Anabolic Steroids In Professional Sports

The most critical part of playing a sport is being healthy. However, many athletes choose to use an unhealthy drug, called Anabolic Steroids. Anabolic Steroids increase testosterone production in the body and can lead to increased muscle mass and more masculine physical characteristics. Most athletes use them knowing that the drug could terminate their career and cause them bodily harm. Good coaches would warn their players about the use of performance enhancing drugs. Bans on illegal drugs in sports are the rules of the game that need to be enforced by required drug screenings and need to have strict penalties for failing the tests. Under a 1988 government law, it is unlawful to convey anabolic steroids for non-therapeutic uses. (Quezzaire, 2) Knowing the punishment, athletes still use performance enhancing drugs, such as steroids. Professional athletic organizations began to ban steroids in the early 1990’s. The ban is known as the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990, which made the
illegal distribution of anabolic steroids a federal offense. (Quezzaire, 2) Amateur athletic organizations have banned the use of steroids in competition because they gave drug using athletes unfair advantages. All sports organizations have put bans on steroids because the long term side effects are extremely harmful. Despite being banned though, steroids have never left the sportsworld.

One way for the organizations to help prevent the use of steroids is to enforce such rules by drug testing. The largest thing today is being able to actually detect and determine steroids in one's system. (Lee, 2) A healthy body naturally rids itself of epoetin quickly. This makes timeliness a key factor in testing for these substances. These tests should be mandatory to uphold integrity within the sportsworld. The Olympics and the NFL, both test for steroids. (quezzaire, 3) There are some sports organizations that do not test routinely for steroid use, such as basketball and baseball, although they do ban them. (Quezzaire, 3) The purposes behind athletic drug testing are basic: If you want to compete, you should be able to demonstrate that you are not utilizing restricted substances to gain an out of line advantage. Gifted athletes who deny drug testing are welcome to compete outside the limits of professional and college leagues. (Lee, 1) Experts say that studies and testing alone won’t stop the use of steroids.
Every sport has different penalties for failing a test.
First time offenders in the NFL are suspended for a quarter of the regular season. (“Bad Sports,” 2) In the NBA for your first offense, you would get suspended for five games. (“Bad Sports,” 2) And in the MLB you would get suspended for 10 days. (“Bad Sports,” 2) In 2012, legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of his professional wins, including seven Tour de France championships, amid accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs throughout the peak of his career. (Quezzaire, 3) The penalties for cheating are small. A five game or 10 day suspension from competition is a small penalty to pay for multimillion dollar success. Many athletes who continue to use steroids, even after the first offense, have been banned from competition for good. (Lee,2) Playing a sport competitively is not mandatory until you have signed and agreed to participate in the sport, after that you are agreeing to obey the rules. (Lee,
2)
Steroids, and other performance enhancing drugs could possibly ruin your life, and reputation. A coach should pay attention to their athletes, and think about their health. Many players only want to win, so they use steroids not thinking that it could harm their health and life. Using steroids and other banned substances could get you in serious tribulation. Always think about the effects and consequences that comes with the things that you do. You could be banned from the sport that you love for life. If you are ever confronted about steroids, don’t do it because it could cause harm to your body, mentally and physically, it could also ruin your career.