Combating Drug Misuse in Professional Sports

”Doctors ought to quit worrying about what ball players are taking. What players take doesn’t matter. It’s nobody else’s business. The doctors should spend their time looking for cures for cancer” – Barry Bonds (Robson 8). A popular topic for discussion seems to always cover the concerns of athletes using drugs in sports. However, little discussion has led to prevention of this happening. Athletes today use such a variety of drugs that medical necessity and misuse have become one in the same which goes to say that using drugs in sports is cheating and will always be cheating. Something must happen to prevent this misuse as soon as possible. Instead, the world tends to “put on blinds” and continue to allow the misuse. Athletes need to understand
When athletes take drugs to get high or have fun it is called recreational use (Meer 22). All athletes do this to relieve the pressure that they are under during a game or whatever the sport they are participating in. This is by far the most common use for drugs in sports in the world today because of its relaxing effects. Performance enhancing drugs, PEDs, are available from multiple sources to enhance the performance of athletes (Meer 22-23). PED’S are the safest type of drugs for use by an athlete wanting to use, all in all, they have more positive effects on health than that of other drugs that are used. From the high school to collegiate level PED’s are the most commonly used. Athletes are even known to take painkillers to numb the repeated abuse on their bodies (Meer 24). Athletes can take this anytime of the day without anyone finding out. Being able to take this type of drugs makes without anyone finding can also make these types of drugs addictive. Painkillers are common for older athletes for the fact that they can get a hold of them easier than a younger athlete can. In some case athletes must take these drugs to help them make it through the day or even to sleep at