Nolan
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Steroids and the professional athlete
Nolan
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As most people know, professional athletes are now tested for performance-enhancing substances such as steroids and human growth hormone in a way that they never were just 10 years ago. Is this testing a good thing? What are the advantages and disadvantages of professional athletes using performance-enhancing drugs in the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc? Do these drugs make for a better product? For instance, baseball fans once loved seeing Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds bang record-setting numbers of home runs. This kind of offensive output may never occur again without the use of performance-enhancers. Is that a good thing? What are your views on whether professional athletes should be allowed to take steroids and other performance-enhancing substances? What are the major considerations in forming views on this subject?
Nolan
"Whatever thy hand findest to do, do it with all thy heart."
Nolan
17 comments:
First and foremost, these drugs don’t make for any kind of “product,” they make people turn into something other than humans. If Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa weren’t hitting balls out of the park before this drug, obviously there was a reason—it wasn’t meant to be. One body is only meant to be so strong, and apparently it isn’t made to be that strong. People are going to go to pro games with or without grand slams and plays like that. They go for the enjoyment of the sport; not just the crazy moments that might happen in the game. Steroids and other drugs cause have some really messed up side effects, and really make the drugs not worth taking. For example, steroids can cause men to be unable to have children, loss of sex drive, boys can start to grow boobs—gross, women can grow facial hair—even more gross, men can lose hormones to grow hair, men and women can get a ton of acne—which is probably the grossest of all. I am just naming the side effects that I think are funny and that stick out. Realistically speaking, it would be absolutely silly to take these drugs just to get muscles so you hit a grand slam to attract a crowd. There are way too many dangerous side effects that can really hurt you.
Richard
I always say no. i don't think that it is right or fair to the other players to take steroids. so i do agree with Richard when he say " there are too many dangerous side effects that can really hurt you."think about what it does to your body and the people around you.
Sports are supposed to be for athletes that want to display there raw talent. Raw talent are the skills that have come natural to that person. I figure if you are a true fan or true athlete you would want you sport to be legit. Sadly nowadays its all about winning not the sport. Therefore players use steroids (which is CHEATING) to enhance there talent that ultimately creates no so of a professional athlete.
missolo
I do not believe any type of body enhancement substances should be taken by anyone. Our bodies are made the way that their made because that's what we have made them to be without the use of any body enhancement products. Barry Bonds might have the highest number of home runs hit but Hank Aaron was only 7 runs away from him. Do you really think if Hank did steroids that he would've had more hits than Barry? I think if anyone wanted to be as good as Barry Bonds with the number of home runs being hit then they should set your heart on something and do it. There's no need for any body enhancement substances to make yourself better, you just gotta believe in yourself.
Julie
It is not right to take steroids for any athletics. Taking steroids is in some way insult another athletics hard work. It is not that a soccer player who uses steroid gets all the glory and a hard working soccer player, who trains day and night, get kicked out of the team. There are many bad health effects of taking steroids, such as induces male puberty, loss of sex drive and many more. After all sports are about natural and raw talent.
-Nilay
I believe that taking any type of performance enhancing drug in sports is the worst thing an athlete can do to there body. It can enhance there performance to an extant. From becoming stronger and faster. There is always a price to pay when one cheats to get to their goal. Athletes that choose to not put in hard work and use steroids can cause long term damage on their bodies, from losing hair, to having acne. Plus it ruins the purity of the sport. Spectators want to see all the hard work these athletes went through in off season, not someone that cheated so they could have better statistics. so yes i believe and agree that professional athletes should be tested for performance enhancing drugs. Also if players like Micheal Jordan, Babe Ruthe, or Joe Montana could excel at playing without drugs then why should players now do them? i think its just pure laziness.
Josue
Steroids, or performance enhancing drugs if you prefer, are a form of cheating when used in sports. The way that they make you “bulk up” and become stronger and faster, gives you an advantage in almost any arena. So, of course, that means that you are not using natural talent, and are tipping the odds in your favor in a way that the other team is most likely not doing. I am totally fine with tests checking for steroids and such, because honestly I believe that cheating is bad and any game won by cheating is worse than losing every game you have ever played.
Now, I am not really a sports person, and I am pretty horrid at attempting to play them. I can see why someone would want to get better, especially if they love the sport. But this is where practice comes in, because without practice and exorcise how can you hope to be good at anything athletic?
