Steroids in Sports

Steroid use in Sport
November Newsletter Issue 4

Steroids in Sports
by: iSteroids

Steroids are commonly used by bodybuilders and athletes of all levels. You will find steroids in High School sports, steroids in baseball, steroids in football, and, of course, steroids in the Olympics. All these sports, and many many more, use anabolic steroids in one form or another. DO NOT be fooled into thinking that any NFL players are natural and steroid free. Even retired NFL players admit that at least 70% of their team was using human growth hormone (HGH)!

You’d be hard-pressed to find a sport that doesn’t have links to steroid use in some way, shape or form. Well, maybe curling, but I don’t think I can even guarantee that! It’s just a part of the game that athletes always want to gain whatever advantage they can over their opponents. Sometimes that means training more than the next guy, sometimes that means getting one-on-one coaching and sometimes that means giving your body a little help to develop the muscles and endurance it needs to go the extra mile.

That is exactly where steroids come into play. Steroids started out as simply a drug that weightlifters used. Then it trickled into the Olympic sports and now they have pretty much permeated every sport out there. What’s more, they’ve even become popular in probably the most dangerous area: in high schools and middle schools. What’s important for everyone to know is that steroid use isn’t going to make you a better athlete. What they might do, however, is help with training. Taking a steroid and doing nothing else is not the answer to being better at your sport of choice. The keys to success lie with personal will to succeed.

Steroids in sports, particularly baseball right now, have caused quite a stir in the United States. In fact, at this point, I think it’s probably generally assumed that most professional athletes currently use or have used steroids at some point in their careers. The bar for success in these sports is raised so high right now it would be very difficult to compete without them.

Even so, even the U.S. government is trying to implement or, at the very least, encourage change. President Bush is calling for professional athletes to “set better examples for children”.

Sports organizations are taking steps to help stop the use of steroids but implementing steroid policies to collaborate with the current laws against them. But this all relies on testing and you know what they say: “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” It is nearly impossible to keep the drug tests up to par with new steroids as well as new ways to use them. Those that want to use steroids will keep finding new ways to get around the drug tests just as fast as those who develop the tests find ways to detect the steroids.

Of course, there is the criticism against these policies as well. Many people who want strong policies to prevent the use of steroids in sports feel that the policies in place, such as the one in place in the MLB are too soft. The consequences aren’t strong enough for real deterrence, they say.

The other question is whether or not the general public is ready to go back to a sports world without steroids. You have to admit that watching the record-breaking hit or the amazing touch down pass is fun and exciting. It might not be legal but it is fun to watch!

Sources:

Shea, John. “Bush Calls for Pro Sports to End Use of Steroids.” San Francisco Chronicle. www.sfonline.com.

“Steroids: Play Safe, Play Fair.” American Academy of Pediatrics. www.aap.org.

* Steroids in Baseball and Sports. Ezine Article.Steroids in Baseball and Sports.