Premium Essay

Anabolic Steroids Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 1261
Pages 6
The Ethics, Effects, and Fairness of PEDs Despite being banned in many leagues and competitions, steroids are still used to gain an edge over other competitors. Athletes use steroids without any regard to the ethics that accompany the intake of drugs. There are many reasons why competitors should, in fact, follow the rules set in place and stop using steroids completely. Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) should completely stop being used in competitions or leagues. First of all, anabolic steroids are known to be bad for your health. PEDs have unpleasant, undesirable side effects. The United States Anti-Doping Agency lists the symptoms of using PEDs, which include ”liver damage, stunted growth, increased aggressiveness, leukemia, anemia, …show more content…
An athlete’s health should be the highest priority, and therefore the harmful substances should stop being used. Although, in some cases, anabolic steroids are used to promote muscle growth when you have AIDS or another disease that prevents muscle development, athletes use much more than what is normally prescribed. The National Institute of Drug Abuse attests to the fact that “People who abuse anabolic steroids usually take...doses...10 to 100 times higher than doses prescribed to treat medical conditions.” (NIDA, 1) The fact that these athletes are taking much more than the prescribed dosage shows that they don’t care about their health, and doing it to get ahead. Scarily enough, given the scenario “You are offered a banned performance-enhancing substance that comes with two …show more content…
To beat those blessed with genius, talent, and skill, some believe that the only method to win is through drugs. Many say they must catch up with those with superior height, muscle, etc. as an excuse to use steroids. But isn’t that the point of sports? To show off your natural talent, skill, and ability? “The Olympic motto and the creed represent an ideal that Coubertin believed in and promoted as an important life lesson that could be gained from participation in sport and the Olympic Games: that giving one’s best and striving for personal excellence was a worthwhile goal.” (The Olympic Museum, 5) The key word here is personal excellence, not through artificial excellence or false excellence. And, if drugs continue to be abused, the levels of dosage will escalate. If the main part of sports, then the competition would be in how much drugs you take or the quality of the drugs you take. “Athletes don’t take drugs to level the playing field, they do it to gain an advantage. And if everyone else is doing what they’re doing, then instead of taking 10 [grams/cc’s], they’ll take 20 or 30 or 40, and a vicious cycle simply gets bigger.” (Pound, 1) The whole usage of PEDs turns into an arms race, and anyone who gets caught up in it is forced to participate, using even more dangerous levels of dosage than previously used before. It will continue to escalate, even if people die from the usage. Using

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Anabolic Steroids Research Paper

...About 30% of college and professional athletes use anabolic steroids, as do 10 to 20% of high school athletes. For instance, athletes are getting stripped of their titles and money. Therefore, the use of performance enhancing drugs is cowardly in sports. PEDs can threaten athletes health in many ways. First off, PEDs can harm athletes ability to have children in the future it also stunts growth along with hair loss. Eventually, it can cause bad acne but more importantly it can cause heart disease, liver tumors, and enlargement of the heart muscle. Finally, it can cause aggressive mood swings and deepening of the voice. PEDs would eventually cause unusually greasy skin and bad stretch marks. In the end, using performance enhancing drugs is...

Words: 332 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Anabolic Steroids Research Paper

...Anabolic Steroids What are anabolic steroids? Anabolic steroids are a synthetic version of testosterone, which helps with muscle growth and physical performance. There have been many professional athletes, movie stars, and normal people that have used steroids and continue to use them. After all the research that has proven the serious side effects from steroid use people still use them. Who is affected by steroids? Obviously, the individual using them, the family and friends, and others that use steroids to feel good about themselves. Why would anybody want to inject their body with a drug that has all these negative side effects? The great Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted he took steroids to maintain muscle size before his competitions. He also stated he has no regrets because he doesn’t have any side effects. I can understand why he doesn’t regret it, he is a seven time Mr. Olympia, he has made millions, became governor of California, and he has achieved much more. Arnold can defend his belief about steroids, but the scientific research is there, therefore steroids have negative effects....

Words: 642 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Anabolic Steroids Research Paper

...season, he was awarded the American League Most Valuable Player Award and broke 300 career home runs. At the time, testing positive for the use of performance-enhancers had no punishment. Rodriguez admitted to the press he was injecting a drug into his body, but he did not know what it was. He told the press he brought it over from the Dominican Republic and used it for six months. Rodriguez is now a spokesman who travels around the country to talk to the youth about the dangers of using anabolic steroids (Biography.com 1). Human growth hormone increases the amount of red blood cells in the user’s bloodstream, making a higher amount of oxygen move more quickly into...

