PED In Sports

The use of PEDs is illegal in sports, I believe that it should stay that way. Many athletes have had their lives ruined from PEDs loosing the ones they love or dying themselves, and there are many horrible side effects that include, mental problems, and even death. Also, when someone is taking PEDs and another isn’t in say football then the person who isn’t could get very hurt, in short PEDs should just be dropped out of professional sports. If PEDs stay in professional sports (illegally) then many more people will die. Weather it is from another person or yourself. Having PEDs in professional sports give the athlete side effects that are hard to live with, doesn’t even guarantee that the drugs will work-the risks are high and the chances of it being good are low- they set a bad example for kids and teens around the world who look up to the pro athletes who take PEDs, lastly it will hurt the other athlete or yourself.

“Commentators claim that performance-enhancing drugs are not right or wrong, simply another strategy to improve performance” (Introduction to Performance-Enhancing Drugs). There are two main problems wrong with the use of drugs being legal. Health of athletes would drop devastatingly, and the true competition would become who gets lucky. “Some mourn the loss of yesterday's baseball heroes, while others argue that sport figures who use performance-enhancing drugs expose flaws in American culture” (Introduction to Performance-Enhancing

Many would argue the game peaked during the 1998 home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. This race jump started the sport and began to heal the tension that brewed between the game and its fans after the cancelation of the 1994 World Series. Of course, this home run race was not the only reason fans came back to the game. The anticipation to see one of the greatest pitchers of all time in Rodger Clemens, one of the most talented baseball players of all time in Barry Bonds, and sluggers such as Jason Giambi and Jose Canseco, were surely going to draw a large viewing. Each of these players has had some connection to performance-enhancing drugs. We can sit here writing articles and opinion pieces arguing why performance-enhancing drugs should or should not be allowed in this sport, but there is no argument when it comes to the stats and when we, as fans, have witnessed the best baseball to ever be played. Any fan of the game will admit that one of the best things in sports is a homerun. In 1996, 17 players hit 40 or more homeruns. In 2008, only two players hit 40 or more homeruns (Rymer 2013). We are seeing better, more exciting baseball during the steroid era, which is considered to take place from the end of the 80’s and continued through the 2000’s, than we’ll ever see during any other era of baseball. Players are hitting more homeruns, while pitchers are throwing their best balls when they’re in there 40s (Pantuosco 2011). PEDs should be allowed in baseball because first, we, as fans, get to see a higher competition level while players are on such drugs. Second, these drugs create an even playing field for all players. And third, do we as fans even care if these athletes take these

PEDs aren't ruining sports or American culture as many people would like to believe. In reality, because PEDs in sports has become commonplace over the years, revenues have increased in the trillions of dollars (Adams et al 2004). The one thing that all the trillion plus dollar major sports have realized is that fans want to see larger than life people doing larger than life things. Fans want to see 40-yard dash times shattered each year at football combines. They want their linemen all to bench press over 500 pounds (Adams et al

When the controversial topic regarding performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) is brought up, perhaps the most infamous case that comes to mind is that of the Barry Bonds doping scandal. For those who are unaware, heavy-hitter and San Francisco Giant left fielder Barry Bonds was indicted in 2007 for lying under oath about his use of steroids during his time playing Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds is not alone, however, as the world of Major League Baseball has been laden with PED scandals for quite some time. A plethora of MLB athletes have been severely punished and scrutinized for partaking in the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances, but do they deserve the hate? If something can make an athlete perform better and make thus make

Groups such as the Clean Sports Collective understand the dangers of PEDs, and were created with the purpose of helping athletes stay clean (Will 2017 be the Year to Defeat Sports Doping). As previously mentioned steroids can cause shrinking of testicles and development of breasts in males. Along with this, steroids can also cause decreased sperm count with possible impotence, masculinization in females, development of acne or jaundice, and many other effects. These side effects are even recognized by the government, which have made some steroids illegal to the general public (How Dangerous are Performance Enhancing Drugs?). If regular citizens are blocked from certain drugs, athletes should not be an exception. Steroids make humans unnatural beings, which shows how dangerous they are. Steroids inject 100 times the testosterone found naturally in a male body (How Dangerous are Performance Enhancing Drugs?). Along with this, taking steroids, gene doping, and other forms of PEDs are dangerous just to take them the wrong way. Theodore Friedmann, the head of a WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) panel on gene doping in a 2010 interview, said on the dangers of gene doping, “The fact is that the material and information that the athletes have is very sparse and very incomplete and is obviously given to them with the hope of encouraging them to do something

PEDS were not part of the National Football League or the Major League Baseball in the past and it should be kept that way. What makes these leagues so intriguing to watch these athletes perform is knowing that this is their natural ability. An athletes should not put their body in greater risk of harm just for viewership for the league. Work ethic and human ability should be what gets these athletes into the league, not a drug. Commissioners and viewers know that it is morally wrong to destroy one's’ body just to have a more exciting game. Passing a rule to allow PEDS will ruin the credibility of these athletes abilities and shameful to the commissioner to allow cheating. These athletes should be setting an example to the youth. Younger children

