Essay on Legalize Performance Enhancing Drugs - 1826 Words

Legalize Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports The most commonly discussed issue in sports of the 21st century is the use of performance enhancing drugs by professional athletes. Over the past four years, it has been nearly impossible to turn on the television without hearing something about athletes and these drugs. From former National League MVP Third Baseman Ken Caminitis admission of steroid use in an issue of Sports Illustrated (Verducci, 2004) to 2006 Tour de France Champion Floyd Landis being stripped of title due to a failed doping test (Blue, 2006) virtually every sport is involved. Are performance enhancing drugs a substance that threatens the very existence of professional sports, or are they the future? Perhaps the issue†¦show more content†¦Is it even reasonable to think that we could test athletes for changes in their actual DNA? In the days when steroids were only being used by body builders and professional wrestlers, stories about performance enhancing drugs could only be found on the back pages of the newspapers. When former Oakland Raiders All-Pro Lyle Alzado admitted to steroid use in a 1991 Sports Illustrated article the whispers about what professional athletes were using steroids began to get louder. (Puma, 2005) Finally, in 2002, when Caminiti, a former MVP, came clean, two things were clear; athletes in all sports were using these drugs, and that they worked. The fact that steroid use had permeated our national pastime combined with the media explosion of the internet and 24 hour a day sports talk created a perfect storm which created the biggest sports story of the new millennium so far. However, two other facts remained clear, performance enhancing drugs were old news, and athletes in all sports from all over the world had been using them for years. Sergo Chakhoyan is an Australian Weightlifter, Josep Guardiola is a Spanish Soccer Player, and Janne Immonen is a Finnish Cross Country Skier, but they all have one thing in common. They have all tested positive for performanceShow MoreRelatedPerformance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Banned1645 Words   |  7 Pagesrules by using performance enhancing drugs each year. Performance enhancing drugs help athletes to becomes bigger, faster, and overall better at their individual sport. This process is called doping. Doping can be defined as using drugs and various substances to better perform at a particular task. Furthermore, these athletes act in the moment and fail to see all aspects of these performance enhancing drugs. Contradictorily, some individuals argue that performance enhancing drugs should in fact beRead MoreEssay Steroid Legalization Rebuttal811 Words   |  4 Pagestime to legalize steroids in professional sports† written by Chris Smith of Forbes Magazine argues that to level the playing field of professional sports it would be beneficial to legalize the use of performance enhancing drugs. Mr. Smith’s ideals that professional sports would be a fairer, more entertaining version of itself if performance enhancing drugs were legal, is an incredibly irresponsible and impudent declaration. Mr. Smith states â€Å"The primary reason why performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)Read MoreEssay about Steroids in Sports: Right or Wrong?947 Words   |  4 Pagesto allow them? This would give some players an advantage in their sport over the players who reject the drugs. If drugs are illegal in the common world, then why should athletes be able to get away with performance enhancing drugs in sports. Should professional athletes be allowed to use these drugs without breaking the rules? Some people and experts feel steroids and performance enhancing drugs have no place in professional sports. â€Å"Doping affects the integrity of the sport. Sports aren’t alwaysRead MoreLegalize Steroids in Sports799 Words   |  4 PagesLegalize Steroids In Sports Ben Johnson was one of the first superstar athletes to be caught using steroids and was stripped of his 100m gold medal at the 1988 Olympics. He was eventually banned for life in 1993 for testing positive again (Richardson 2010). Performance enhancing drugs have become widely used since the 1970’s and have only increased in the numbers of athletes using the drugs to up their endurance and perform to their greatest potential. Professionals such as Barry Bonds, JoseRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs For Sports Essay1514 Words   |  7 Pages Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports A tremendously large problem in sports is whether or not athletes should be able to use performance enhancing drugs. To most people, it doesn t make any sense for athletes to be using them. They have to know what affect it has on their body not only physically, but also mentally. Around the early 2000’s is when all this starting coming up and it has made a dramatic impact on the sports world. The few people who want performance-enhancing drugs in sportsRead MoreDoping And Performance Enhancing Drugs1262 Words   |  6 Pagesathletes who have had their reputations tarnished by using performance enhancing drugs (sometimes shortened to PEDs). In his interview with Opera Winfrey, Armstrong stated that â€Å"I didn t view [doping] [as cheating]. I viewed it as a level playing field† (Lance). With this statement, Armstrong is declaring that many professional cyclists and other professional athletes engage in illegal doping in order to improve their performances. These drug s can be useful for their ability to decrease recovery timeRead MoreThe Legalization Of Steroids Should Be Beneficial For The World Of Sport1226 Words   |  5 PagesSteroids seem to to be having a negative view for much of history. Steroids are drugs used by athletes to become stronger and achieve a strong physique. Steroids are illegal and are strongly discouraged to be used and may be seen first expressed during high school with the introduction of organized sport teams. The perspective against the legalization of steroids believes in the many benefits of legalization. The perspective for the legalization of steroid expresses the harmful effects of steroidsRead MoreDrugs Should Be Banned For Professional Sports1211 Words   |  5 PagesDrug Use In Sports Ninety-eight percent of professional athletes say that they would take performance enhancing drugs if they didn’t have a chance of getting caught. Performance enhancing drugs, or PEDs, or steroids, have been around since 776 BC when the Greeks would use them to improve their performance in the Olympic Games. During World War II, the Germans, including Hitler, would take steroids to make themselves stronger and more aggressive. The Americans, British, and Japanese also began toRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs Should Not Be Legalized1129 Words   |  5 PagesPerformance enhancing drugs should not be legalized ‘Olympic track star Marion Jones was sentenced in a federal court to six months in prison.’ (Kelly and Rao, 2008) The reason why Jones was guilty is because of the use of performance enhancing drugs since 1999. More and more famous athletes prove to have used banned drugs to enhance their performance. At the same time, the role that the anti-doping agency is more and more important in the world wide games, such as Olympic Game, Tour de FranceRead MoreEssay about Steroids in Professional Sports976 Words   |  4 Pages(â€Å"Anabolic†). Steroids are incredibly harmful to the body. The most frightening part is that some of the damage can’t even be detected until it’s too late. In addition to his previous comments, Dr. Wadler also stresses that unlike almost all other drugs, all steroid based hormones have one unique characteristic -- their dangers may not be manifest for months, years and even decades. Therefore, long after you gave them up you may de velop side effects (â€Å"Anabolic†). There are different side affects