Words: 1435 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Rst 255 Term Paper

...Blake Groesbeck RST 255-B Term Paper 5/4/15 grosbck2 Term Paper: Bigger Stronger Faster In our everyday lives every action has a positive and negative effect, where individuals are constantly using ethical lenses to judge their stance on a certain situation, whether they know it or not. After having the chance to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 Bigger Stronger Faster, it was an extremely eye opening experience. The documentary took an objective stance on the use of anabolic steroids where the National Institute on Drug Abuse defines anabolic-androgenic steroids as, “a synthetic variant of the male sex hormone testosterone and that “anabolic” refers to muscle-building and “androgenic” refers to increased male sexual characteristics.” The use of anabolic steroids for sports/recreation is illegal and is considered by the United States as a controlled substance, however the use of anabolic steroids for medical use is legal. The ethical question I am asking is, “how can the United States “claim” that the use of anabolic steroids for medical reasons be ethical and can “help” someone when they “claim” that the use of anabolic steroids for sports/recreation to be unethical and will “hurt” someone?” In order to take an objective stance I will use three of the five ethical lenses provided in class. The five ethical lenses that were provided in class are: the Utilitarian Approach, the Rights Approach, the Fairness or Justice Approach, the Common Good Approach, and the Virtue Approach. ...

Words: 1505 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Steroids In Professional Sports

...In the 1930’s steroids were first developed, but athletes first figured out that they gained a lot of muscle in the 1950’s. Not until March 1, 1991 steroids were illegal to athletes. Even though many professional sports players and bodybuilders are abusing steroids and you may never know it. Pete Rose for example used the drug Amphetamine, also called “greenies”, just to lose some weight. Other great players used cocaine to stay alert during games so that the players can react faster to catch a baseball coming at them quickly (Porterfield). Steroids do grow muscle and can be legal, but some steroids are bad and are illegal, for just the normal human or any professional sports athlete. The great players from the MLB (Major League Baseball), Tim Raines, Dave Parker, and Keith Hernandez were the players that used cocaine to stay alert for the long drug out games to react to a fast coming line drive, pop fly, or grounder (Steroids). Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids after he retired in 2001, and after breaking the single season HR record with seventy home runs. He used...

Words: 811 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Mamainsaturated Fat Research Paper

...Gatorade is preferred more over water. And, the so called diet added in front of drinks like diet coke really is not any healthier than its comparison with normal coke. So, why is it that we follow the bandwagon of living an unhealthy life? Studies show that water is the most essential part of maintaining a stable diet; so why do we truly not understand the long term effects? Liquids are not the only thing we need to understand about. How often we should eat, as well as, how late in the day we should eat matters in our well being too. Being able to understand the differences between the different types of fats, carbs, and other important factors of our health allows us to better understand where our food comes from. Vitamins, Supplements, and Steroids are also recommended to realize more in depth of what we are actually putting into our bodies. For example, Most people are aware that both regular and diet soda are bad for your health, but when it comes to which is worse, it gets complicated. The truth is they are both pretty unhealthy in their own separate ways. They both have their own sense of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some prefer diet soda because it does not leave the gunky stuff on your teeth like regular soda does. Diet Soda uses artificial sweeteners instead of sugar allowing bacteria not to grow on your teeth because sugar is vital for allowing plaque to survive. Although Diet Soda prevents plaque from happening it does strip the enamel from your teeth and leave them...

Words: 1630 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Body

...The Body & Muscle Groups a. Muscle Growth b. Physical & Psychological Benefits of Exercising 3. Weight Training: Anaerobic Exercise Mechanics & Impact on Muscle Growth a. Energy Transformations During an Exercise b. Investigating Torque in Weight Training c. Muscles Acting as Levers d. Impulse in Weight Training e. Intensity versus Speed 4. Protein Supplementation a. Protein supplementation b. Combining Protein Supplementation 5. Cellular Respiration & Effect on Weight Training a. Glycolysis b. Aerobic Respiration c. Anaerobic Respiration (inc. lactic acid) d. Carbohydrate Loading 6. Creatine Supplementation a. An Introduction b. Lab: Effect of Phosphocreatine on Lactic Acid 7. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids a. Reactions within the Body involving steroids b. Side Effects of Steroid Intake c. Detecting Steroids in the Human Body 8. Conclusion 9. Works Cited 10. Miscellaneous Bodybuilding Page 2 of 59 I. Introduction Exercise (essentially any form of physical exertion which results in the contraction of a muscle) has become a widespread interest over the past several years, especially in areas of weight training. While exercise is generally intended to promote good physical health, bodybuilding more specifically concentrates on building muscle mass and many individuals in society today begin bodybuilding to present a good image of themselves. Many different companies have grasped on to this concept of muscle mass growth and have formulated products which can enhance the process...

