Pamela Schenck
Professor Miller
EN 111
10/31/14
Should Steroids Be a Greater Issue?
The use of steroids in not only professional sports, but also high school and college sports, has changed the face of athleticism forever. The dependence on steroids has made athletics fueled not by skill and talent, but by drug contacts. Since athletes are in the public eye, their actions affect the decisions of those they serve as role models. Their influence has grown in the athletic lives of children and young adults. Athletics are no longer as raw with talent as they used to be, and these performance-enhancing steroids have not only had a bad effect on professional athletes, but have created a negative feeling towards those who use these steroids. The more athletes are seen in the media, the stories are becoming more of their personal lives without having the knowledge of the bad decisions they make with the usage of these drugs. The downslope of the talent of these athletes shows how the use of steroids should be taken more seriously with greater punishments. There are many possible reasons as to why athletes of all ages may take steroids. Although boys are more likely to take performance-enhancing steroids than girls are, there are still girls with reasons for taking them. Teens may experiment with steroids if they have a negative body image on themselves. Females will especially use these steroids because they have a greater tendency to compare their bodies to other females. Females are more interested these days in changing their body image to convey more of their strength. Both boys and girls may have insecurities and want to fit in with a specific group of people; they may also want to become more attractive to the opposite sex. Wanting these physical insecurities to vanish isn’t really a good thing for these teens because they won’t find themselves good enough easily, and could keep using drugs until their body turns completely unhealthy. These insecurities can be the result of societal pressure, or even pressure coming from his or her family members. Many people receive great amounts of pressure during their high school years. This pressure can lead to them looking up to others, having a role model, or even following in someone else’s footsteps. The pressure they receive can make them believe they aren’t as good as the outside world wants them to be. Steroids aren’t only used by people coming from bad homes, and they’re not only used by people that come from athletic families. Steroid use can be found in more high school homes than we could think of; they’re used more commonly now for kids to get ahead without having to put the work ethic in. The growth of steroid use has truly put a dent in the determination of athletes everywhere. Instead of purely working on your physique every day and having goals to look forward to, it’s even easier for someone to pop a pill and wait for the effects to take place (mayoclinic). There are many variations to steroids, but those used by athletes fall into certain categories; anabolic steroids, EPO and other peptide hormones, beta-blockers, stimulants, and narcotics. There are currently 1500 banned substances. However, some of these substances can be found naturally within the body, and in natural supplements. This makes its difficult for drug testing to be without flaws. There are 5 steroids that are considered most commonly used. They include: androstenedione, primobolan, tetrahydrogestrinone, clenbuteral, and DHEA. Androstenedione is a designer steroid. This steroid is mentioned most commonly in relation with athletics. This is designed from a naturally occurring steroid, but is not scientifically proven to improve sports performance. Although it may not have the greatest effect on athletes, the steroid was still banned because it was shown to have serious health effects on those who ingest it. Primobolan can be injected, or taken in a tablet form. This specific steroid has been linked to