Peds Should Be Banned

Performance Enhancing Drugs, also known as PEDs, are used by more than 20% of athletes in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage. Many people are debating about how the problem of PED usage should be treated. PEDs harm the world of sports in many different ways and the usage of them needs to be stopped.
One way in which PEDs harm the sporting world is by giving users an unfair physical advantage. For example, some PEDs can boost strength by 38% or increase endurance by 34%. This is enough of a boost to give an almost guaranteed victory to users of PEDs. Also, PEDs helped Lance Armstrong, former professional biker, to win seven Tour de Frances (professional biking competitions) in a row. Accomplishing this would’ve been very difficult without the use of PEDs, and created imbalance in that legitimate players couldn’t win. Last, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse said that PEDs “do, in fact,

enhance certain types of physical performance.” These enhancements give an advantage to certain athletes, ruining the careers of others. PEDs help specific athletes to win, which creates an unfair environment in many sports.
Another manner in which PEDs harm the sporting world is by causing harmful side effects to athletes’ bodies and careers which could leave lasting effects on their lives.

For instance, PEDs can cause cancer, acne, stunted growth in teenagers, liver tumors, aggressive behavior, and other harmful side effects. These effects could change athletes’ lives and potentially even kill them. Also, PEDs can cause reproductive issues, such as impotence (a reduction of sperm generated) and reduced testicle size in males, and problems with fertility and the menstrual cycle in females. These effects could change an athlete’s life permanently, as they might not be able to reproduce in the future. Finally, many athletes have lost their career because of PEDs. Lance Armstrong was stripped of all seven of his Tour de France medals and lost his career when he was caught using PEDs. Athletes who lose their career lose their source of income, possibly resulting in poverty. PEDs harm athletes’ bodies and careers in many different ways and affect their lives negatively in the

future.
Critics say that legalizing PEDs would enhance sporting by making it fairer. The critics say that because all players would be able to use PEDs, sporting would be more balanced. However, this argument is flawed. Not every person would be able to afford PEDs or be morally fine with taking them. Because of this, poor athletes or athletes with certain morals would likely not be able to win or even have a fair competition
Without PEDs, sporting would be fairer and safer for every athlete. Sporting organizations need to invest more time and money into preventing the usage of PEDs.

Works Cited
Granderson, LZ. “Did Lance Armstrong Cheat? I Don't Care.” ESPN.com, 18 Feb. 2011.
Saletan, William. “The Beam in Your Eye.” Nature Magazine.