on libido, sexual interest, and arousal.
Also many of these beverages are advertised with famous sport player, and other famous people making the product more appealing, not to mention how the products are advertised in magazines, TV, and newspapers. With innovation, the companies producing these products are constantly trying to find something more appealing to the consumer than the last product that was out on the shelves. These companies are also trying to develop new flavors as well as a variety of different affect the drinks can have on the consumer, such as a calming affect, a more energizing affect, or ever vitamin enriched beverage to support a health immune system. With globalization, these products are available virtually everywhere across the world. With globalization, these products are know by more people than if these products were only available in one particular area.
However, Purdue Pharma still denies OxyContin to be addictive. Its introduction has been a great economic success for Purdue Pharma and now accounts for eighty percent of the company’s total business (Goode and Inciardi 2). Because it has become popular with drug abusers, OxyContin has received a lot of unwanted attention by the media. As of March 1, 2007, prescription drug abuse will exceed other forms of illegal narcotics used worldwide (Kole 1). The pharmaceutical drug OxyContin is developed to be a very potent pain reliever used by patients with chronic illnesses, although, many users have developed extreme problems caused by the drug’s highly addictive nature.
What some people don’t know is that some supplements change into illegal steroids once their consumed. Some athletes don’t know where to stop so they keep consuming the P.E.D and one day either pass out or even worst and can result into death. The supplements are very easy to buy and you can get them about anywhere. International people outside of the U.S. buy them here at times and bring them back to their countries and end up being distributers out there. Athletes like Alex Rodriguez were drawn into them like Michael Jordan’s latest shoe.
The use of steroids not only will increase their level of play but also will increase their confidence level. The author of the article, “Steroids: The Good”, says, “One of the best Androgenic effects of steroids such as testosterone is that they help you think. Being in the zone and that state of complete focus are aided by high testosterone levels” (Ray). Due to the person taking it, the person will think they are more opt to do better because they are on this performance enhancing drug. For example, a baseball player takes steroids.
Athletes who use steroids to improve their performance don’t harm anyone else except themselves. Without steroids the game wouldn’t be that interesting and entertaining. However, using steroid will actually result into a one-sided game. According to Katz, Jeffrey “The use of performance enhancing drugs is not accidental it is planned and deliberate with the sole objective of getting an unfair advantage.” Athletes are trained to win and entertain the audiences. If one athlete uses blood-boosting drugs and the other one doesn’t, the game will go in favor of one using drugs because it will increase the chance of the athlete to win the game.
2. Steroids Increase VO2 max output Conclusion: I. Steroids may help the young athlete make the jump but gains are only temporary II. Steroids although my appear beneficial, offer many negative side effects some are irreversible. III. Every athlete seeks the competitive edge but steroids provide an unfair and illegal