‘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 all the sources that are out there, but by reading the articles and webpage, you can tell which sources are better than others. The ones with analysts giving the story and their opinion is what I target for the sake of this paper. I would include articles and opinions from athletes, commissioners of the sports, doctors, and sports analysts of the MLB who know the stories and can provide information that would be useful. I generally find five solid sources that I could be beneficial to me and use them sparingly throughout the paper. Since my topic is about steroids, I, first, find a source regarding what steroids are and the history of them so I can give an overall background to the readers. A source such as kidshealth.org provides information about both and other various facts that may be useful later. After an introduction to the paper is under way, I normally think of three different examples that help support my case and find sources for each of the three. My arguments would be the negative effects on the sport, the athlete, and the body. Constant steroid use by players gives the sport a bad reputation, and the organization must come up with guidelines and rules the players must obey or they will be punished. What are the consequences in the MLB and is the drug testing process run? The players are then negatively affected by suspensions or bans, media, and maybe even in the court system. I also want to find out what the majority of fans think about the use of steroids and if the integrity of the sport is questioned. For negative effects on the sport, I would look up the frequency of steroid uses and how the sport handles that situation. A major source would be referring to the Mitchell Report, which is the 409 page report to the commissioner of the MLB that entailed research done by George Mitchell. Mitchell, a former Governor of Maine, did an investigation of the MLB for the 2002 season and released his findings in this document (“Mitchell report: Baseball slow to react to players' steroid use”). Players who were found guilty of steroid use were named and steroid dealers were also listed. A main question I am curious about is what non-steroid using players think of the others who are users. For negative effects on the athlete, I watched Sportscenter for current news; knowing that Barry Bonds has undergone trial for perjury. It is claimed that he lied under oath about his use of steroids throughout his career and is now is under federal scrutiny for it. What do MLB analysts and broadcasters think about the trial? What do fans think about the trial and is it changing their view of Bonds? I also would include the testing procedure and various fines, suspensions, and bans players may receive for any offenses. Do players think the testing program is fair? How reliable are the drug tests since players frequently accused the test of detecting some other substances?
For negative effects on the body, I would look up various websites and find what side effects occur most. Looking back at kidshealth.com, I would find the needed material that depicts the side effects for males and females and how steroids can impact puberty. With using MLB as the main topic, what are the long term effects of steroids? What are the consequences to males?
In the conclusion, I would restate my key findings and include my opinion of the entire steroid epidemic. I would conclude with restating my thesis if necessary and relist my arguments.