A Leg Up

Steroids Used Not Be Used To Enhance Performance in Sports

Photo by Sam Moghadam on Unsplash

With athletes’ careers depending on their success, steroids seem like the perfect solution. Every athlete who takes steroids trusts that they will not get caught, knowing the serious consequences. Surprisingly, only 2% of steroid users get caught using a drug, leaving the other 98% with a competitive advantage with no serious negative effects on their careers. Because most athletes are not caught, steroid use has skyrocketed.

Steroids are synthetically produced variants of the naturally occurring male hormone testosterone. They are abused to promote muscle growth, enhance athletic ability and improve physical appearance. Athletes even frequently take two or more anabolic steroids together, ignoring the damage to the body these drugs cause.

However, when athletes are caught using illegal steroids, they are met with serious consequences, sometimes even ending their careers. Lance Armstrong, one of the greatest road-racing cyclists of all time who won seven Tour de France in a row, was caught using steroids and stripped of many of his victories. After severe pressure from the Anti-Doping Agency, Armstrong finally admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Not only were numerous of his titles taken away, his career and legacy became completely overshadowed. Additionally, MLB star player Barry Bonds, who holds the most home runs in a career and a single season, was also caught using steroids and has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame despite numerous years of being on the ballot.

Every professional league ensures fairness for each player and team; with steroids, players gain a significant advantage, ultimately leading to their success. Also, professional players have a significant public perception and influence on the youth. Not only are their careers ruined when caught using steroids, but their popularity can negatively impact many kids viewing them as their idols.

Performance-enhancing drugs also increase the risk of disease, cancer, stroke and heart problems. While steroid users will not experience these detrimental effects over a short period of time, they could suffer from mental side effects in the short term and life-threatening health problems in the long-term.

Ultimately, while steroids do have their advantages that will bring success to players’ careers, the health risks, ethical problems and fairness should be all the reasons why athletes should not take these drugs.