Words: 17026 - Pages: 69

Premium Essay

Muhammid Ali Fo Dayz

...Muhammad Ali ( Cassius Marcellus Clay) Muhammad Ali whose real name was Cassius Marcellus Clay, was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky to Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. who painted billboards and signs, and his mother, Odessa Grady Clay, who was a household domestic. Although Clay Sr. was a Methodist, he allowed Odessa to bring up both Clay boys as Baptists. He started boxing in junior high, when he learned boxing from a policeman at a local gym. By the time that Ali had reached high school, he already intended to be a prizefighter and hoped to box in the Olympics. Ali dropped out of Louisville Central High, a local basketball power, finishing 369th of 391 seniors in the class of 1960, and often traveling to fight on weekends. As an amateur boxer, Ali attracted notice in 1960 by winning the Amateur Athletic Union light heavyweight and Golden Gloves heavyweight championships. At the Rome Olympics in 1960, Ali crushed his opponents to win a gold medal in the light heavyweight division. After turning pro, Ali defeated his first opponents. Then on February 25th 1964, he fought, and knocked out, Sonny Liston in seven rounds, thus becoming the new heavyweight world champion. Ali defended his title nine times from 1965 to 1967 and became universally recognized as world heavyweight champion after knocking out World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Ernie Terrell in fifteen rounds on February 6th 1967. Ali often showed of his greatness by saying, "I am the greatest!"...

Words: 865 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

No Pain No Gain

...school track. I live for competition and know that health and nutrition in bodybuilding is vital. To be a winner, one must be the fastest, strongest, and most trained. Our bodies are our engines, and we must put the correct fuel in them to keep them going to work at their full potential. The three well-known, tested workout meal plans that I have researched are: Arnold Schwarzenegger, P90X, and Johnny Ahl’s plan. This paper seeks to explore what each bodybuilding meal plan entails and how these popular plans compare and contrast. I will begin with the history of bodybuilding and nutrition; then I will break down each meal plan one by one and compare the plans. The goal of this research will be to find out what it requires to gain lean muscle mass for strength and performance in sports. In fact the website, www.bodybuilding.com has 162 articles on how bodybuilding can improve sport performance in many different sports. Giving clear studies and research on how muscle strength and training play a significant role in the performance of the athlete. This research will provide guidance for all male bodybuilders and athletes between the ages 14-60 to help them reach their peak performance. The History of Bodybuilding: In the 1920’s and 1930’s, it was made clear that health nutrition and physical appearance were closely connected. It was found that weight training was the best route for muscular...

Words: 1736 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Ethical Issues Regarding the Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

...in the post World War 2 era, there has been an ever increasing use of performance enhancing drugs in all avenues of sport. Sports have become money making machine for both athletes and big business and the “win at all costs” attitude which has permeated itself into all aspects of professional and college level athletics. Winners make money, losers don’t. The temptation of fame, notoriety and million dollar contracts in all venues of sport is a lure for many athletes. Elite professional athletes are worshiped in today’s society. This paper will elaborate on the use of performance enhancing drugs in the sporting world and the associated sports ethical issues. It is a majority belief in all sporting circles that the “true” spirit of sportsmanship does not allow any aspect of performance enhancing drugs. There are several arguments both in favor and against the use of performance enhancing drugs which will be presented and discussed in this paper. While addressing this ethical issue, we need to define the term ethics. Ethics can be defined as the socially accepted norms and values. These norms and values are varied from society to society and are based on culture and tradition. Ethics also could be defined as the unsaid, un-written and understood laws that prevail in a society. Ethics also cover what is right and what is wrong in society and teaches individuals to act in the right manner and remain committed towards it. Taking performance enhancing drugs has a long history in...

Words: 4511 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Health Disparities In Drugs Summary

...Mr. Sam and his co writers did a study to bring to light the impetus for using steroid after excessive scrutiny from 135 questionnaires completed by readers of two bodybuilding magazines, they come to a realization an assumption on steroid between users and non users and people who use steroid are less likely to be aware of the physical risk of steroid. They believe it is absolutely normal to use steroids. The use of rhetoric of pathos to show ignorant they were towards the use of steroids is germane to my article, thus I am using this to show how oblivious they were about substance...

