Long before Jose Conseco aided Mark Maguire break Roger Marris’ home run record, Marion Jones had her gold medal stripped from her, and European weight lifters of the 50s and 60s were using performance-enhancing drugs to better them selves and beat the competition, the original athletes of this world, the first Olympic athletes were ingesting animal testicals for the testosterone in them.(Steroids) They believed that the hormones in there were going to give them an edge. But it wasn’t until the early 1930’s that synthetic testosterone was developed, and the idea of steroids began.(Steroids) Steroid use grew in the coming decades in European weight lifters and other athletes due to the German’s in depth research. It wasn’t until the mid sixties that the US began making up ground to their European competition, even though many US doctors didn’t approve of steroids. With steroids becoming a growing problem in the Olympics around the 70’s, the International Olympic committee set out to stop the cheating with new, mandatory drug tests. But it wasn’t until American sprinter Carl Lewis was beat by a doped up Canadian sprinter that the war against steroids began.(Steroids) The use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs has now become a wide spread problem throughout most professional sports, becoming more prevalent now than any other decade. Steroid use in professional sports has come to affect athletes’ health, their teammates around them, the organizations, and the fans that love the athletes so much. To solve this problem in professional sports, I propose that we should not only allow performance enhancing drugs to be used, we should implement them as pat of the sport by having team doctors and trained professionals correctly administer a healthy and promising amount so that athletes can improve themselves in a healthy and correct way.
The use of these performance-enhancing drugs is a big issue with many since they consider it cheating or gaining an edge, but others, like the players, trainers, and even some fans will disagree that steroids is actually a problem. Many professional athletes do not see the use of these drugs as a problem, but to them its just another way to improve themselves and get better. To these athletes, the body is a shrine, it makes them all those millions that they love, so they will do just about anything to stay on top of the game and keep earning that money. Performance enhancing drugs are just another way to keep their bodies at an optimum level of performance. To aid with their training and skill, athletes always employ trainers, and medical professionals to help with their work out plans, dietary needs, and all other health aspects so that them can focus on perfecting their skill. These trainers and doctors are paid employees of the athlete, and will follow just about any order, and basically be yes men to them. But as trainers, their job is to help he athlete reach a desired performance level, and if it means enhancing their performance in some way, they will do it. Many fans will also agree say that steroids are not a problem. An athletes job is to be the best they can be so that they can entertain the masses, not be so bad that people have no interest in you. That is why they are pad so much, so that we as a society can enjoy them. I support these people’s arguments as to why there is not a problem with professional sports and the use of drugs to enhance them, but I do not think they are correct. There is a problem in professional sports, and something needs to be done. There are a growing number of athletes in all sports that are taking performance-enhancing drugs, with out any supervision or foresight as to what they are doing to their body. They are not taking these drugs correctly or for the right reasons. These drugs are unregulated in the market and in sports, which means players might not know where they are getting these drugs from, what is in the drug, and what the affects of the drug may be. When something is unregulated like this, there are dangers of overdose, adverse reactions, and bad drugs that come about. All of which could severely injure these athletes and ruin their career. Therefore a solution is in order.
To fix this problem that is so prominent throughout professional sports, its time for a solution that no one has yet to try. It’s time that we stop punishing and crucifying athletes who are caught using performance enhancing drugs and go towards a new direction. Athletes and professional sports are more or less, just entertainment purposes for society, and their job is to be the best they can be at that sport. Therefore, I believe that we should make performance enhancing drugs a staple part of professional sports, and actually implement them in to the sports. Making performance enhancers a part of all professional sports would make for more competition between the athletes and teams, as well as level the playing field for everyone. Making these drugs part of the game will also make it better for us fans. All fans love the big hit, the long home run, or the miraculous goal, and if performance enhancers became a part of all professional sports, they would only get more exciting for everyone. We would be able to see more highlight reel catches, or incredible dunks.
