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Effects of steroids on the human body
Research paper on performance enhancing drugs in sports
Research paper on performance enhancing drugs in sports
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Brandon McCann English IV Mr. Doherty 3/9/14 Research paper outline Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Football In Forbes Magazine, David DiSalvo’s article “College football steroid use is rampant and little is done about it” talks about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in college football and its rising use in football today. Everybody always bashes baseball and other sports for steroid use but nobody really cares if it’s used in football and many people are starting to question why. Another question that needs to be answered is how are these football players not getting caught by the many drug tests they are forced to take. In most cases it’s blatantly obvious that most of these players are on something. David’s article has opened many of the football fans eyes and people seek the truth behind all of this. "Anabolic steroids is the familiar name for synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones (e.g., testosterone). They promote the growth of skeletal muscle (anabolic effects) and the development of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects) in both males and females”(National Institute on Drug Base).First, the benefits of steroids are very obvious to see. The user gains strength, mass, and speed in a short amount of time. Also, the user has a more aggressive attitude, which is good for football players. However, there are more bad side effects than good. The side effects include hair loss, acne, liver damage, kidney damage, increased breast tissue and becoming very aggressive. These are just some of the horrible bad side effects by using steroids. McCann 2 One of the many questions that need’s to be answered is why do football players use performance-enhancing drugs. Rachel Olander who is a resource special... ... middle of paper ... ... injury like they can today. This is exactly what would happen if all drugs vanished from professional sports” (Hodnik, Josh.”Steroids in the NFL” VPX Sports). David DiSalvo’s point is, why aren’t we doing anything about this? Should we care and try to clean up the mess of the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The effect of it is starting to trickle down to younger age groups. It started out in the pro’s, now in college, and actually even more current it’s starting as early as high school. If people want a clean and fair game then the heads of the pro football league and college football should be strict on all the testing’s. It’s getting out of hand and David’s exact words are right on point. It’s very obvious that most of these players are cheating and the NCAA and the NFL act like everything is just fine. They either do hardcore testing or don’t do it all.
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 ...
Jost, Kenneth. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs: An Overview." Performance Enhancing Drugs. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Rpt. from "Sports and Drugs." CQ Researcher 14 (23 July 2004): 616-622. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
Steroids are ruining sports in the United States, and they are also going to ruin future athletes if the United States does not put a stop to it. Many young athletes in the United States are taking performance enhancing drugs because they see that professional athletes are doing it and getting results. These teenagers are using steroids because they want to look muscular and fit, but they are not aware of the negative effects steroids have on their bodies. Young athletes do not know that they are not only risking their careers but also their bodies. Steroids may make a person look muscular and fit, but at the same time, it is ruining their heart. Steroids also cause people to act differently and do foolish things like using other drugs. Parents can prevent steroid use by teaching their children about it at a young age and staying involved in their children’s sport lives. Steroids have ruined professional careers. They ruined Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, and Barry Bonds’ careers and almost ruined Alex Rodriguez’s career. Professional athletes use steroids to improve their performance which is cheating. The game is not fair if someone is performing better by using drugs, and everybody should be performing with what they got. There are many different ways to achieve what they want in fair and healthier way. Many high school athletes are using steroids in the United States. They are not doing it under a doctor’s supervision; therefore, they are ruining their bodies without them knowing. Many of these athletes are looking at the outcome only and not what there are doing to their bodies in addition to getting stronger, muscular, and fit. All governing sport bodies in the United States need to take steroid testing seriously and give at...
College football would essentially turn into the NFL in a way. Even though performance enhancing drugs are banned from the National Football League all players are juiced and talented as if they were taking steroids. For instance, in college football Alabama is a dominate team every year. Most players on their roster look as if they have all taken performance enhancing drugs at some point in their life. “Many players gained weight at remarkable rates compared with their fellow athletes and while accounting for their heights” (Disalvo). If every college football player could use performance enhancing drugs then every player would be superior which would lead to every team being evenly matched. Clearly, Performance enhancing drugs improve cardiovascular endurance and revamp muscle size (Lebeauf). Performance enhancing drugs are also used to assist athletes with pain conditions from overtraining or injuries sustained in play (Lebeauf). College athletics as a whole can affect many people. Because coaches as well as board members can lose their jobs depending on the success of their team, athletes are pushed to their limits to get the most out of training so they are prepared for play. In consequence, many injuries occur throughout a full sporting season. Some injuries are more severe than others, but nonetheless any injury will impact an athlete. Overall, the positives
This article effectively communicates the idea to its audience, of how large of a problem the use of performance enhancing drugs has become in sports. Using logos mostly to persuade the reader, Sullivan conveys his position with multiple examples of how things have changed throughout the years and the possible negative effects that may arise in the future. The author presents a need for intervention, but also feels discouraged about the possibility of one happening in the near future, that doesn’t involve punishment by which he ends by stating “pass the syringe”(Sullivan 3), symbolizing defeat in the fight against illegal drugs.
The era in sports from the late 90s and into the 2000s has often been nicknamed “The Steroid Age” due to the raging use of anabolic steroids and other PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) by professional athletes. The usage of drugs in sports has never been more prevalent during this time, and many people are making it their goal to put an end to the abuse. Influential athletes such as Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez, and Roger Clemens, who were once held as the highest role models to the American people, now watch as their legacies are tarnished by accusations of drug use. The American population, and lovers of sports everywhere, have followed in astonishment through recent years as many beloved athletes reveal their dark secrets. As organizations such as the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) and BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) attempt to halt the use of PEDs, both the drug users and their high-end suppliers work diligently to avoid detection. The use of performance enhancing drugs in recent years has proven to be cancerous to the honesty and competition of modern sports. Although some strides have been made over the past few decades, the use of steroids is in full swing in Major League Baseball, The dangerous side effects of the drugs are often overlooked and many do not realize the message this sends to the youth. The support for halting the usage of PEDs is in need of attention or professional sports will face the loss of all progress made through the past two decades in its war on steroids.
