Steroids
Joshua Canabal
H-U.S-History 11-1
Mr. Pineda
May 12, 2011
Pros and Cons of Steroids in Sports Performing enhancement drugs has become a nation-wide debate for many sports journalists, reporters, and politicians. This ongoing debate has lasted for twenty years now and there are still many opinions to be assessed. Some experts may argue that steroids have a positive impact in sports and others disagree, but in reality they are both right. Steroids can make the game more exciting with athletes being able to perform at their full potential but it also gives them an unfair advantage to those who choose not to take this drug due to many health risk associated with steroids. Nonetheless, steroids bring both beneficial and destructive aspects to sports and can be argued and supported in many ways. Steroids have been regarded as a negative issue ever since the cases of Ben Johnson and Marion Jones, the two most infamous track and field starts who have been accused for using steroids and baseball’s Mitchell report. Steroids are a form of way for athletes to improve their performance and help them recover from injuries faster. As professor Julian Savulesca of the practical ethics at the University of Oxford said, “To say that we should reduce drugs in sport or eliminate them because they increase performance, is simply like saying that we should eliminate alcohol from parties because it increases sociability…As we 've argued, performance enhancing is not against the spirit of sport, it 's been a part of sport through its whole history, and to be human is to be better, or at least to try to be better.” Players take steroids to improve their strength, durability, and in general their overall performance. One player who benefited the most from performing enhancement drugs was Jose Canseco. As Jose Canseco said during an interview with 60 Minutes, “But for certain individuals, I truly believe, because I’ve experimented with it for so many years, that it can make an
H-U.S-History 11-1
Mr. Pineda
May 12, 2011
Pros and Cons of Steroids in Sports Performing enhancement drugs has become a nation-wide debate for many sports journalists, reporters, and politicians. This ongoing debate has lasted for twenty years now and there are still many opinions to be assessed. Some experts may argue that steroids have a positive impact in sports and others disagree, but in reality they are both right. Steroids can make the game more exciting with athletes being able to perform at their full potential but it also gives them an unfair advantage to those who choose not to take this drug due to many health risk associated with steroids. Nonetheless, steroids bring both beneficial and destructive aspects to sports and can be argued and supported in many ways. Steroids have been regarded as a negative issue ever since the cases of Ben Johnson and Marion Jones, the two most infamous track and field starts who have been accused for using steroids and baseball’s Mitchell report. Steroids are a form of way for athletes to improve their performance and help them recover from injuries faster. As professor Julian Savulesca of the practical ethics at the University of Oxford said, “To say that we should reduce drugs in sport or eliminate them because they increase performance, is simply like saying that we should eliminate alcohol from parties because it increases sociability…As we 've argued, performance enhancing is not against the spirit of sport, it 's been a part of sport through its whole history, and to be human is to be better, or at least to try to be better.” Players take steroids to improve their strength, durability, and in general their overall performance. One player who benefited the most from performing enhancement drugs was Jose Canseco. As Jose Canseco said during an interview with 60 Minutes, “But for certain individuals, I truly believe, because I’ve experimented with it for so many years, that it can make an
Cited: Canseco, Jose. 60 Minutes, 2005. Interview by Mike Wallace. 07/Aug/2005. Print. 2 May 2011. <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/05/60minutes/main761932.shtml> Mottram, David R., ed. Drugs in Sport. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2003. Questia.Web. 2 May 2001 Kuipers, H. (1998). Anabolic steroids: side effects. In: Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science, T.D.Fahey (Editor) Loland, Sigmund. Fair Play in Sport: A Moral Norm System. New York, NY: Routledge, 2002