Essay The Pros and Cons of Using Sports Enhancing Drugs

“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

Drugs in professional sports has become a problem ever since the 1960s. Whether it is a performance enhancing drug, a recreational drug, alcohol or anything along those lines, drug consumption among professional athletes has become more common over time. Along with drug usage by professional athletes comes the health consequences, punishments and or treatment. The penalty professional athletes face for drug consumption should correspond to each drug consumed accordingly.

The most commonly discussed issue in sports of the 21st century is the use of performance enhancing drugs by professional athletes. Over the past four years, it has been nearly impossible to turn on the television without hearing something about athletes and these drugs. From former National League MVP Third Baseman Ken Caminiti's admission of steroid use in an issue of Sports Illustrated (Verducci, 2004) to 2006 Tour de France Champion Floyd Landis being stripped of title due to a failed doping test (Blue, 2006) virtually every sport is involved. Are performance enhancing drugs a substance that threatens the very existence of professional sports, or are they the future? Perhaps the issue

Many people know that these drugs are extremely dangerous, and in some instances deadly. Some people ask “why do doctors prescribe steroids?”, most times it is to help with pain, and sometimes it can reduce the cause of swelling. But most athletes realize the steroid makes them stronger, and use it more and more often. Most people don't realize the health effects on taking PED. By taking performance enhancing drugs it's not considered an unfair advantage is what experts have proven. PED are banned by the International Olympic Committee, the National Football League and other sports bodies. Due to economic circumstances or even luck, some athletes have better nutrition, 'natural' supplements, coaches, trainers, nutritionists, information, and equipment than others do. Some athletes have more free time to train than others do. A lot of people agree that some athletes are naturally smarter, faster, and stronger than others are. All athletes, whether or not they use PED, are not “playing on a level playing field” and that is considered fair. If athletes that took PED stopped taking the steroids and worked just as hard as the athletes that didn't take the PED, then it would be

The use of performance enhancing drugs has been in full effect since the very first olympic game. According to Sally Jenkins from the Washington Post "The ancient Olympic Greeks champions were professionals who competed for huge cash prizes as well as olive wreaths, experimented with herbal medications in an effort to enhance their performances." "Greeks would take a dose of strychnine before and after every olympic game so they wont wear their body out" (Jenkins 2007) . Greeks knew that the drug cheat was against every law in sports. Drug use in sports should be banned, because the use of drugs in sports has a number of different features. Drug use in sports could be very harmful to not only athletes but their families too. Using the wrong kind of drug or to much of it can lead to health risks.

It was in 1987 that the National Football League started testing players for performance enhancing drugs. Even though the NFL has been drug testing athletes for PED’s for that long, unfortunately athletes still decide to take the drugs even if they will get caught and have consequences. In addition, the use of PED’s by professional athletes have been a problem sin at least the 1960’s. Also, athletes risk their health in bad ways when they take PED’s. Performance enhancing drugs are not beneficial for athletes because of legal issues and suspensions, a possibility for an athlete to end their career and ruin their reputation,and long term health risks.

Athletes have been using drugs for many years. Although, drug use is banned in sports, some athletes have found them to be necessary to perform. Scientist and doctors have found that the cons of drug use in sports outweighs the pros. It, is now a proven fact. Drugs are used in sports for three reasons. One, drugs are used by athletes as a coping mechanism. Two, drugs are used to enhance an athlete’s performance. Drugs are used by athletes to treat addiction.

In reality athletes are using sport enhancement drugs to gain an edge on performance, make more money and gain quicker results in their profession. If athletes are found using sports enhancing drugs they could be fined, stripped of metals, trophies and face suspension. But ultimately their name is ruined because there’re known for cheating. Mark McGwire admitted to using a sport enhancing drug when he broke the single season home run record in 1998(Cons). There was so much controversy over him cheating, it impacted him negatively. With the career he had, he was supposed to make the hall of fame, but due to cheating he still hasn’t got inducted. This should change because he broke

Other athletes are having to continuously train to be as good as the athletes who lie and take drugs (“Should professional athletes have to take

According to NPR.com, the argument over the use of performance-enhancing drugs by professional athletes has been at the center of an international ethical debate for many years (Katz). Many people argue that these drugs should be allowed, while others argue that these drugs should be banned from professional sports. Professional sports athletes should avoid the use of performance-enhancing drugs so that the integrity of sports will not be damaged.

Drugs in sports can cost a player his or her scholarship(s) and more seriously, their lives. Everyday athletes that you may not think are doing anabolic steroids or the human growth hormone are the athletes who are the big users. 1. There are three major performance enhancing drugs that are used by the super star athletes: anabolic steroids, amphetamine, and the human growth hormone pills. 2. These performance enhancing are found in just about all fifty states and the problem is rapidly growing. 3. In almost every type of sport there is one form or another of performance enhancing drugs. Some of the most common sports you will find them in are the power/strength sports and the endurance sports. 4. Athletes may come up with the strangest

The great states of the world hold and encounter sports and the athletes in each sport everyday. Is the use of illegal drugs in sports becoming a problem? In recent search and study by Britain's journal of sports medicine the research show that using illegal drugs in sports can cause serious issues for the player and how it affects the body mentally and physically. Players in the professional world will continue to idalise the use of illegal drugs or will they make a change and will the pros take a stand in the use of steroids. Steroids can affect the body in many different ways. The body reacts to steroids as a sign of improvement and it interacts with the muscle tone and the way the mind is affected buy it. The point is, using illegal drugs

Performance enhancing drugs (PED) are a delicate subject in the world today. Many people have opposing views to the topic of steroids in sports. The sports world is invested with people who use these performance enhancing drugs from an early age to increase strength, speed, and overall ability. However, there is positives and negatives to this.

considered greats, are being busted for using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs(PED). Drug testing in sports should be required because it would decrease the skill gap of people using the PED’s, decrease the amount of “cheaters”, and reduce the negative health risks with the people that are doping.

Performance enhancing drugs, otherwise known as “PED’s” are without a doubt the most controversial and most talked about topics in sports business. Every year, athletes across the country are suspended, fined, and sometimes banned from the professional leagues that they are a part of. The National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), Major League Soccer (MLS), and Major League Baseball (MLB) are all among the most well-known leagues and associations that crack down aggressively on the use of these substances that provide unfair advantages towards players. The MLB is the league that draws the most attention in the case of suspending and banning players. While there are many conflicting opinions and views when regarding the legalization of these illegal substances, performance enhancing drugs take away from the natural skill, ability, and hard work put in towards the activity at place. PED’s are a form of “cheating” and should not be allowed to be enabled by professional athletes in any pro sport.