Drug Use In Sports example essay topic

Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports Jennifer Edwards In all areas of sports, professional, college, and even high school, there is widespread illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. Although there are many reasons for athletes to choose to use these drugs, the cost of such use, both to the athlete and to society can be extraordinarily high. In order of performance-enhancing drugs we must understand why they are used and the consequences of their use to the athlete and society. One of the reason athletes choose to use performance-enhancing drugs is to bulk up. Athletes have guidelines pertaining to size that must be met.

If one wants to be a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL), one cannot weigh 175 pounds; so some athletes will use performance-enhancing drugs to make themselves gain weight. Another reason athletes will choose to use illegal drugs is to get more oxygen to their muscles. When blood and muscles are full of oxygen, one's body can perform better. An athlete who has used a performance-enhancing drug to get more oxygen to his or her muscles can perform for longer periods of time. A third reason an athlete would choose to use an illegal drug is to stimulate the body.

The reasons an athlete would need to keep his or her body stimulated are to reduce tiredness, to stay alert, and maintain aggressiveness. It is the same as when a person drinks coffee in the morning to perk him or herself up. One final reason an athlete would use performance-enhancing drugs is to mask an injury. For example, if a quarterback breaks his toe during the South Eastern Conference Championship game, there are two options: one, the quarterback can be taken out of the game or two, the trainer can give the quarterback an injection to take the pain away, allowing the quarterback to return to the game. In this instance the quarterback most likely would choose the injection due to the magnitude of the game and he would most likely feel an unconscious pressure from the fans, his teammates, and the coaches to do so. Often the decision to use is made without considering the risk.

Athletes who make the decision to use performance-enhancing drugs do not focus on the side effects. They do not realize that gaining weight quickly and unnaturally is not healthy. They are risking having mood swings, aggressive behavior, or even life threatening depression. The athlete who chooses to use a drug that puts more oxygen in his or her blood and muscles risks having a heart attack. The drugs that increase oxygen in the body also increase how many red blood cells are made.

With so many red blood cells, the blood becomes thick and is harder for the heart to pump. The performance-enhancing drugs that help stimulate the body are not as bad as some of the other drugs, but they too have their own side effects. The side effects are similar to caffeine: one can become nervous, have an irregular heartbeat, and have high blood pressure, and in extreme cases there can even be sudden death. Athlete's who has an undiagnosed medical condition like high blood pressure or irregular heartbeats can make matters much worse for themselves by taking these drugs.

The athlete who chooses to use a drug to mask an injury is asking for that injury to become worse. Most of the drugs used for this are narcotics and very strong painkillers. If we use the same example about the quarterback who broke his toe, once he is on the drug to mask that pain he could very well break another toe and not even know it. Also, most narcotics and strong painkillers are addictive, so the player now has to worry about that.

Now we have gone over the risks of using performance-enhancing drugs for the athletes, but what about the cost society has to pay? So many people, especially kids, look up to pro-athletes like they are gods and they want to be just like them. It is not right for a grown professional athlete to cheat to win. That sends the wrong message to the kids. Young people who want to be professional athletes need to know it is not easy; you can't just pop a pill or shoot something in your vein to be a great athlete.

You have to put in long hard hours practicing to be the best. Another thing to think about is the fans. Season ticket holders for the NFL can pay thousands of dollars a year buying regular season tickets and play-off tickets. Is it fair to the fan who pays all that money and it all goes down the drain because the star athlete of their team has tested positive for drugs and has been suspended? Of course it's not fair.

Athletes who choose to use performance-enhancing drugs are not only letting themselves down but also the rest of the team, and most importantly, the fans. Now I want to talk about what we can do to get athletes to decide not to use performance-enhancing drugs. Right now there are rules in effect for players testing positive for any kind of illegal drug, but obliviously those rules are not working since players feel they have to use some kind of drug to have an edge. For almost all players the sport they play is their livelihood. It would not be right to just kick them out of the sport permanently, but at the same time the consequence for testing positive must be great.

As it stands right now when players test positive for performance-enhancing drugs, they get fined; but really what is a $10,000 fine when the player is on a multi-million dollar contract? I believe if the punishment actually fit the crime fewer athletes would choose to use the drugs. For example instead of giving them a small fine or suspending them for a game or two, how about suspending the player who tested positive for the remainder of the season. If the consequences for using drugs outweigh the benefits, most players will choose not to use. Players now feel forced to use so they can compete on the same playing field as the players who are using. I spoke to an actual athlete to see what his opinion on drug testing was and to try to get a little insight to what athletes go through when getting drug tested.

What I found out is that drug testing is random and some players can go through their whole career without ever being tested. Here is what I got from my interview with Kenneth Edwards, a four-year college football player: "They only do drug tests on the players they suspect". So basically if you are an athlete who is using drugs, you can just keep your nose clean that way you most likely will not get caught. I believe if you are an athlete on any level -- high school, college, or even pro -- you should have drug tested at least once every season. Also there are now drugs that can be taken to make a urine test show a false negative. Therefore, I believe when a drug test is administered, it should be a blood test instead of urine since blood tests are more nearly accurate.

When an 18 year-old straight out of high school can sign a five year contract with the NBA making over a million dollars, the competition to be the one who signs that contract is fierce. The worst part of this is the real players who chose not to use drugs cannot compete against the players who enhance themselves with drugs. Players who use drugs only have to put in half of the effort it takes to stay in peak shape whereas the players who do it the natural way have to work long and hard for years to stay in excellent shape. Barry R. McCaffrey, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Clinton administration, said it well in a paper he wrote.

He stated: "Current anti-doping systems fail to provide athletes with the assurance that a level playing field exists for those who do not want to cheat. Moreover, many athletes believe that the existing systems are public relations tools, not effective counter-drug programs. Many athletes believe that these systems are run in such a way as to catch unknown athletes-but not stars or potential medal lists". (McCaffrey 2001) So basically even the good athletes who do not use drugs do not have faith in the system. I believe that they have a valid concern. When do we ever hear about the Kobe Bryant's or Michael Jordan's using performance-enhancing drugs?

We do not hear about the big stars that use and we never will until stopping the use of performance-enhancing drugs is a bigger priority then the money that can be made of the big stars. As mentioned above, athletes use performance-enhancing drugs for many reasons, justifying the benefits while ignoring the risks. We as a society do not condone drug use in sports, but at the same time we look the other way for the star athlete giving him a slap on the hand and warning him not to do it again. I believe as long as society puts the idea that being the best player and having the best team is the # 1 priority, the use of performance-enhancing drugs will only get worse. We will get the upper hand on the use of illegal drugs in sports only when we as society look at sports for exactly what they are, just games. Edwards, K. (2005, January 8).

During an interview on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. MacAuley, D. (1996, July 27). Drugs in sports. British Medical Journal. Downloaded January 7, 2005 from Western International University online library, Info Trac, web B. (2001). The United States Must Spearhead Reforms to Eradicate Drugs in Sports.

Drugs and Sports. Downloaded January 7, 2005 from Western International University online library, Opposing Viewpoints, web.