The number of players abusing drugs in the NFL is increasing every year (www.cbs.sportsline.com). This is concerning because it seems like more and more players each year get caught either using drugs, or being involved in some kind of drug activity. The only drug being used that is on the decline is anabolic steroids. This decline is due to several players in the 1970's and 80's dying before they could see their kids make it to high school. The first player to publicly come clean about being addicted to drugs was Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. He was a Dallas Cowboys linebacker who played in three Super Bowls. He told the world about his addiction in 1981. He claims that a player using cocaine and marijuana was very uncommon at his rookie season. The more he played, the more drugs he began to take. He claims that since he came clean, the problems have been getting worse. More and more players keep doing drugs even after they hear of players having drug problems. If these...
Steroids can help but they do have very severe side effects. “Overall the usage of steroids is very damaging to the human body.” In men, the steroids can cause shrinkage to the testicles, decrease sperm count, sterility, impotence, prostate enlargement, and growth of breasts. Most of the side effects cannot be reversed. The most severe side effect of steroids is on the liver. It is called Peliosis Hepatis, which is a blood-filled cyst in the liver. If the cysts rupture, they can cause liver failure. That would most likely kill the person. In women, it can sue the growth of facial hair, shrinkage of the uterus, sterility, deepening of the voice, decrease in breast size, and irregularity in the menstrual cycle. In both men and women, jaundice, edema of feet and ankles (water retention), headaches, aching joints, reduction in HDL, high blood pressure, stroke, hair loss, liver ailments, acne, atherosierosis and cancer. When injected some of the risks are developing hematons and getting AIDS and HIV. Taking steroids shortens the life span up to twenty years and a chance of getting diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension. The side effects are reactions from using steroids are endless.
...ia has told them. The legalization of steroids in sports would not only have positive effects on the fans and players but also on the sport itself. Steroids would not only create better, but safer games. Many of the steroid arguments about players would subside and overall the playing fields for athletes would be more equal, and would yield greater competition. While steroids have had a presence in sports, they will only continue to be around and create a bigger and bigger presence unless something is done. Since taking asteroids out of every sport is nearly impossible, the only way to keep the game fair may be to legalize steroids. The legalization of steroids does not mean that every player has to take them, it is still a choice, it just means that players have the opportunity to take them and try to increase their athletic ability without getting in trouble.
Latiner, C. (n.d.). STEROIDS AND DRUG ENHANCEMENTS IN SPORTS. THE REAL PROBLEM AND THE REAL SOLUTION. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from https://laworgs.depaul.edu/journals/sports_law/Documents/Steroid%20Problem%20by%20Laitner.pdf
While the effects of steroids can seem desirable at first, there are serious side effects. Excessive use can cause a harmful imbalance in the body's normal hormonal balance and body chemistry. Heart attacks, water retention leading to high blood pressure and stroke, and liver and kidney tumors all are possible. Young people may develop and a halting of bone growth. Males may experience shrinking testicles, falling sperm counts, and enlarged prostates. Women frequently show signs of masculinity and may be at higher risk for certain types of and the possibility of birth defects in their children. The psychological effects of steroid use are also alarming: drastic mood swings, inability to sleep, and feelings of hostility. Steroids may also be psychologically addictive. Once started, users, particularly athletes, enjoy the physical "benefits" of increased size, strength, and endurance so much that they are reluctant to stop even when told about the risks. Major athletic competitions, including the Olympics, routinely screen athletes to prevent steroid use.
Some of the ill effects of the drugs are damage to the kidneys and liver. A person can also alter the balance of the natural hormones. This can cause detrimental affects to the body. The effects of you natural hormones being out of balance can last several years after being off the drugs. Some male user form breasts due to the use of steroids. Because of the increase in testosterone, steroids can cause serious acne problems. When used by teens is can cause stunted growth. Other side effects include genital changes, water retention, yellow eyes, coronary artery disease, ligament injuries, high blood pressure, changes in cholesterol levels, sterility and liver disease. The list goes on and on. Women that use steroids run the risk of male pattern baldness. Some effects of steroids are even worse. Some people fall into comas after injecting the drugs, some may even die from the injections (Kalawalski 13-15).
Before I can tell you the effects steroids have had in sports you first understand a few post and side effects of steroids. Anabolic steroids or anabolic androgenic steroids are types of synthetic drugs that are designed to act like the effects of the hormone, testosterone. In a few studies, some volunteers reported “aggression or undesirable, explicit behaviors” resulting from the anabolic steroid use.
Overall, 1,463 young athletes died between 1980 and 2005”(NY Daily News). This is a terrifying statistic and will only continue to rise. On the other hand, Radley Balko, senior writer and investigative journalist at The Huffington Post, participated in a debate about steroids in 2008, he said “As we've seen with government bans on consensual activity -- from alcohol to gambling to cocaine to prostitution -- prohibitions not only don't work, they make the activity in question more dangerous by pushing it underground” (The Huffington Post).... ...
Another dangerous substance is anabolic steroids. People use anabolic steroids as an illegal way to enhance their testosterone within their body as well as increase their muscle mass. Every time someone uses anabolic steroids it is considered abuse because using anabolic steroids is never recommended for you by any officials. Side effects of the drug can result in paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment from a large ego. (Steroids) Long term effects include euphoria, confusion, sleeping disorders, pathological anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations.