Free Essay

Steroids

In:

Submitted By Taq231
Words 1174
Pages 5
Boyd 1

The Use of Steroids and Cheating in Sports affect the way sports are played today because due to the use of steroids Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association announced a new drug testing agreement that asserted the passage of pending congressional legislation. (NYTIMES). The agreement has been seen as a meaningful step in curbing the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional baseball and other sports. There have been several athletes who have been caught using steroids, so the Player’s Association had to make things more strict on athletes playing Major League Sports. Two athletes that I specifically feel had a deep impact on changing the way sports are played due to steroid use are Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds. Barry Bonds was drafted by the San Francisco Giants as a senior in high-school. (Bonds,Np). He was a magnificent player. Barry had seven MVP awards the most in history of baseball. That is until he ruined his career by getting caught using steroids. Bond’s was charge with perjury and obstruction of justice in the matter of his testimony in the BALCO steroid affair. Barry lost a lot of fans after this affair and people started to view baseball differently. People were regarding his all time league record. (Bonds,Np). Many hated Barry after this occasion, it was said that he ruined the sport and some fans said they would never watch baseball again. Boyd 2
Barry said, “ It is hoped in the near future that the reputation of baseball can be separated from the performance of enhancing drugs, in other words steroids.”(Bonds,NYTIMES). Now today in Major League Baseball and also in every sport in the world athletes have random drug test at anytime to make sure no one is doing any sort of drugs. Barry allegedly used Clomid a drug prescribe for women for infertility. He ignored the fact that it was for women. After Bonds first use of drugs he got addicted and started using more. After awhile Barry felt inflexible and had a trouble with his shoulder tendons while on the drug. (Bonds,Np). This caused Barry later on in his career to retire. Some of Barry’s fans started making fun of him because his career could have been even longer and better if he had not cheated in Major League Baseball and stop using steroids. Before Barry started using steroids his stats and awards were amazing. He was the all-time leader in bases on ball with 2500.(Barry,Np). He was the only player ever to hit two doubles in an All-Star game. His seven MVP awards are the most in history. Bonds also was the only player in Major League Baseball history to have 500 homeruns and 500 stolen bases. But now Barry’s fans believe he got all of this due to steroids. People didn’t know that Barry sharpened his batting skills by actually practicing with his father. Barry’s father sharpened his son’s batting eye by numbering tennis balls, then only swinging at the odd numbers as they were pitched to him.(Bonds,Np). This is how he got so well at batting. But nobody
Boyd 3 cared they looked at Barry as a steroid user and it affected the way sports were viewed and now played today. Another athlete who you can say changed the way sports are viewed and played today is Lance Armstrong. Armstrong was born September 18,1971 and the sport he did was cycling. In 1996 he was considered the best cyclist in the world and was part of the U.S Cycling team in Summer Olympic Games.(Lance,Np). Cycling was his sport and he became the greatest. Every time Armstrong would have a race he would go off a quote he said “ Every race starts with a single rotation of the wheel”.(Lance,Np) What he meant by this was to achieve great things you have to achieve the little things. Armstrong was a professional athlete by the time he was 16 years old. He was an early bloomer in his athleticism, and not to mention that he won the Iron Kids Trialathon at 13 years of age. Lance proceeded to win the Tour De France (Cycling Tournament) a record seven times in a row. His success in the Tour has contributed to both the popularity of the event. Later in that year Armstrong was named Sports Illustrated Sports man of the Year in 2002.(Lance,Np) After having this outstanding career Lance Armstrong reportedly admits to using steroids. Due to this he was stripped of his seven Tour titles, the bronze medal he won at the 200 Olympics, and all other titles. Armstrong’s admission of steroid use in an interview with Oprah Winfrey reminded people of another apology by a super athlete for drug use.

Boyd 4
Lance openly admitted to doping and lying during seven straight Tour de France titles in his interview. All of this steroid use caught up with Lance because he soon got cancer from it. Due to this a lot of new policies had to be made for sports if caught using any drugs like steroids. The Lance Armstrong Foundation was formed shortly after his being diagnosed with cancer.(Armstrong,Np). Lance developed this foundation to give back to his community. A lot of people lost respect for Lance for what he did and cheating. The creation of the Lance Armstrong Foundation gave Lance the opportunity to spread a message about fighting cancer, and to control your health. Lance soon began his legendary battle with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs, abdomen, and brain happened for using steroids.(Armstrong,Np). He announced his official retirement from Cycling in Febuary,2011.
Armstrong’s steroid use affected the way sports are played and now viewed today because a lot of new policies and rules are used in today’s sports due to his incident.
Steroids are dangerous and sometimes fatal. Yet if some players use them, others will feel the pressure to use them as well in order to compete. Baseball players who have used steroids say that steroids made them want to rip the heads off their opponent.(Peck,25). They also can cause you to stop growing. People

Boyd 5 who use steroids are often very violent off the field too in sports. They can be out of control and have very serious mental problems. Some side effects for steroid use is impotence in test ides.(Robson,46). A lot of mood swings, and increase in feelings of hostility. Some men can also have very painful erections. National Collegiate Athletic Association and many professional sports leagues banned the use of steroids by athletics because it ruins your body tremendously.(Robson,60).
Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds both used steroids to cheat in sports. This was so stupid because they were both fanatic players. These two players caused a lot of new policies because of their incidents and it affected the way sports are played and viewed today.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Steroids

...Steroids, Just Another Way to Cheat What is cheating? Cheating is getting rewarded for ability by dishonest means. It is generally used for breaking the rules to gain advantage in the competitive situations. Whether you cheat in school, gambling or even sports, it is one of the lowest moral actions we are capable of doing. It doesn’t matter the way one cheats deep down inside, all of us realize we are doing wrong. One of the ways to cheat is to use steroids. Nevertheless steroids can be extremely beneficial when used for medical purposes. Many patients suffering from muscle-wasting diseases, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and hormone deficiency benefit from using anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids relieve pain for many patients with arthritis and some skin disorders (Spraugue). Sadly most of the people who do use steroids, use it for reasons to benefit themselves. Most of the cases steroids are being used are in sports, in other words it is just another way to cheat. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. Anabolic steroids are derivatives of the male sex hormone, testosterone. They're used in the medical world to help rebuild tissues that have become weak because of serious injury or illness. Despite the evidence that taking steroids may cause serious health problems, some athletes still continue to use them illegally. The use of steroids and other drugs to enhance athletic performance has occurred with ever-increasing...

Words: 820 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Steroids

...‘Roiding Up a Good Paper Steroids have been a problem in sports for over 50 years now, and show slim signs of stopping. Sure, you do not hear about them as much, but it does not mean that it is not happening. Athletes are striving to be the best of the best, and the athletic effects the drug shows are overwhelming, but the negative consequences surely outweigh the positives. The paragraph above is just a little taste of what an introductory statement may look like. A research paper on steroids would have a more in-depth, fact spilling introduction. Clearly the topic chosen is steroids and their negative effects. But to be more specific, I would like to find these effects for the Major League of Baseball (MLB). I chose this because I do NOT want to bore everyone, including myself, by writing two papers on accounting and the topic has always been very interesting to me. I am a huge sports fanatic and steroids are problems that arise in professional sports somewhat frequently. People always say, “Everyone knows of the negative side effects of steroids,” but if that is the case, then why do people still take them? The process of a research paper can be lengthy and sometimes stressful, but can be shortened if a proper approach is taken. The obvious start is research. Look up ESPN articles and blogs and other books where steroids are the main topic of discussion and weed out the ones that support your view and have reliable information. Doing this may be tough with...

Words: 871 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Steroids

...way to get a quick fix that to take a pill or shoot up some steroids? Got an injury? Steroids will fix it. Need to bulk up before the big game? Guess what? Steroids will be there for you. The controversy involving these supplements has been that talk of physicians, athletic coaches, body builders, and parents. Effects resulting from the abuse of steroids can be brutal and not much is being done to stop it. Androgenic anabolic steroids were first created in the late 1930’s by the Germans, and were tested on dogs and later on soldiers. The Germans used them to keep prisoners alive who were dying due to malnutrition and to make their soldiers more aggressive during battle. After the war, doctors in Europe and the U.S. used steroids to treat anemia, malnutrition, and to help patients recover faster from surgery. Two decades later, Dr. Zeigler found that testosterone was the key ingredient in these steroids and soon they were out on the market and readily available. In the well-documented case of the 1976 Olympics, the East German women’s swim team set records and swept the competition. It was later discovered that the team’s doctor and the head of the East German sports federation had given them anabolic steroids which lead to their many unfair victories. Steroids are commonly used in medical practice, curing such things as allergic reaction and arthritis, but also more serous illnesses like some types of cancer. Steroids are also obvious quick fixes for hormone deficiencies or abnormal...

Words: 1479 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Steroids

...There has been no bigger or constant story in the world of baseball than the consistent illegal use of performance enhancing drugs. Performance-enhancing drugs are any substance taken to perform better athletically. This term is referenced often and typically refers to anabolic steroid use in sports by professional and amateur athletes. Other substances may also be taken to improve performance, including human growth hormone (HGH). The on going epidemic has brought the attention of some the biggest names in sports into question. Roger Clemens, Sean Merriman and Lance Armstrong just to name a few of what could possible be hundreds according to the Mitchell report. (Thesteroidera.com) The Mitchell report was an investigation to the commissioner of baseball of an independent investigation into the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances by players in major league baseball, as well as other major sports. The report helped put in the spotlight the ongoing problem mainly found in athletics today. The drugs allowed players to excel far beyond their god given talent and allowed them to produce power numbers never seen before. Not only does “Doping” hurt the integrity of the sport and the athlete, but also causes serious health risks, both mental and physical. I don’t believe there was anyone more intrigued by the epic home-run race of 1998 between Sammy Sosa and Mark Mcguire. The two heroes of the time seemed to sea-saw back and forth until ultimately Mcguire...

Words: 809 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Steroids

...Eng-102 comp II December, 7,2011 The Real Deal of Steroids Athletes are some of the most famous and influential people in the world. Who have many young people who are fans that look up to them. When the word Athletes comes to mind another word is usually followed closed behind it, which is Steroids. The reason for this is that Athletes are always under the limelight for use of Steroids, but do people really know the real use for them or what the history is? Why they are even legal in the first place? There are a lot of background and personal uses for Steroids that go outside, of the physical aspect that people normally think of. For example Steroids is basically a hormone drug that just does what our body at the moment cannot do. There are also different types of hormone steroids that affect different parts of the body and the ways they are actually injected into your body. The real reason for steroids that many people do not get is that it is used as a substitute for faster healing time. Even though they are frowned upon by our society steroids do have a legitimate use for them. Which ranges form helping with hormones or helping with some type of injury. As mention in the web page anabolic small.com “Anabolic steroids have several legitimate medical use.”(par 1) With this statement it is proving that steroids are good for the body for the period of time that you are on them. They are highly addictive and which...

Words: 1904 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Steroids

...[Debate 3: Steroid Use in Professional Sports] | A view opposing the use of steroids | Merriam-Webster defines a steroid as “any of numerous natural or synthetic compounds containing a 17-carbon 4-ring system and including the sterols and various hormones and glycosides.” A more specific steroid is called an anabolic steroid. The definition for Anabolic steroid is “a class of man-made drugs that are chemically related to the male hormone testosterone.” Anabolic steroids are more accurately called anabolic-androgenic steroids. This name defines their two principle characteristics. Anabolic means to synthesize or build up; thus anabolic steroids increase skeletal muscle mass. Androgenic means involving male sexual characteristics. Anabolic steroids are related to testosterone and affect the body in many of the same ways as testosterone. As of 2009, not a single anabolic steroid had been manufactured that was free of negative side effects. In many developing countries, anabolic steroids can be purchased without a prescription. However, in the United States, they have been controlled substances since 1991. Possession of an anabolic steroid without a prescription is illegal and can result in a maximum one-year prison sentence and a minimum fine of $1,000 fine for the first offense. Steroids only purpose for the professional athlete is to artificially boost muscle mass and power. The steroid user gains a significant edge over their fellow competitors who do not employ such unscrupulous...

Words: 1279 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Steroids

...Ash English 11 1 June 2009 Steroids Steroids where invented by the Germans in the late 1930’s to enhance the physical performance of their athletes so that they could be better than every other country in the world for professional sports. Ever since then, people have been risking their health and their life by taking them. Some people take steroids to get stronger or to have a competitive edge in sports, others take them to get rid of rashes, like poison ivy, but no matter how or why steroids are taken there is always an enormous risk of permanently changing the way someone looks and sounds. Also if someone plays sports there is an even bigger risk because of fines, suspensions or accidental overdoses. There are many side effects from taking steroids and there are even more risks, one of which will result in death. The usage of steroids among high school students is on the rise. “Steroid use in high schools has been steadily increasing for the last thirteen years” (Mihoces 1), this is extremely frightening because there are many horrible side affects when people and especially teenagers use steroids. Males and females both have different reactions physically when they use steroids but they also share some of the same side effects including, liver damage, this is because these substances are normally absorbed in the liver, constant mood swings, and profound depression. Except the side effects don’t stop there, in males steroid use can result in premature balding...

Words: 1194 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Steroids

...Anabolic Steroids: A Perceived Means to Perfection At what point does the quest for perfection become an obsession? In the world of athleticism, the point of mania is usually when a person turns to performance enhancement by means of ergogenic aids. An ergogenic aid is anything that enhances a person’s athletic abilities. Examples of ergogenic aids are vitamins, foods, caffeine, and the most controversial anabolic steroids. Anabolic Steroids have sparked worldwide interest in the media because of the potential dangers associated with usage and moreover the fact that steroids are illegal in the professional sports arena. Anabolic steroids are classified as ergogenic aids, because they are chemically made substances that promote increased stamina when training, resulting in greater amounts of fat free mass and overall strength. The use of anabolic steroids has evolved into further drug experimentation and dependence, destroying the most critical aspect and fundamental of training “quality vs. quantity,” thus creating a “by any means necessary” athletic society. What Are the Affects of Steroid Use on Athletic Performance? Over the last five years several allegations and indictments have been made against athletes for their use of performance enhancing drugs. According to Steven M. Cohen, “Athletes use these drugs to enhance athletic performance, but not in the manner one might assume. Anabolic steroids won't make an athlete “better” at his or her sport. Steroids aren't...

Words: 1308 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Steroids

...sports has advocated a need for new ways for players to get ahead of the rest of the pack. Performance enhancing drugs sit high on the list that the athletes have to choose from as a method to gain the advantage, but these substances have been recently heavily fought against in the realm of professional sports. This resistance has done more harm than good in a sense in that drug testing fails at what it’s supposed to do. It has led to more players turning to black market labs to obtain their steroids. As drug testing is supposed to level the playing field for all athletes, it truly de-levels the playing field in that so many athletes are cheating the drug test than there are natural athletes. Athletes who are taking PED’s are going to these black market labs that are not controlled or supervised when they are creating these drugs and as a result could potentially harm the athlete’s health. The legalization of PED’s in professional sports will not only reduce the amount of uncontrolled steroid activity in professional sports, but also positively enhance the sport and eliminate the monstrous that PED’s of are deadly. Legalizing performance enhancing drugs will give players the knowledge they need before taking them by informing players of the assumed health risks that are connected to PED's....

Words: 1971 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Steroids

...Steroids : Not so Good After All In recent years there have been many stories of athletes, especially in baseball, that have gotten caught using steroids. People single out the idea that the competitor did not abide by the rules. Because of this narrow-minded act, they tend to not look at the harmful effects these drugs have on the body. Steroids are extremely damaging physically and psychologically. There are multiple ways in which a human can experience long and short-term effects from the use of these horrible drugs. The most common effects include diseases and severe brain problems. While HGH and Anabolic steroids are a serious concern for sports, it is a more prominent problem in baseball, but the frightening part people fail to recognize, is that the drugs cause life-threatening problems. Steroids were invented by “A doctor by the name of Dr. Ruzicka, who in the early 1930’s created it for medical purposes, essentially to fight conditions like cancer and AIDS” (Steroids in Sports).The drugs are mainly byproducts of the male hormone called testosterone. When a person takes steroids, they are putting extra testosterone into their body. Excessive testosterone eventually leads to rapid muscle growth. As humans use steroids, they can be faced with horrible health problems such as “high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS (when taken with shared needles), fluid retention, depression, anxiety, mania, low sperm production, and over-exertion” (Steroids in Sports). Additional effects...

Words: 2480 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Steroids

...who think have this mindset will start supplementing to push their bodies even further than before. When they have reached their max, they still have that mindset of exceeding their goals and resort to a drug that has been around the 50s. When steroids first became available in the public market, the drug was unregulated and anyone could buy and use it for whatever they wanted. It took about forty years for it become regulated, regulations put steroids as a schedule 3 under the controlled substance act making its possession illegal without a prescription. Steroids are one of the most controversial substances to ever be made and are still common today. There are mainly two uses of steroids, medicinal and performance enhancing. Medicinally used steroids can be used to treat anything from a rash to asthma. There are about three names for steroids; corticosteroids, used medically, and anabolic steroids or HGH which in the athletic world is used to boost performance or in the medical field to replace sex hormones. All over the world steroids are being used to treat numerous illnesses. By many people when steroids are brought up they usually think of a big raging bodybuilder injecting steroids. In the bodybuilding building industry steroids are used to build huge muscles. When a natural bodybuilder is lifting weights, they are creating micro tears in their muscles allowing their muscles to...

Words: 1004 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Steroids

...Steroid Use in Major League Baseball Student Name Course Name Instructor Date Steroid Use in Major League Baseball Thesis: Steroid use is prevalent in major league baseball. Players choose to use steroids despite steroids being banned, the effects steroids have on their bodies, and the impact steroids have on their careers and reputation. I. Steroid use is banned in major league baseball. A. Banned substances enhance players’ performance. 1. Batted-ball speed increases when a player takes steroids. 2. Home-run production increases with steroid usage. B. Major league baseball policies ban the use of several substances by players. 1. The league and the players’ union have strict policies against the use of steroids. 2. The league conducts regular testing to ensure players are drug free. 3. Penalties result from steroid use. II. The body is seriously affected by steroid use. A. Several negative physical effects exist to the body. 1. Steroid use affects natural hormone production. 2. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other cardiovascular problems are physical side effects. 3. Steroids cause liver problems. B. Psychological problems exist due to steroid use. 1. Aggressive or enraged behavior has been reported as a side effect. 2. Addiction has been reported also as a side effect. III. The steroid scandal has negatively impacted players’ careers and reputation. A. Players’...

Words: 3706 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Steroids

...WORKING OUTLINE TITLE: Effects of Steroids Topic: Steroid Abuse Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about the abuse of steroids and how it affects the person mentally and physically THESIS STATEMENT: Although steroids can be medically beneficial when taken at a correct dosage, they tend to get abused by athletes and have serious side affects INTRODUCTION: (Attention-Getting Material) When you think of Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Marion Jones or Jose Canseco, what comes to mind? Credibility Material: I’ve seen first hand the effects of steroids on the body Preview: Going to tell how steroids are being abused by athletes and teens and the side effects of using steroids BODY: Main Point # I: What steroids are and what they are used for Sub-point A: Everyone produces their own steroidal hormones, either from the adrenal gland, pituitary gland, or the sex organs Evidence/Support_______________________________________________________________ Sub-point B: Two types called corticosteroid and anabolic steroids Evidence/Support: corticosteroids are used in medicine for skin conditions such as eczema and burn victims, inflammation, jumpstart metabolism, and to inhibit growth. Anabolic steroids are not used in medicine but is a synthetic drug and is used to help build muscle and enhance performance in many different sports. TRANSITION STATEMENT: Now lets talk about how anabolic steroids are abused by athletes and other people...

Words: 729 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Steroids

...to use anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are drugs that increase muscle mass and strength. The use of these substances such as Winstrol, are banned substances in almost every single sport. There are many health problems when using steroids. Some of these problems are premature balding, blood-clotting disorders, birth defects, and many other problems to the human body. Users of anabolic steroids may also experience “roid rage” where the user becomes much more hostile and angry which may proceed to violence. In recent years many famous sports players have been caught using these dugs. One was Lance Armstrong, a famous biker whose career is now ruined now that he was caught. They took away all of his awards and titles that he worked hard to get. His whole career in biking is essentially over, all because he used steroids. Though they are abused by many athletes, non-anabolic steroids have many medical uses. One of these uses is to heal muscles in patients recovering from certain cancers and illnesses. Another use of steroids is to reduce inflammation in people with asthma and osteoarthritis. Another way is to prevent anemia. Anabolic steroids can be very dangerous if abused. They can also ruin your sports career even though non-anabolic steroids have many beneficial medical uses. Works Cited "What Are the Medical Uses of Steroids?" LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2013. "Dangers of Anabolic Steroids." Taylor Hooton...

Words: 309 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Steroids

...There is a kind of three phases, when these 3 phases are done, you would be addicted to it, but probably not the steroids, but addicted to your body, which wouldn’t have been there if you didn’t use steroids. Different types of steroids There is many different kinds of steroids, but anadrol, dianabol and sustanon are all three steroids which make your body growth, and muscles bigger. Why do they take steroids? Some people do it for fun, and after a time, it’s just like if they were smoking. Your muscles gets bigger, but the self esteem won’t, just the other way, it gets harder to be together with other people, but it improves their sport career, so they probably don’t care about other people. There’s also some people who do it, to look strong, but doesn’t really do any sport at all, they just want their body to grow. Why is it a problem? It’s a problem if a sports guy do it, because he ruins his career, if he get busted. He will also probably banned from the sport, of some kind. Your body can’t resist to get reactions, but your body will be ruined by taking steroids, and by that, it’s the internal organs, that are getting ruined, so when you get addicted, your body is already ruined. When their body is ruined, by the inside, the will get busted some day, and when they are busted, their career is ruined, and get banned for 2 years unpaid How can we solve this problem? Whenever they get busted, they could get a severe penalty, instead of 2 years away from the sport...

Words: 322 - Pages: 2