Why Do Athletes Use Steroids?

Anabolic Steroids are taken by athletes to increase muscle mass while decreasing fat rapidly and efficiently. They can push the physiological limits of the muscle, making it bigger, faster and stronger than it can get naturally. Steroids achieve this affect on the body by enhancing the natural process of muscle building. The use of steroids has had a negative impact on the lives and careers of many athletes, causing suspensions, bans, and even the loss of medals and other awards and records earned in international events. A few of the high profile athletes whose lives and careers by their anabolic steroid use include: Barry Bonds, Lyle Alzada, Jose Canseco, Ben Johnson, Chris Benoit, Roger Clemens, Marion Jones, Alex Rodriguez and Lance Armstrong.

When taking steroids, or other types of PED’s they end up become unhealthy. They become unhealthy because PED’s grow the muscle tissue, but not the tendons, consequently making them more prone to tearing. Also, the body might experience bad acne, infections such as HIV, inhibited growth problems, and heart and circulatory problems. Steroids also display a lack of sportsmanship. When an athlete takes steroids they’re ultimately trying to get a competitive edge over other opponents, which nevertheless, gets rid of the whole competitive part of

From the beginning of history, professional and amateur athletes have tempted to use legal or illegal drugs to enhance their performance (1). Athletes have used pharmacological agents, called Performance-enhancing drugs(PEDs), to enhance performance or to become leaner or more muscular (2). In sports, administration of drugs that are forbidden by international world anti-doping agency (WADA) is referred as doping (3). Anabolic androgenic agents (AASs) are the most popular agents that are abused by the athletes, especially bodybuilding athletes. Besides these agents, other classes of drugs such as stimulants and peptide hormones (growth hormone and insulin) are new PEDs that are abused by a lot of athletes in the different sports (1). Other than these compounds, athletes often use dietary supplements like creatine, protein, and vitamins to enhance strength and increase body mass (4-6).

Abstract:  With the increase of competition has also come the need to become bigger and stronger than the opponent.  The use of steroids among athletes has caused the focus of the game to change.  No longer does an athlete want to win by doing their best, but they want to become bigger and have an advantage over the opponent.  Ultimately, all athletes feel that they need to use performance-enhancing drugs to compete at the same level. Despite all of the warnings and information on performance-enhancing drugs, athletes continue to use them and overlook the potential health risks associated with steroids.

Generally speaking, many people and athletes do not know the full definition of what an anabolic steroid is and what they are used for all around, other than muscle growth. Second, Steroids are taken several different ways ranging from injections to rubbing creams and follows a very strict cycle that must be followed. Third, pro sports has banned all the uses of drugs and illegal muscle enhancements. Fourth, steroids have proved that they can increase serious health risk among the athletes who decided they are going to turn to steroids during their sports careers. Furthermore, athletes do not understand how serious steroids are and how much they can ruin their sports careers, self-images, and lead them to hitting rock bottom. Lastly, life after steroids is not an easy path with the pain of withdrawals, depression, and the serious mental and physical addictions they acquired while on the drug. Today steroids have become a thoughtful topic among the sports world, and without understand all the consequences it can lead to athletes ruining their careers and having serious health problems.

All the anabolic steroids that were used by Johnson, Armstrong and the athletes in the Russian doping scandal have the same purpose: to mimic the effects of testosterone, a hormone that contains numerous physical improvements to the athlete. Examples of these improvements are the ability to work out harder, strengthen muscles, and reduce body fat (Yesalis, 153), capabilities that are particularly useful for various sports (Mayo Clinic). Although anabolic steroids do indeed provide many advantages to the athletes, they are not without their flaws. Users will develop severe side effects namely infertility, tendon rupture, blood pressure increase, and possibly HIV (Mayo Clinic). In addition, these drugs have the ability to cause acne and liver illnesses as well as death (Brodwin). Yesalis, an expert of drug abuse for over 20 years, has collected evidence of deaths due to the usage of anabolic steroids from many of his colleagues. According to his evidence, more than 10 athletes alone have died after usage (Yesalis 180, 181, 182, 195). Given that an anabolic steroid is able to cause so much harm to an athlete him or herself, its effects are undeniably dangerous to every individual user. Thus, the negative health effects caused by anabolic steroids is a crucial consequence that an athlete must emphasize and not

The reason why athletes are so tempted to take drugs for an event, is all because of the fame you get when an athlete's comes first in the sport. Studies shows that companies assign the best athletes in movies, commercials , and sponsorships, which means they get paid each time the movie/commercial gets paid. Did you know that when athletes take steroids their chances of dying in the next five years is very high. The reason why this happens is because the human body can’t develop so fast in a short period of time.

