Steroids in Society

Steroid use is a problem that has lingered in the sporting world for a long time. It has long been intertwined within the games of baseball and cycling, but more reports are starting to surface about athletes using them in other sports, such as basketball, football, and track and field. Steroids are defined by the National Institute of Drug Abuse as “synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones (e.g., testosterone). They promote the growth of skeletal muscle (anabolic effects) and the development of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects) in both males and females.” Steroids have widespread causes for their use, some of them even being beneficial. But in any business or organization, the goal is to maximize performance and you do whatever you can do gain a competitive advantage. This causes some athletes to turn to “juicing” in order to gain an edge. In baseball alone, it is estimated that 6% of players have done it or are currently doing it, and that is just the number of people willing to admit it in an anonymous survey. The public’s perception is that it happens far more frequently than that. There are two clear sides to the argument: those that would prefer for steroids to be banned, and those that believe that steroid use should be allowed in sports. There are many reasons for wanting steroids to be banned, and that seems like the most logical option to end the prevalence it has in major sports. In a sport such as baseball, young kids and teens that see their favorite professionals want to emulate them. When you watch your favorite athlete, you try to model your moves and behaviors to be similar to theirs because that is your role model. So if your favorite athlete is juicing, then it puts unwanted pressure on the shoulders of these kids that are trying to make it to the next level. In a study done by the Sports Reaction Center, nearly half of males aged 18-25 thought that taking performance enhancing drugs was critical to making it in