Now may people may have a problem or issue with this solution to fixing everything. One may argue that these drugs are bad for the athlete’s health or it could promote drug use in young adults and teenagers who are trying to play professional sports. But many recent studies have shown, besides some side affects like acne and changes in hormone levels, there are no major adverse effects or complications from steroids or the use of performance enhancing drugs. And for teen drug use being a new problem, nothing would change. Steroids would still be intolerable at a youth and college level, instead, promoting good sportsmanship and hard work. Steroids will not raise your ability to make a jump shot, throw a more accurate pass, or be able to hit a 90mph baseball. You will still need pure talent to do all these things, but with performance enhancers, you will be able to remain healthier, keep a higher level of stamina, and stay at a optimum level of performance for a longer period of time, giving you better results. Someone may ask, “But what if our sports become full of freakishly large people.” But that will not happen. Those people that are so large that they do not have a neck are like that because of unregulated use of performance enhancers and no supervision. Those people are not healthy, and did not use the drugs correctly. The correct administration and provision of the use of these drugs will only lead to well conditioned, fit, and well trained athletes. Our sports won’t be over run with mutant gorillas with the strength of superman, but instead, we will have many athletes performing at the top of their game every week.
The implementation of performance enhancing drugs should not take too much time or too much work to have it running smoothly and correctly. First, a governing body of doctors and officials will be overseeing the process of administering performance enhancing drugs. Since not all sports are under one umbrella of administration, this group will be in charge of performance enhancing drugs in all professional sports. To clarify what a “professional sport” is, guidelines will be set. A sport must fall in a national or world audience (i.e anything under the reign of Olympic rule or American sport) and must be recognized as a large monetary attraction. Each sport will have representation in this governing body, which will know and decide the rules and process for how to handle performance enhancing drugs. For team based sports, team doctors and physicians who will all be trained professionals will be in charge of administering the drugs and safely and correctly to all athletes. For individual sports (gymnastics, cycling, golf, and all other individual Olympic sports) another group of doctors and trained professionals will be in charge of all performance enhancing drug procedures. This second group will be very large and world wide, much like the Olympic committee, and they will handle all business related to performance enhancing drugs. The administration of these drugs will be heavily regulated and watched to make sure all athletes are receiving the correct dose on time, corresponding to their cycle. Amount will be based on many physical attributes and any health concerns so that all precautionary measures are taken and this is done correctly. The implementation of this solution will progress over the course of five years, starting with individual sports to work out the kinks, then moving on to working with team sports and large leagues. At the end of this cycle, we will b seeing more top tier athletes operating at optimum levels of performance to entertain. the greater good of society
Those physically affected by this solution would mostly be the athletes since they are the ones this pertains too. Athletes would be in better shape, and be better prepared for games and events. And while they are the only ones directly affected by this solution, indirectly, the fans and owners would be affected as well. Steroids cost money, which means the owners are going to have to spend more money to supply their team doctors with these products. To make sure these greedy owners are still making money, they will raise ticket ad merchandise prices to help cover the cost of the drugs. And while many fans may like the new excitement of improved sport, other fans, particularly old school fans, mothers, and protective parents, will not like the fact that drugs are being used to boost their talents. Organizations like the partnership for a drug free America and DARE will all have a problem with this solution, as well as congress men, and other conservative people and groups. And while they will claim many fallacies, there is plenty of supporting evidence against these people as to why steroids are not as bad as they can be made out to be.
A call to action is in order. After so many years of struggle, deception, lies, and scandals, something needs to be fixed. Athletes have been dealing with the repercussions from leagues and organizations over steroid use for decades, and it is about time something be done about the flawed and unregulated system. The failings of the systems that are currently intact, and the lack of continuity across the board has caused some major tension between owners, athletes, organizations and the fans. In order to fix the problem and eliminate the animosity between all parties, a solution such as this one must be put in place to solve this ongoing issue. By implementing a new strategy for all sports, leagues, and organizations across the board, it will eliminate all confusion between groups; will help provide a more thorough and effective process when dealing with performance enhancers. It will also have the best possibility to satisfy all members involved with this issue. Any trouble that one may go through while implementing this strategy into real life situations will all be worth while when we have better conditioned athletes playing in a more competitive and exciting environment. And since they are merely only entertainment value to us, viewer ratings and marketability will only continue to rise. Steroids, HGH and performance enhancing drugs have all been around for sometime and are becoming more and more prevalent in all sports, no matter the age group, or gender. What has to be done to improve ones self, will be done with no bearing to league rules or federal law. So illegal or not, athletes will be using these drugs to better ones self, so would it not make more sense to regulate and put restrictions on something that could be handled more effectively with some regulations in place. So for the greater good of our athletes and us, I think it is time to put an end to the discombobulating and ill-advised ways of the current steroid policies, and usher in a new reform to this ongoing problem.
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