Mike was a good football player in high school and was scouted by division one teams,” but he knew the only reason he was being scouted by these teams was because he was using steroids. So when Mike went to college he continued to use steroids so he could play on the football team. Everyone expected Mike to be able to make it to the NFL. But when he ran out of steroids,’’ everyone noticed that he had barely any muscle then Mike became very sick then later died of liver cancer. This is just one of many stories of athletes who have made the decision to take steroids. For many reasons

Pledger 1 Mason Pledger Mrs. Daugherty English 9 Honors 20 March 2017 Performance Enhancers and Athletes Why would athletes even need to use performance enhancers? Some athletes use steroids to boost their strength. There are many health risks that steroids can cause. Things like irregular heartbeat and heart failure can occur. I think that athletes who steroids or other drugs to enhance their strength should have a harsher punishment. Athletes need to know not to use steroids because they can get serious health problems. “For athletes that do decide to take steroids on a regular basis, 80% of them show some form of biochemical abnormalities of the liver during medical testing” (“20 Incredible Statistics of Steroid Use in Professional Sports”).

The Uses of drugs is getting out of hand, especially the uses of steroids in all sports college high school and even the pro level has been caught using them. People wonder why athletes feel pressured into using steroid and what are the side effects. What is the advantage if you use steroids.

From some research I have seen, people have used steroids to help them keep energetic to exercise and do varies sports. The use of steroids by people has become so usual to improve performance in their sport or day to day exercises. Also the use of anabolic steroids by athletes has become common in order to improve their performance in the sports they play. But, little did you know that there are three main reasons as to why not to use them. First off, it is a fraud to use any method that makes people become better in sports, because that will also let fraud in any other aspect of our lives. Second, while trying to achieve a higher benefit using these chemicals, it is cheating people who rely on our ability to achieve objectives that should be clean and made by our own

Many patients suffering from muscle-wasting disease, AIDS, and hormone deficiencies benefit from using anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids relieve pain for many patients with arthritis and chronic skins disorders. Medical studies suggest that the risk factors associated with therapeutic steroid application are controversial and require more study. (Quezziare & Sprague, 2015)” Athletes must understand that whether the steroids are use therapeutically or illegally, health risk do exist. “Despite well documented evidence that steroid abuse is dangerous, athletes are willing to risk their bodies, and perhaps their lives, for a competitive edge.” One may argue that athletes do not care what they risk as long as they are the best athlete. “Younger athletes are now testing for steroids and haven taken them to promote growth and enhance performance. (Quezziare & Sprague, 2015)” One may argue that young athletes are using steroids is because they are looking at the older athletes as their role models and they feel the need to do the same as them. “Sports organizations have developed sophisticated drug-testing techniques to catch cheaters, but just as the testing becomes more sophisticated, so do the drugs they test for (Quezziare & Sprague, 2015).” Some may state that they do not know why athletes feel the need to use steroids and why do they think that steroids are the answers in making them the best. Wanting to be the best comes with hard work and dedication and “it seems likely that anabolic that steroid use will remain a controversy throughout the twenty-first century.” The examples that have been used are pure stated facts, as to why steroids can lead to short-term success, lead to ill health, and

According to steroids in sports (n.d.) discussed that the 1930 steroid was invented by Dr. Ruzicka to help treat diseases such as cancer or aids that lead to death. However, the 1970s people started using them in sports. Some of the athletes have been starting using drugs which include steroid in the ingredient which will help to break the limit of themselves and to make athletes performances more incredibly amazing and spectacular. However, they don’t really notice the terrible effects of these kinds of drugs in long-term using. Moreover, using these kinds of drugs is like a coin. It has both positive and negative sides for using steroid.

The history of steroids used to promote and enhance muscle growth can be traced back to as early as the 1930’s. A group of scientists were able to create a synthetic form of testosterone to help treat men who unable to produce enough testosterone for normal growth and development. As early as World War II it was found that this synthetic form of testosterone was used to help weak and malnourished soldiers gain weight and improve performance and strength. After the war, athletes began to use steroids to enhance and improve performance in competitions. In the 1956 Olympics the Soviet Athletes performed at exceptionally high levels and excelled in sports. After learning that those Athletes were using testosterone, an American doctor, Dr. Zeigler created a more selective form of what we know as anabolic steroids. From that point until the early 1970’s, steroids became increasingly popular not only with Olympians, but with High School

In the past three decades, steroids has been becoming a serious problem more than ever in the athletic field. Steroids are anabolic drug "to build" growth hormones that include the androgens (male sex hormones) principally testosterone and estrogen and progestogens (female sex hormones). Steroids were first developed for medical purposes. They're used in controlling inflammation, strengthening weakened hearts, preventing conception, and alleviating symptoms of arthritis and asthma. Unfortunately research has shown that steroids have been abused in almost every kind of sport. Although steroids contribute to a muscular body, usage should remain illegal because they physically deteriorate and mentally destroy the body.