preview

Steroids in Sports Essay

Decent Essays

Professional sports are very special in the United States. One reason for this is the spirit of competition. However, steroid use taints this competition. If steroids were to be completely eliminated from sports, the competition would be much more special because athletes would compete with their hearts and will, without an extra boost. Also, since not everybody can be a professional athlete, the elimination of steroid use, in my opinion, would make the fans appreciate the game more and make them feel more relatable. Hopefully someday, fans will be able to watch their favorite sports in such a fashion. Steroid use by professional athletes is bad because doing so can damage an image of an athlete (if the offense is made public), create …show more content…

Unfortunately, not all of these dreams come true. Therefore, I think it is wrong when the athletes who are gifted enough to achieve their dream choose to use steroids. Hazards of Steroids There are many health hazards for both men and women who take steroids. Male side effects of taking steroids include shrinking of the testicles and breast development. For females, the risks include growth of body and facial hair, development of deeper voices, and changes in the menstrual cycle. Overall risks of steroids are tumors to the liver and kidneys, cancer, and high blood pressure, all of which can cause death (NIDA). Even though steroids enhance performance of an athlete, the risks by far outweigh the benefits. No trophy or championship is worth the possibility of a life threatening disease or an end to life altogether. An article dated in 2004 by ESPN gives an example of how tragic steroids can be to a sport. "The 1996 National League MVP (Ken Caminiti), who later admitted using steroids during his major league career and for years battled a drug problem, died (of a heart attack) at the age of 41" (ESPN). Although Caminiti battled many demons that included additional drug abuse besides steroids, it is still troubling to think that a professional athlete can have his life taken away at a relatively young age. Also unfortunate is the fact that Caminiti appeared to be cleaning his

Get Access