Performance Enhancement Drugs
Performance Enhancement Drugs, also known as PED’s, are drugs that athletes use to become
better and stronger competitors. Performance Enhancement Drugs have been around since 776
BC - 393 BC. In fact, the Ancient Greeks used PED’s in their battles. PED’s were accepted
worldwide in the 1920’s by MLB, NBA, NHA, NFL, and in Hollywood. After there was testing
done to the PED’s they found out that they were harmful to human bodies and could even be
deadly. These drugs create an unfair advantage to those taking PED’s because they get better by
taking pills instead of doing drills and going to the gym. Not only are Performance Enhancement
Drugs unfair but, they can also harm the body in so many ways.
There are around
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192 banned performance drugs used in sports. Performance Enhancement Drugs are banned from sports because they are dangerous and in some cases they can be deadly. The USADA advises you to never use them. The USADA stands for the United States Anti-Doping Agency. According to the USADA, “If the deposits get stuck in the heart, it could cause a heart attack.”The USADA also says, “ If the deposits get stuck in the brain, it could cause a stroke.” Some of the side effects that could happen to a male are developing breast tissue, shrinking of the testicles, and reduction of sperm production. Some side effects that could happen to a female are abnormal menstrual cycle, cessation of breast development, and growth of hair in the face, stomach and back. There are more than seven side effects alone that may occur if you take Human Growth Hormone Performance Enhancement Drugs. Some of those side effects being high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes, tumors, and severe headaches. Some of the side effects for Diuretics Performance Enhancement Drugs include a drop in blood pressure, dehydration, and muscle cramps. There are a lot of side effects for Stimulant Performance Enhancement Drugs. Several of those effects being anxiety, tremors, dependence and addiction, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and an increased risk of stroke, heart attack and cardiac arrhythmia. Narcotics also having a long list of side effects, some of them being nausea, vomiting, and decreased heart rate. You could be seriously harmed by taking Performance Enhancement Drugs. Lance Armstrong was one of the most famous cyclist in America. He was adored by the people for winning the Tour de France not once or twice but, a record of seven times. His prime time was from 1999 to 2005. Lance Armstrong was caught using Performance Enhancement Drugs. Everyone wondered how he could be using drugs despite the fact that he is a cancer survivor. He lost all seven of his Tour de France medals and he also lost his bronze medal from the 2000 Olympics. Armstrongs manager would help him inject the drugs into his body. In some cases, managers of the athletes wouldn't tell anyone about the PED’s because when the athlete is doing good in their sport, that makes them more valuable and when the athlete is more valuable to the sport then the manager makes more money. In fact, is a drug tester went near Armstrong, he would dodge the test by dropping out of the race. Armstrong would also influence his teammates to use Performance Enhancement Drugs. If Armstrong thought that anyone was a threat to him or his career he would ruin their reputations and spread untrue rumors about the person. Armstrong went from being the most loved and adored athlete to being the most hated athlete. The USADA released a report on how Lance Armstrong cheated on October 10, 2012. Not only did Armstrong lose his seven Tour de France titles and his bronze Olympic medal but, he was also banned from cycling for the rest of his life. He also lost all of his sponsors and he is no longer the head of Livestrong. Armstrong is trying to fight the charges and he's trying to get his awards back but it's not working out.
Armstrong says, “ If you take me back to 1995, Id
probably do it again.” I don't think that Armstrong deserves to get his medals back. Performance
Enhancement Drugs can change someone's perspective on the sport itself. Lance Armstrong was
so focused on using the drugs and not getting caught that he ruin all of the relationships that he
had with his teammates. The competitive side of Armstrong grew bigger than what it use to be.
He stopped being a team player and starting being a bully. The drugs literally changed him into
being a mean athlete that no one looks up to. Performance Enhancement Drugs are illegal in
sports because they are thought of as cheating. It is not fair to the other athletes who compete
sober.
Another famous athlete who was caught using Performance Enhancement Drugs was Alex
Rodriguez, also know as A-Rod. He was one of the best players in Major League Baseball. He
played for the New York Yankees and won three American League Most Valuable Player
Awards. A-Rod was suspended from the MLB for around a year for the usage of PED’s.
