Steroids

STEROIDS If a professional athlete is taking steroids, shouldn 't he or she face major consequences? Even though steroids are already banned from the professional leagues, there must be a major consequence because athletes try to find a way to gain an edge to win. It also changes the speed of the game, and can cause major injury effects and death. “It is estimated that over 95 percent of all athletes in the NFL take steroids” (fitFLEX) Athletes using steroids on any other performing enhancing drugs, they are basically trying to increase their on-field performance. This is an unfair advantage on those who have trained, practice, and put in all the hard work to become better without using steroids. Everybody knows that a quarter of an inch or a quarter of a second divides a winner and that one player will use human growth hormones to gain that edge. Lyle Alzado, who famously played for the Oakland Raiders through 1982-1985, had this to say in an article in Sports Illustrated on taking steroids: “I started taking anabolic steroids in 1969 and never stopped. It was addicting, mentally addicting. Now I 'm sick, and I 'm scared. Ninety percent of the athletes I know are on the stuff. We 're not born to be 300 lbs or jump 30 ft. But all the time I was taking steroids, I knew they were making me play better. I became very violent on the field and off it. I did things only crazy people do. Once a guy sideswiped my car and I beat the hell out of him. Now look at me. My hair 's gone, I wobble when I walk and have to hold on to someone for support, and I have trouble remembering things. My last wish? That no one else ever dies this way.” (Lyle Alzado). The athletes using steroids are usually the ones that are too lazy to work hard and put in the effort to get better. Steroids can change the speed of the game and how it is played. Not only do the athletes change and become stronger and faster, the style of the game as well has changed for example; the number of regular

Cited: fitFLEX Articles: Professional Athletes & Anabolic Steroids: Do all Pro Athletes Abuse? http://www.fitflex.com/steroids-professional-athletes.html Wikipedia, Lyle Alzado interview, Sports Illustrated, 1992 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado#Steroid_use_and_death Daily News, Bill Madden, 2009, Daily News Sports, Hank Aaron says steroid cheats in… http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/07/26/2009-07-26_hank_aaron.html#ixzz0pBqknQ8b Athletes Against Steroids (AAS), Naturalis Est Optimus, Athletes Against Steroids http://www.athletesagainststeroids.org/pgs/steroiddeaths.php