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Drug Testing for Professional Athletes

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Drug Testing for Professional Athletes
Final Draft of Argument Essay I think professional athletes should have to take drug test, for the sake of the sport that they play and those who look up to them as a role model. If they didn’t have to, it would make the game unfair and may draw attention away from the game because using illegal drugs to enhance your performance is cheating. So many children and teenagers look up to athletes and idol them. As a professional athlete, they should set a good example and be a role model. If professional athletes are abusing drugs, how can they be a role model? Athletes using and abusing drugs can lead to children that look up to them to try the drugs. Then when the child gets hurt/sick, who’s to blame? Their role model could be the whole reason they tried it, but can’t really be held accountable for it. It sets a bad example and effects more than just the athlete and the sport. If the athletes use performance enhancing drugs (steroids), there are many side effects such as; live abnormalities, tumors, aggressive behavior, rage or violence, and psychiatric disorders etc. Children may not be aware of these side effects, so they might try the drug because their favorite athlete does, and it can leave them very sick. Research shows that 5% of young male athletes and 2.5% of female athletes have used steroids. Research with former NFL players says that 1 in 10 former NFL players have used steroids. A study by Kevin Guskiewics shows that athletes that abused steroids were more likely to sustain musculoskeletal injuries than those who did not use steroids. The use of steroids have many dangerous long term effects and unfortunately some people that use them don’t even know about the side effects. To have the edge over others isn’t worth the effects that come with it. It is also illegal. If steroids are illegal, and we’re not testing to see if the athletes are using them, what’s the point of making them illegal? Athletes should be checked periodically. Athletes do not


Cited: Steven Dowshen, . N.p.. Web. 1 Nov 2013. . Reinberg, S. n.d., n. pag. . Andrew Choi, . N.p.. Web. 3 Nov 2013. . Quinn, T.J. Ryan Braun Tests Positive For PED. Publication. N.p., 12 Dec. 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
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