Athletes who take Performance Enhancement Drugs are so focused on winning and becoming
the best athlete in their sport that they don't focus on the important features on taking the
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drugs, which is their health. PED’s are not good for the human health yet athletes still take them to what they think will make them the best in their sport. As if hard work and dedication is too hard for them to do so they just take the shortcut by taking pills and injecting themselves. Some would say that Performance Enhancement Drugs are good for athlete because it makes them bigger, better, and stronger.
In a way they would be right because athletes who use PED’s,
in some type of way, they do get either bigger, better, and/or stronger but, I would risk my health
or my life for the amount of talent I would have in my sport. I don't think anyone should risk
that. If someone told me that doing something that I loved would threaten my life in any way,
shape or form then I would not do it. In my opinion, my life is way more important than a hobby
or a career. People who choose to take Performance Enhancement Drugs are choosing to harm
themselves. Not only are they harming themselves but, they are also harming their teammates,
their families, and their fans. Professional athletes are too famous to only think about themselves.
They also have to make sure not to put any bad name on their team names.
Therefore I do not believe that people of any kind should be taking Performance Enhancement
Drugs for any reason. I think it is too much harm to a person's life and it could change the way
someone views the athlete or person. I also believe that the competitive side of someone is
almost as unhealthy as the the person who has taken PED’s before. They get so caught up
on winning and being the best that they are obsessed with the drugs. Which is another way they would get addicted to PED’s. Performance Enhancement Drugs could make an athlete bigger, better and stronger but that means nothing when it could cause your life. The amount of use of Performance Enhancement Drugs has decreased over time but, there are some who believe that the associations are not doing anything to stop the amount of Performance Enhancement Drugs in the programs. Some also believe that associations are easy on athlete who use PED’s. For example, the first violation for using PED’s in the MLB is a fifty game suspension. Second violation is a one hundred game suspension. The third violation is a permanent suspension from the MLB. Even though the MLB hasn't had trouble with Performance Enhancement Drugs in a while, they still fear that it could become a problem again in the future.
ballplayer who was nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball.
To fully understand this book, people must go behind the book and find the true state of mind of the author. Unfortunately in this case, the author is the one and only Jose Canseco. Jose Canseco is what I like to call, “The black sheep in the family of baseball.” Canseco’s history can be related to such incidents of drug using, heavy drinking, numerous sexual encounters with hundreds of partners, and unreasonable acts of violence. This book goes into grave detail on how steroids have changed his life and how it is currently changing baseball.
Performance enhancing drugs have been a longstanding problem in sports. It not only deteriorates the honesty of the game, but also can have broader social affects that one may not even realize. The use of performance enhancing drugs is especially apparent in Major League Baseball. This problem can be traced back to the 1980’s when baseball was facing one of its first “dark periods”. During the 1980’s Major League Baseball was experiencing a home run drought. Home run totals were down as far as they had been since Babe Ruth, and fans were seemingly becoming bored with the sport. The lack of home runs was a growing concern for players whose salary relied on home run totals. Players needed to find a quick way to boost their power and performance in order to keep the sport alive and to keep bringing in their paychecks. This desire for fame and fortune introduced steroids into Major League Baseball in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Home run totals jumped tremendously during these decades and players were willing to risk being caught using illegal substances in order to shine above the rest. New idols and role models started to sprout up from these outstanding home run statistics and young children started to take notice. This all came tumbling down when these new idols and role models who were making the big bucks and hitting the ball out of the park tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Here lie the affects of a growing social problem in sports. These famed athletes become walking advertisements and promotions for the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports. The influence professional athletes have over aspiring young athletes is very powerful and these roles models make it seem acceptable to use performance ...
Marcovitz, Hal. How Serious a Problem Is Drug Use in Sports? San Diego: Reference Point Press, 2013. Print.
