Sports illustrated interviewed a cohort (group of people) of elite Olympic athletes, asking, “If you were given a performance-enhancing substance, you would not be caught, and you would win, would you take it? Ninety-eight percent of athletes answered yes.”(Charleston) That is a big number. Big risk with such a small chance of success. Taking drugs to enhance your performance is just not right. Striving to get better, takes patience and perseverance. Athletes are known for their road they take to get to where they are today. Along with jail time, athletes that commit illegal acts should be banned from their sport, for their careers will never be the same, children should not look up to athletes who do those things, and the chance of losing …show more content…
Firstly, As BleacherReport states, “As perceived role models those cases can influence society greater than many other crimes, especially in terms of public opinion.” (Josh Schoch) Athletes are humans just like the rest of us, yet the ones who screw up, teach younger athletes the wrong way, encouraging them to do the wrong and not the right. In today’s society, even the smallest things can reach the biggest stages. When sports collide with social media, anything and everything can go wrong. When that event reaches the fingers of younger athletes, than their perspective on life changes. The next thing you know the child grasps the information and is pressured to try it for themselves, because they want to be just like you. Athletes that take certain medicines for medical purposes should not be banned, just the ones that take those drugs that oppose the rules of their sport.“Obviously, it’s easy to find athletes who do not deserve our admiration. We crave the bad over the good news, even though the good news is what happens most on a normal day.”(Mclendon) We crave the bad news, because we should always do good and that's what everybody is used …show more content…
Meanwhile, TheRichest illustrates, “Even in cases where the athlete is declared innocent (or the charges are dropped) their reputation can be permanently damaged. Despite their prominent standing in society, athletes are not immune to the stigma attached to committing crimes.”(Adrianna) People may say athletes that take drugs for medical reasons should not be banned. Athletes themselves have a prominent place in society, yet that doesn’t mean they are invincible from the rest of us. Their reputation can be the best out there, yet the next thing you know they’re at the bottom of society where the pity is on them. Being an athlete is a privilege, not a guarantee. In saying that, one wrong move can turn your career upside down. Yet, in some situations, there are the lucky ones who get away with these illegal acts.”In 1991 Roy Tarpley was banned by the NBA for substance abuse. The would-be star lost three years of his promising career because of drugs.”(Diaz) This is a perfect example of what can happen when you take the risk of
Performance-enhancing drugs (PED 's) have been an issue for many decades now for the medical and sports field. Olympic and professional athletes have been using them to gain an upper hand on the competition, but some may ask if it 's really worth it? Studies show that performance-enhancing drugs have been proven to negatively affect the health of athletes who take them. Simply put, performance-enhancing drugs could either improve athletic performance or can be extremely dangerous, in certain situations, deadly. There have been strict rules and drug testing in the professional sporting organizations, as well as in world competitions. For example, in the summer of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, in two of the
Drugs in sports is becoming a problem everywhere. “Another 26-year old athlete died of liver cancer after taking a number of different types of steroids over a four year period ” (Drugs and…). This is significant because this shows how dangerous drugs can be. If we have drug testing in schools this student could still be alive and would have stopped drugs before it got bad. The evidence points to the fact that drugs are a major health risk that is very concerning. In some cases taking drugs can even lead to death. In addition, another situation took place that affected a college student named Bob. Bob tried everything to gain weight so he could play football, so he chose to try steroids like everyone else. Steroids got him to play professional football, but horrible things were happening to him. He was having serious health problems. Bob quit drugs and is lucky to be alive (Drugs and…). This connects to the fact that doing drugs is a major
Drugs can take over someone’s life it’s an addiction, and a hard one to overcome. With the kind of money NFL football players make you can see many fall into the trap of drugs. When using Jamal Lewis case to prove the point that professional athletes shouldn’t get banned from their sport because of a drugs you can see why. If Jamel Lewis didn’t get a second chance, he would have not signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2007. Lewis would not have the 3rd most rushing yards of all time, and get the Ravens Ring of Honor on September 27, 2012. Many people make mistakes and being a professional athlete have a lot of pressure on you. Everyone should get a second chance no matter the outcome of your
As we all know, the older the athlete gets, limitations begin to effect the athlete in the things they used to excel in. As an athlete ages, that athlete begins to notice his abilities start to weaken. When one’s whole career has revolved around a sport, and those natural declines in ability start happening, the athlete starts to look for other alternatives. That is when sports-enhancing drugs come to mind. This will allow these athletes to continue playing at a competitive level, no matter how old they are. In these cases it is hard for me to say that I believe these athletes should be stripped of all their accomplishments just because they don’t want to give up yet. People who have never
Understand that athletes want to be remembered, but is that really any reason to ruin your reputation and hurt yourself. Its not just profesionals that have been using performance- enhanced drugs. Teenagers have been using them too, American teens more than doubled in human growth hormones in the past year. Kids in high school have been under major stress and want to get scholorships to colleges. As a result of doping, high school athletes have been less focused on there school studies, and becauses of that they don’t get that scholarship anyways, because of there bad grades. Students that are taking human growth hormones get suspened from school for the number of days nessaccary and is not able to finish the rest of the sport season. Depending
“…medical researchers believe that between 1 and 3 million youths and adults have taken anabolic steroids in one form or another specifically to enhance their looks or athletic performances,” stated Nuwer (Nuwer, 61). As astounding as these figures are, the number of performance drug users is steadily increasing. With this progressively increasing numbers, it is projected that millions more will use steroids in the immediate future (Newer, 61). Athletes have always sought an advantage in competition even if ignoring the law and their health if necessary. Using drugs of any sort to facilitate an athlete’s athletic ability should be illegal. The use of performance enhancing drugs is not only detrimental to the user but it also creates an
