Steroids Use Among Athletes

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Abstract: With the increase of competition has also come the need to become bigger and stronger than the opponent. The use of steroids among athletes has caused the focus of the game to change. No longer does an athlete want to win by doing their best, but they want to become bigger and have an advantage over the opponent. Ultimately, all athletes feel that they need to use performance-enhancing drugs to compete at the same level. Despite all of the warnings and information on performance-enhancing drugs, athletes continue to use them and overlook the potential health risks associated with steroids. With the concern of becoming bigger and stronger rising among athletes, the focus of the game has drifted out of sight. It is almost as if it is more important to be bigger rather than better than the other team. As more and more athletes use the muscle enhancing drugs and other forms of steroids, the athlete's performance and health comes into question. Many people could begin to wonder if an athlete is capable of the same achievements attained without the help of a steroid. Could these same drugs cause the addition of an asterisk next to a record, due to the fact that the athlete was using an enhancement drug? Does this mean that the athletes of today are only better than those of the past due to performance enhancing drugs and not skill? Answers to these questions should be thought through carefully along with the consequences of steroid use. Are the long-term affects of steroids worth the wins that will soon be forgotten over time? Steroids have been used for decades by doctors treating men whose bodies do not produce enough testosterone naturally. Steroids can be used to treat asthma as well. It ... ... middle of paper ... .... 1999 Hayden, Thomas, and Karen Springen. "McGwire's Power Supply." Newsweek 7 Sept. 1998. 10 Oct. 1999 Kuhn, Cynthia, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Buzzed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998. Longley, Jennifer. "Hazard Alert." People. 12 Oct. 1998. 2 Nov. 1999 Marks, Alexandra. "Schools Wrestle with 'Bulk in a Bottle.'" Christian Science Monitor. 30 Sept. 1998. 15 Oct. 1999 Narcotic Educational Foundation of America. Anabolic Steroids. (pamphlet) 20June. 1991 Schrof, Joannie M., and Brendan I. Koerner. "McGwire Hits the Pills." U.S. News & World Report. 7 Sept. 1998. 28 Oct. 1999 Sibbald, Barbara. "Sports-Medicine MDs Want Steroid Supplements Off Shelves." Canadian Medical Association Journal 159. 9 (1998) : 1075. Zorpette, Glenn. "Andro Angst." Scientific American 279. 6 (1998). 30 Oct. 1999

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