Lauren Smith
The rules are fair but they need to be looked at on an individual bases. If the substance is clearly to enhance your performance than the athlete should be punished but what about things like Sudafed. Andrea Raducan of Romania lost her gold medal in the 200 Olympic gymnastics all around after being given a similar drug by the team doctor. The drug was later taken off the banned substances but her medal was not officially given back. It should also be noted that several of her teammates also took the drug but did not test positive. It is thought that Raducan's small size was to blame for the positive result.
Hope Solo tested positive June 15th but will still be allowed to compete in London. the drug is banned because it might be used to flush the body of performance enhancing drugs.
How are these cases different? I don't think they are and the rules need to be applied carefully.
Rebecca Spellmeyer
I’m not the biggest fan of traditional competitive sports. Baseball, basketball, and stuff like that don’t really interest me much. I’m more interested in martial arts and cycling. I’m honestly more interested in the arts. So when I think of performance enhancing drugs, I guess the closest thing I could compare it to, would be if someone traced a drawing and claimed it as his or her own. Athletes represent physical fitness and health, so it seems that using enhancers is cheating and sends the opposite message of what athletes should be. These drugs are known to have serious health risks. Does this go along with the tradition of what sports are supposed to be? Something so superficial and extreme takes away from the thrill of watching a game. I guess it might make the game more interesting to the spectator, but it comes with the price of honor and dignity. There is more of a thrill in watching someone who is honorable and real.
-Sam
I think that people will still be interested in baseball even without the steroid induced grand slams. Sports involved with steroids is more of a “who’s cheating who” game instead of who really has the better talent and I know that I personally would rather pay to see a semi-exciting game verses a game brought on by a bunch of guys taking drugs just to be better than their opponent. After researching side effects for another assignment once, I wonder how they could even be worth it? I think that athletes need to be tested regularly for steroid usage.
Elizabeth
These substances shouldn't be permitted. The efforts of rigorous training should be the cause of strength and skill, not foreign substances that not everyone is taking. They make for an unfair game and have very real and dangerous side effects.
Addison
I think that they should be able to choose whether or not they want to use these so called "drugs". When given the chance, they may choose a better decision than if they were forced to not take them, than do them behind peoples backs. I mean I know we've all heard the stories of the niacin pills, water pills and other ways of cheating drug tests. But just think, if these "drugs "were given a chance, don't you think people would end up making the right decisions? Unfortunately Ii do not know much about this topic, but I do know that we should all have a choice as to what we do with our bodies, they are ours to make!
-Samantha
If people do not care about the cost (not just monetary) of using drugs to enhance their abilities, then let them do it. If everyone has the same kind of opportunity then it is fine. But the truly respected ones will be the ones that do not take drugs but are able to compete at the same level. I don’t really care for watching sports so my opinion does not really matter.
-Charlie
I think that drug testing in sports for performance enhancing drugs is a good thing. I think anyone who uses steroids and HGH are cheaters. This is not only to create fair competition but also protects athletes from the negative effects of drugs like steroids. Although baseball was much more exciting when every player in the league was juicing, it was still pretty boring. If they can't make the sport decently exciting without drugs they aren't much of athletes if you ask me, that is why I would rather watch golf then baseball because it is slightly more exciting.
Schnitzel
Steroids shouldn't be used to enhance your abilities in any way. It's not fair to the other true-born athletes that work their entire lives what others just stab into their skin. Testing for these substances is fine, but only if you're consistent with who your testing.
Katherine
Yes, I think testing for steroids is a great thing. The advantages of using steriods is of course being bigger and stronger but at what cost? Cheating is wrong for one thing but the damage to your health should stop you if cheating doesn't. Especially if it's professional sports. I do not approve of the use of steroids as I think it's wrong but at the same time, to each his own. If you want to irreparably damage your body than that's your decision.
Andi
steroids have Little to do with the enjoyment of the game. i don't go to see just one player but the entire game.although the fact that they use these drugs gives them an unfair advantage it still doesn't take from the game itself.i think it is fair that they have tested these athletes for steroids and growth hormones. the game was made for the raw skill and drive of a human to reach that peak performance level.
-Christopher Hodges
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