The issue of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) has been among the most controversial in the sports world. A number of high profile athletes from Barry Bonds to Lance Armstrong have seen their reputations tarnished as a result of their use of these substances. Even the US Congress has held a number of high profile hearings on the subject to rid professional sports of their usage. In the sports world, it is almost assumed that sports are better when PEDs are removed from the game, and that the sport’s integrity is threatened when its players use these banned substances. Bud Selig, the former commissioner of Major League Baseball, described ridding baseball of PEDs as necessary “to maintain integrity, fairness and a level playing field.” Sports leagues have created highly sophisticated systems to identify players who use PEDs and levy them with harsh punishments. I will argue that the argument from fairness presented by Michael Lavin is not a valid reason to ban PEDs from professional sports. To clarify, my argument is not that PEDs are good for athletes or professional sports, but merely that they should not be banned out of a concern for fairness.

PED use has been a controversial topic over the past few decades in professional, both professional and non-professional. There are many positive and negative effects of the use of these type of drugs. The drugs have been said to even out the playing field if the availability was open to everybody, get the body bigger in a shorter amount of time than just training, and make for better and longer lasting events. They have also been said to eliminate the moral and principle of sports, not everybody can respond to the drugs the same way, and they may be linked to long-term negative effects on the human body. Other debates that have been brought up are the influence of these athletes on younger generations and the representation of the the club or team that these athletes play for. It has been a long and controversial road and debate over PED’s.

PEDs can and will give you: (Acne, liver damage, etc.) The reasons people use PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) is because the athletes will have a higher chance of winning because some drugs give you better reflexes some make you muscular, and some can make you smart, but… some have deadly side effects; like blood clots and much more. I think that all PED production should be only prescriptions in hospitals. The drugs can hurt you like ruin your liver. They can kill you by causing a heart attack or blood clot. They can ruin your chances of reaching the hall of fame. I know that you may think it is worth it for the money and people but when they find out BAM you’re out of the hall of fame and you have to wait until you stop using the drugs, You also might also have 1 chance or no chances because of using the PEDs. Drugs are only acceptable when you are in a hospital, or if you’re prescribed a drug so you can heal bone or muscle or a medical condition. Eg: if a muscle is torn open they use steroids.

Many sports have done a lot about PED’s but clearly it's not enough. In 2003, the MLB warned players that they would start testing for these drugs. For example, they warned big name players such as San Francisco's Giants, Barry Bonds; hall of famer. In one of the articles, it shows how Barry Bonds is one of the top home-run hitters in baseball history. For instance, “This time, there were calls for more Congressional hearings and demands that Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball, appoint an independent investigator to look into allegations made in "Game of Shadows" -- in particular allegations about Mr. Bonds, who holds the single season home-run record (73) and who, with a career home-run total of 708, is closing in on the sacred numbers of Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755)”(Kakutani). Barry Bonds still today is in the record books for one of the best hitters in the game of baseball next to Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. I don’t believe that it is fair for him to be remembered as one of the best home run hitters ever to play the game, because of his substance abuse. If he was abusing drugs, that was the reason he was doing so well in his career, therefore he was cheating and gave him an unfair advantage. There are many ways around the system that players have figured out also. If they don’t want to take the chance to take the steroids during the season, they can do extra on the off season. “Baseball players can also avoid testing for a week or two during the off-season, using all the heavy-duty steroids they can get their hands on” (Quinn). That is still illegal and it should be wrong, but during the off-season, officials don’t pay much attention to them. Another player that’s been caught for substance abuse has become one of the best hitters in the league today is Ryan Braun from the Milwaukee Brewers. They are both phenomenal players but now they're reputations have been ruined. These

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

Doping has widely become known as the use of banned substances and practices by sports personnel particularly athletes in an attempt to improve sporting performances. No sensible fan of sport today denies the prevalence of drugs in virtually every major sport, yet none would argue they can ever be eliminated completely. Money alone would seem to guarantee that much. High profile athletes today are competing for high stakes, not just millions, but dozens of millions. The fear of losing everything career, opportunity, contracts, name, fame, and money is pushing more sportsmen all over the world to use performance enhancing drugs, mainly

PEDs should be allowed in professional sports. Sports organizations fail to offer a level playing field for all of their athletes. The primary reason PEDs are outlawed, is because they give the user an unfair advantage over other players. But if players are still using them regardless of the rules, then the playing field is unfair. Testing has done little to decrease the use of PEDs, let alone eliminate it. It’s simply unrealistic to catch everyone guilty.

competitive advantage against their opponents. Numerous athletes have been exposed for their illegal substance abuse or “doping.” Athletes, such as New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriquez, were caught with performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in their systems and suspended from their respected sports. Cyclist Lance Armstrong made international headlines when he admitted to using banned performance enhancers during his career, stripping him of his seven Tour de France titles. Hall of Fame-worthy baseball players from the 90’s to 2000’s were denied entrance because they played in the “steroid era.” There are easily several noteworthy cases of illegal substance abuse every year. Along with the increase of use among athletes, the use of PEDs among America’s youth is increasing each year. Most athletic enthusiasts with basic