“By the same token, one in five teens surveyed said kids learn from professional athletes that ‘you don’t that to worry about the consequence of sex’, and sixteen percent said kids learn it’s ok to use alcohol and drugs” (Study Says Kids Emulate Athletes.) “One in five males ages 18-25 said that taking APEDs is “The only way to make it in professional sports” Kids think you need that supplement to make it in professional sports. Steroid and supplement use by professional athletes sends the message to children that it’s okay to cheat as long as you’re the best” (Top 10 Pros and Cons - Drug Use in Sports - ProCon.org) They think it’s alright to cheat because they aren’t getting busted for it. “In 2002 National Institute of Drug Abuse study, 2.5 of eighth graders, 2.5 of tenth graders and four percent of twelfth graders admitted to using steroids at the same time” (Steroid Use Among High School Athletes - Global Sports Development.) More kids than we thought admitted to having drugs, knowing they had out trust. “Seventy- seven percent of males surveyed said that APED usage in professional sports puts pressure on young athletes to use drugs to get ahead” (Top 10 Pros and Cons - Drug Use in Sports - ProCon.org) When young adolescents have pressure put on them, they will do the easier and faster way
This is a material world promoting material values, thus meaning that it should not be surprising to see individuals being willing to do everything in their power in order to make profits. Or should it? The sports community today is troubled by a series of athletes who have yielded to society's pressures and abandoned their principles with the purpose of taking performance enhancing drugs. It is difficult to determine if it would be normal for the masses to judge these individuals, concerning that they are actually one of the reasons for which these people have come to consider taking performance enhancing drugs in the first place. However, the only ones who can judge them are other hard-working sportspersons who have stood by their principles and who respect the idea of sport in general.
Drugs are a rapid problem growing all over the place from the streets of Major cities to the locker room of many Major league teams. Drugs come in all forms, shapes, and sizes Drugs are all over the place. Almost everyone has taken some kind of drug before, maybe it was a prescription from your doctor but they are still drugs. Did you know almost four percent of America, America are addicted to pain relievers. This is a drug you can literally go into a regular store like Wal-Mart and buy, these and they are really easy to become addicted to them too. The most common drug used by athletes are called performance drugs, performance drugs are used by athletes to improve their performance in many different sports. Athletes love using these drugs to get ahead of competition to put their body on another level separating them from the rest. These drugs make them superior makes them feel as if they are the best they can be with these drugs and they almost kind of appeal to their egos. While Some drugs are used by certified doctors,
Athletes are tempted to use performance enhancement drugs to heighten their abilities in the performance of their sport. Which often consists of illegal or unethical use of these substances. Some reasons for the justification of their actions is to attain lucrative contracts, fame, and fortune. “It is the seduction of the quick fix—an immediacy to attain success—that drives so many people,” (Annie Hiyashi). Sometimes, it is the fear of losing it all that drives them to experiment with PED’s, not thinking that if caught, it will tarnish their reputation and will lose fame and
Athletes of all ages are always looking for that extra edge to excel in their sport. Living in a world filled with competition, this could be a challenge for certain athletes who want to progress and get to the next level. Many athletes have a strong desire for recognition and fame. Unfortunately, that makes some athletes who are determined to win at any cost, motivated to experiment with illegal substances even knowing the consequences. Being in sports that require significant strength and endurance my whole life, I have had experience with performance enhancing drugs in the past and currently. I believe the safest way to achieve your goals is to train naturally, but many athletes do not have the patience for that and choose to take substances that put their health at risk.
The masses often criticize athletes who take unaccepted drugs without actually trying to understand these people. People need to comprehend that some athletes depend on the sport that they are performing and that they spend most of their lives training for a few minutes that they spend on a stadium in front of thousands of spectators anxious to see world records being broken. For many of these respective athleteles being a part of the Olympics might be their only chance to reach their goals. The fact that their countries are enthusiastic about their level of performance further contributes to making them feel pressured and consider that they have to do everything in their power in order to win, even if this means that they have to
First, performance enhancing drugs are becoming more accessible to teenagers. In fact, the use of synthetic human growth hormones in high school students went from 5% to 11% in just one year (National Study: Teens Report Higher Use of Performance Enhancing Substances). The number doubled in just one year. That number is just going to grow, so we need to take a stand and start actually performing drug tests regularly. Without the drug tests, that number will continue to increase making the sports we watch not even true talent.
Many people believe that drug use in professional athletics is not a serious problem, however it is more widespread and serious than people think. In professional athletics the use of drugs is looked upon as somewhat of a serious problem, but is also very discrete and low key. Every once in a while one might see a prominent figure in a certain sport being reprimanded for the use of some outlawed drug, however this is just one of the many who happened to get caught. Athletes today seem to find no moral problem with using performance-enhancing drugs, or in other words cheating. Also many of them feel that because they are "stars" there should be no repercussions for their illegal activity.
More and more, of our society views winning more important than itself. Success in competition brings status, popularity, and fame, not to mention college scholarships. Today’s athletes are looking for an advantage over the competition that will make them winners. Unfortunately, the drugs of today are caught up in the high stakes competition frenzy. Of this reality, teenage use of performance improved drugs is growing ever more popular. In colleges and in the professional league a lot of people are doing drugs and its ruining their health and life. Also, if some teenagers take performance drugs they are making them better than everyone else giving themselves an advantage over everyone else which is cheating, so why should they get money