Red, Christian. "Alex Rodriguez Timeline: From Mariners Top Pick to Biogenesis Dope, a Look Back at A-Rod's Big League Career ." NYDailyNews.com. NYDailyNews.com, 05 Aug. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
In the early 80’s many professional players began to discover steroids, but Major League Baseball had not. As more and more cases of these drugs came about the most serious was that of Mark McGwire who was racing Sammy Sosa to try and break Roger Maris’s single season homerun record ("The Steroids Era "). McGwire admitted to using steroids just before he broke the record hitting 70 homeruns in one season. Later, Sosa was also found to have been using steroids during this period. These events seemed to spark the events of the next decade and beyond with more and more players being busted for steroids ("Event Timeline ").
Some Athletes in society today are considered heroes despite their double lives. Their drug use and violence are brushed aside while leading their teams to victory.
At age 16, Taylor Hooton was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. Hooton was a pitcher for his high school baseball team. His baseball coach told him that if he wanted to be an all-star player, he would have to get bigger. (Ingram) Taylor decided to take steroids orally and by injection at the same time, to get bigger. During the winter of 2003 Taylor gained 30 pounds of muscle. (Ingram) Taylor’s attitude took a dramatic turn. He started punching through walls when angry and yelling at his closest friends. (Ingram) When he decided to stop using steroids he became severely depressed and a month after his 17th birthday, he committed suicide. (Ingram) His coach pressured him take steroids to be a star, but if Major League Baseball really cracked down on steroid use then Taylor might not have started taking steroids in the first place and he could still be alive today. Although many scholars have argued that a suspension and a fine will fix the drug problem in baseball, banning the players for life on the first offense will be a better way to stop it from continuing.
The use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs is a common trend that is currently fascinating athletes all over the world. Athletes who are using these drugs are damaging the sport and harming their bodies at the same time. Seeking a greater athletic physique and ability, athletes turned to the use of steroids. Once the dangers and possible health risks arose, athletes then turned to performance enhancers. Two specific supplements have taken the sports world by storm and now are being used by athletes of all ages. They are androstenedione and creatine. It took years until people began to understand how dangerous steroids really were. These performance enhancers, like androstenedione and creatine are going to produce the same results.
enhancing drugs are the health risks. There are many more downs than ups with the use
“Performance Enhancing Drugs: Know the Risks.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 June 2013
middle of paper ... ... For these reasons alone, I believe that performance-enhancing drugs should remain illegal for the welfare of athletes. Performance-enhancing drugs should continue to be banned from professional sports because they have side effects that athletes may be unaware of, there is a disadvantage to athletes that do use PED’s and it is unfair to previous athletes who hold records.
...abolin and Winstrol, both steroids that were and still are banned in the MLB. Near the end of the series, Clemens approached McNamee asking for help on injecting steroids. McNamee stated that towards the end of Clemens 1998 season, he showed remarkable improvements in his playing. "I put a lot of work into that career," he said. "I appreciate my teammates who came in and all the emails and phone calls from my teammates” (Duncan). Clemens did work hard in all his seasons and he should never have that credit taken away from him but in all truth, the steroids he took did help him to train longer and harder than his body would have allowed without the steroids, which in a way can be considered as “cheating.” Roger Clemens was an outstanding player and his achievements will never be over looked but that is hard when you know he had “help” to get those achievements.
Lance Armstrong is the best Cyclist out there today. He would win race after race, tour after tour, but he only accomplished this because of the use of performance enhancing drugs. He used a drug called EPO which is an illegal transfusion of oxygenated blood cells that are put into an athlete’s body to help their blood cells stay oxygenated. This drug would take the athletes ability to perform for a long period of time to a whole knew level. This gave players, cyclist, and runners such an advantage that they could be stripped of their titles or medals received if they were caught. Oprah Winfrey interviewed lance about his use of drugs....
The drug abuse is the most significant concern among the American people today. As sports are a microcosm of life, drug abuse may now be the greatest problem faced by the athletic community. It has been suggested that the incidence of drug abuse is no greater in sports than in the general population. We are only more acutely aware of it because of the extreme visibility of athletes. The rash of suspensions due to drug testing violations in the NFL recently suggests that its occurrence may be significant and increasing. The widespread use of drugs in professional sports deserves special attention by everyone within and outside of the sports world because of the very exposur...