Words: 1637 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Drugs in Sports

...Drugs and Athletes: The Constant Battle Nicholas DiPetrillo MSA 6702 Fairleigh Dickinson University Dr. Kim April 25, 2016 Drugs have been an issue in our society for a long time. They have been utilized and manhandled by numerous gatherings, including proficient professional athletes. It is surely entirely regular to catch wind of or read about professional athletes and drug use. In spite of the fact that drugs have an extensive history of utilization by professional athletes, they have a various affect on the body and different preventions. A significant part of the world's supply of cocaine is delivered in South America. A huge number of years prior, the old Incas of Peru bit coca leaves since they made it feasible for them to work in the high heaps of the area for more timeframes. In the 1880's Bolivian fighters were given the drug to offer them some assistance with gaining continuance and overcome weariness. One hundred years after the fact upwards of 90 percent of the locals of the Andes Mountains in Peru frequently bit coca clears out. It wasn't until the early years of the twentieth century that cocaine expanded in notoriety among professional athletes. Cocaine is an actually happening alkaloid, separated from the leaves of the coca plant. It is a superb neighborhood soporific and a broadly manhandled illegal drug. Cocaine is an unscented, white powder. The numerous road names of cocaine incorporate "coke," "snow," "woman," and "gold dust." Street...

Words: 4352 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

'Coloring The Workforce' By Valerie Keys

...Before coming to class, we were assigned to read pages 51-60 in the composition guide. We were assigned these essays because they are researched argumentative essays. Our final paper coming up soon will also be an argumentative essay. The first essay I read was "Coloring the Workforce" by Valerie Keys. I found this essay to be very helpful. The essay not only talked about African Americans struggling in the workforce, but it focused on African American women. The essay gave very relevant examples and statistics which helped with its validity. There was also an abundance of sources at the end which help verify that the author did their research.  The second essay I read was "Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Literature Review" by Vanessa Parslow....

Words: 1027 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Paper

...order to get an edge on opponents. From the high school level all the way up to the professional level, men and women have been caught using these drugs, which are banned. It is easy to see the positive effects of using these performance-enhancing drugs with athletes becoming faster, bigger, and stronger; however, these athletes and there spectators don’t realize why these performance enhancing drugs are actually illegal, especially college students who are the major risk takers. Attached to the natural benefits of these drugs that make athletes feel closer to achieving their dream of winning are health risk, reputation risk, and loads of other negative effects of using PEDs. Enrolled in the University of North Texas, the authors of this paper have created a blog in order to appeal to the athletes here at UNT in order to help educate them on the exact reasons why these performance-enhancing drugs are illegal and to help persuade them against using them. In addition to reading and learning about the negative effects of PEDs, we have also included a pledge onto the page that athletes can sign to pledge not to use PEDs. Audience The main audience that we are trying to appeal here is the athletes of the University of North Texas. Athletes who excel in their respective sport and have made it to the collegiate level can attribute their success to their athletic ability and hard work. While college provides an opportunity for...

Words: 2971 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Alcohol

...sacked government drugs adviser David Nutt with colleagues from the breakaway Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, the study says that if drugs were classified on the basis of the harm they do, alcohol would be class A, alongside heroin and crack cocaine. Today's paper, published by the respected Lancet medical journal, will be seen as a challenge to the government to take on the fraught issue of the relative harms of legal and illegal drugs, which proved politically damaging to Labour. Nutt was sacked last year by the home secretary at the time, Alan Johnson, for challenging ministers' refusal to take the advice of the official Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which he chaired. The committee wanted cannabis to remain a class C drug and for ecstasy to be downgraded from class A, arguing that these were less harmful than other drugs. Nutt claimed scientific evidence was overruled for political reasons. The new paper updates a study carried out by Nutt and others in 2007, which was also published by the Lancet and triggered debate for suggesting that legally available alcohol and tobacco were more dangerous than cannabis and LSD. Alcohol, in that paper, ranked fifth most dangerous overall. The 2007 paper also called for an overhaul of the drug classification system, but critics disputed the criteria used to rank the drugs and the absence of differential weighting. Today's study offers a more complex analysis that seeks to address the 2007 criticisms. It examines nine...

Words: 1163 - Pages: 5