The Double Life of Athletes Using Steroids

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The Double Life of Athletes Using Steroids 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. Who is your hero? If that question was asked to a group of people, some might think of loved ones or family, and some may talk about doctors, firemen, or even a teacher. However, most would probably say their hero was some celebrity or star athlete. While some celebrities and athletes can justifiably be labeled "heroes", there are some people who may appear to be heroic, but lead a completely different life off the field. Even movies in Hollywood mirror this double lifestyle. After watching Any Given Sunday in class I was appalled by the casual drug use in the film by two particular football players. During the day these two men made tremendous strides for their team (the Sharks), but at night these men were completely different. They were snorting cocaine and other illegal drugs while they appeared to be entertained by prostitutes. Even though this movie was not based on a true story, it can very well resemble the truth in athletics today. There are several athletes who have been arrested and convicted of crimes, however three men have been the center of attention for the past few years. Players such as Daryl Strawberry, Michael Irvin, and Ray Lewis have proved to be heroes for their team and even the sports they play for, but their lives are far less than heroic. Drug use, sexual assault, and murder are the charges brought upon some of these men. Daryl Strawberry had always seemed like a natural when it came to baseball. He was a starting player for the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, an... ... middle of paper ... ...ouldn't do work cited because I didn't know enough information on where it was from or when exactly it was written). -Stats, Inc. Career Statistics - Primary. 1999. http://espn.go.com/nfl/profiles/ stats/primary/0232.html. -Baro, Madeline. Williams, Irvin investigated on sex assault charges. 31 Dec. 1996. http://amarillonet.com/stories/123196/williams.html. -Scott, Steve. Pretrial testimony begins in Irvin case. 12 June 1996. http://texnews.com/ cowboys/pretrial061296.html. -Court TV.com. Baseball Star Daryl Strawberry arrested again, jailed. 25 Oct. 2000. http://courttv.com/people/2000/1025/strawberry_ap.html. -Sporting News. Drugs found in Irvin apartment. 14 June 2000. http://tsn.sportingnews. com/nfl/20000811/252158.html. -Baseball Reference. Statistics for Strawberry. http://www.baseball-reference.com/ s/strawda01.shtml.

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