Drug Testing in Athletes

Drug Testing in Professional and High School Athletics Many people do not see the severity of drug use in professional and High School athletics. Drug use in professional athletics is looked upon as somewhat of a serious problem, but also very discrete and low key. Every once in a while and individual might see a prominent figure in a certain sport being reprimanded for the use of an outlawed drug. However , that athlete may just be one of the many who happened to get caught. Athletes today seem to find no moral problem with using performance-enhancing drugs, or in other words, cheating. Athletes feel that because they are "stars" there should be no repercussions for their illegal activity. Today, drug use in sports has reached enormous proportions in society and destroying athletics from the ground up. The use of steroids and other performance enhancement drugs also effects athletes at the high school level. It does not matter how good the athlete is, a zero-tolerance policy should be in place at all levels of competition. Many athletes fail to take their time when making the decision whether to use drugs to their advantage. Unfortunately, athletes may use drugs for therapeutic indications, recreational or social reasons, as muscular aids, or to mask the presence of other drugs during drug testing. However, the safety of an athlete's health is being neglected. Drug use has led to an increased number of deaths, and suspensions of athletes. If failing to recognize drug use in professional athletics continues, all athletes will have to choose whether to compete at a world-class level and take drugs, or compete at a club level and be clean. In sports, athletes, coaches and trainers will try their best to find a way to reach the top level. They not only search for a way to enhance performance, but most of them have aspiring Olympians to train. Athletes also are becoming more venturesome about mixing different types of drug (Marie, 2014). Sports