Rough+Draft

Adam Amerson Mulkey Eighth Grade Exit Project March 15, 2011 Steroids The use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports in the United States was at its peak in the 1980’s. Athletes in sports such as wrestling, football, track and field, swimming, weight lifting, cycling and baseball have used many forms of performance enhancing drugs to increase their muscle mass and strength in order to be more competitive. While not all professional athletes used these drugs, a significant number did to increase their chance of success in their respective sports, regardless of the potential side effects of such use. The three better known drugs in sports are anabolic steroids, human growth hormones and EPO or erythropoietin. All are chemicals known as hormones; hormones occur naturally and act as chemical messengers that can regulate bodily functions. Anabolic steroids can be oral, injections, nasal sprays or transdermal. Oral steroids are in pill form. Transdermal steroids are either in cream formed to be rubbed on the skin, or transdermal patches applied to the skin. Injection steroids are administered by needle. Nasal sprays are inhaled through the nose when squirted into the nostrils. The main anabolic steroid hormone is testosterone, and it has two main effects on the body. The first is called the anabolic effect, which increases muscle building. The second is called the androgenic effect, and it is responsible for male traits, specifically, facial hair and a deepened voice. In the 1980's, Oakland A's outfielder, Jose Canseco, was the first MLB player to ever hit 40 homeruns and steal 40 bases in the same season. He was even named MVP and was given the biggest contract at that point of time out of any player in the MLB. He received 4.7 million dollars a year. He claimed that his amazing speed and power were due to his heavy duty weight training. In truth, he had transformed his body by taking heavy doses of anabolic steroids and had extremely hard workouts. Another pro athlete in the 1980's was Canadian sprinter, Ben Johnson. In 1988, he broke the 9.8 second mark in the 100 meters but was disqualified three days later when his urine test showed traces of an anabolic steroid called Stanozolol. He had his gold medal stripped from him in track and field. His coach Charles Francis said that Ben Johnson had been using steroids since 1981. Canseco and Johnson were just two athletes of many in the 1980's who used anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to give themselves an advantage over their competition. The NCAA, NFL, NBA and the Olympics all banned the use of steroids by the late 1980's. Congress passed a law classifying steroids as controlled substances in 1990. In 2010-2011, many professional athletes in many sports still take performance enhancing drugs, even though much more is known about the health risks of taking such drugs. Taking steroids in large doses can cause kidney and liver damage, tendon and ligament tears, anemia, impotence, heart disease such as abnormal enlargement of the heart muscles, stroke, cancer, depression, suicidal tendencies, and violent, aggressive behavior. This is called "roid rage." In men, it can also cause male-pattern baldness, muscle aches and bigger breasts especially in teenage boys. In women and teenage girls, it can cause male pattern baldness and male-type facial and body hair growth. It may also cause a deepening of the voice. NFL player, Lyle Alzado, of the Oakland Raiders admitted to having taken steroids in the 80’s. He later developed brain cancer, which he blamed on his steroid use. He died in 1993. Although the side effects of performance enhancing drugs are not totally known even in 2011, enough is known to realize that the risks to one’s health and employment outweigh the benefits. Another change from the 1980’s to the present is that non-medical use of anabolic steroids is against the law. Possession of such drugs is a felony and has been since the Anabolic Steroid Control Act was amended with the Controlled Substance Act in January of 2005. Drug testing for athletes is more common. If an athlete fails a drug test for steroids, they might get jail time, have to give up their trophies or medals, have to pay fines or be kicked out of their event or off the team. While not all professional athletes used these drugs, a significant number did to increase their chance of success in their respective sports, regardless of the potential side effects of such use. Even though athletes know more about the health risks of performance enhancing drugs and the fact that they are illegal, some will still take them to try to get a competitive advantage. In 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft said, "Steroids are bad for sports, they're bad for players, and they’re bad for young people who hold athletes up as role models" (cbssports.com/general/story/7082097).



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Shaun Rogers - Football. Suspended in 2006 for steroids. __ [] __

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Ben Johnson - Olympic Sprinter. In the 1988 Olympics, Johnson's urine samples were found to contain Stanozolol, and he was disqualified from competition. He later admitted having used steroids when he ran his 1987 world record, which would be rescinded. []



Here are a few side effects of taking steroids



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[] Barry bonds was a great baseball player that holds the home run record right now. He took steroids This is a picture of barry bonds before he took steroids and after he took them