The Use of Steroids in Sports

With the use of steroids in the world of sports there is no telling whose deserving of the rewards of good sportsmanship or not, this is unsettling. Using drugs to gain advantage is wrong and very unfair to the honest hardworking opponents that have worked very hard to become the best at their profession or hobby. Professional athletes should absolutely be tested to make sure that no one gets away with it and have very extreme legal repercussions. This could include serious fines, being kicked off the team, and possibly even jail time. If people that use marijuana or other illegal substances go to jail for it-athletes should be no different. The embarrassment of it being publicized is not enough on its own. The use of steroids are only temporarily strength enhancing and it is just not worth it when it comes down to it. In the long run it causes health problems and aggression issues that can ruin careers and lives. Health problems such as more chances to get hurt easier and heart problems can end a career extremely prematurely or even a life. Is it not better to know that someone had worked as hard as possible to reach a goal, not cheat? It is not an achievement, more like a waste of time for everyone. Sure, a thief always feels better when they get things quicker-but in the long run it's not all that satisfying and they always go to the next thing they want. The users become scary to their family, friends, and other people close to them due to the aggression it causes. Not only that, but it can cause all kinds of different types of mood swings. Whether it be becoming violent or being extremely down in the dumps, this has a negative affect on everyone connected to the user's life, along with theirs. Why do this to loved ones? Is there really a level of pure satisfaction that is reached? Do athletes just keep using forever? This is what many wonder. The addiction to winning and being the best, is it really worth it? Is this more important than family and friends? Is it more important than health and self respect?

With the risks of using steroids and other strength enhancing drugs, is it really all that worth it? Risks include hallucinations, mood swings, insomnia, liver damage, and among other things - paranoia. There are other health risks such as increased risk in heart problems and some types of cancers. There are problems that are gender specific also. Steroids enhance testosterone increasing facial hair and giving normally feminine bodies masculine physical traits. For men steroids can cause impotence, sterility, testicular shrinkage, and breast development. (Kids Health, 2003) As a woman, there has to be a level of wanting to insure a long healthy life. Are muscles that important when there are worries along the lines of cancers and other health risks? Is it really worth losing that feminine charm? That's what would happen after a while of a female using Steroids.

The users want to become stronger and physically more appealing. What does it matter if it is temporary? What does it matter if in the end they end up dead or end up the opposite of what a person of their sex should look physically? This is what will end up happening in the long run. There are many other ways to become stronger and healthier. Eating a healthy diet, making sure to practice as much as they can, and proper strength training is a sure fire way to stay on the right track.(Kids Health, 2003) Asking a nutritionist to help figure out a diet that can increase strength is one of the best steps someone could take. Face it, with their health; Athletes have a better chance of living longer and this also gives them a better chance to play longer and harder. Who wants to end their career on such a horrible, embarrassing note? Who wants to die so young in their life when trying to reach a goal or trying to build a life for themselves and their family? It's obvious that they are striving to be the next Babe uth or Michael Jordan. This is not the way to go, though. Athletes must build up their energies and strength. It is not healthy and especially not legal to use strength enhancing drugs. It destroys a balance in a body that can never be the same. Meaning, once the body is destroyed-there is no pressing rewind. There is no restart button.Professional athletes have a lot on their plate, of course this is obvious. With their being in the spotlight, it becomes pretty obvious that they are role models. Many children and even quite a few adults admire them. This is a problem in regards to steroid users, because this can either influence or disappoint their fans. Do they really want the young children to be influenced by athletes that cheat and use drugs? Is it not enough that there is a whole world of other bad influences? Now the world has to worry about sport players influencing children into using illegal drugs, too? The government should demand all athletes in professional sports get tested for steroids every so often throughout the year. This should be a law set in stone that there should be very serious consequences if found that an athlete is in fact using. There are laws and yes, there are consequences in most high profile cases, but there are thousands of athletes getting away with this. It is almost as if Steroids is not really included in the war on drugs. How dare they think that they can get away with what everyone else can not with use of other drugs, too! There is absolutely no one above the law, but yet it is seemingly more and more obvious that people care more about sports and their money than they do about their players breaking the law. (Miah, Andrew, Lancet; 9/10/2005, Vol. 366 Issue 9489, p874-876, 3p)

We need to consider how it affects their family and friends. This is not only embarrassing for the athlete himself or herself, but it is almost always something the family has to deal with, too. An athlete's children might have to deal with children bullying them over it. They might even have to deal with other parents. The husbands and wives of the athletes also have to deal with the rumor mills and deal with people talking behind their backs, snickering, and snooty attitudes. Professional athlete's families can be affected extremely because they could lose their job and owe the league money. This is horrible for families. Losing everything is never good for anyone! If these people loved their families why in the world would they do this? This happens more often than the world thinks. It is a selfish decision and does not help anyone in the long run. So they hit a few extra home runs? So, maybe they win a few extra games. That's not fair at all. Not fair to absolutely anyone. These people are feeding their families with money that they've earned unfairly, almost stolen from their boss. If caught, they could lose all of that and then what would they do? Live in poverty? They are obviously hurting more than just themselves. It's also fairly embarrassing for the owners of the teams. They lay out their money and time on making the player the best he or she can be. They try hard to accommodate them. This is just not right on many levels.

It is easy to understand why an athlete would feel like they had to get better with all of the pressures in professional sports to stay fit and become better athletes. It gets stressful, but so does every other profession. We all strive to better ourselves in all aspects of our lives professionally, personally, and physically. We are all looking for ways to become better. This does not give us the right to cheat by doing it. There are people out there that do not cheat that are more deserving for the place on the team than the illegal drug users are. The country should definitely be worried, because this problem is increasing and without someone to take a stand it will probably continue until there's no turning back like other drugs. Is it really all worth it?