Steroids in Sports Essay -- Athletics Steroid Performance Enhancing Dr

Professional sports are very special in the United States. One reason for this is the spirit of competition. However, steroid use taints this competition. If steroids were to be completely eliminated from sports, the competition would be much more special because athletes would compete with their hearts and will, without an extra boost. Also, since not everybody can be a professional athlete, the elimination of steroid use, in my opinion, would make the fans appreciate the game more and make them feel more relatable. Hopefully someday, fans will be able to watch their favorite sports in such a fashion. Steroid use by professional athletes is bad because doing so can damage an image of an athlete (if the offense is made public), create hazardous health issues for an athlete, and hurt the crediblity of sports. Why Take Steroids? â€Å"Athletes and others abuse anabolic steroids to enhance performance and also to improve physical appearance† (NIDA). The level of speed and intensity of sports at the professional level is extremely high. Therefore, many athletes choose to take steroids in order to improve their body and skills, and to try and match that intensity. Baseball players may choose to take steroids in order to hit the ball harder, which would attribute to more homeruns. Football players may take steroids in order to increase their muscle mass which would in turn improve their blocking and tackling skills, and to also improve their speed. Steroid use by professional athletes constitutes cheating. I believe that athletes should be athletes for one reason, their God-given talent, and not with the help of steroids. The population of professional athletes in the United States is very small, and I find it a shame that many ... ...et back to working hard using the energy and will that they naturally possess, and the credibility of the athletes and their sports would be revived. An issue with this idea is that some athletes have been known to unknowingly take steroids that were banned from their respective sport (i.e. Rafael Palmiero). However, if an athlete were to be put in that position, it would need to be proven that he/she in fact unknowingly took illegal steroids. Otherwise, that athlete should follow the same penalty as those who knowingly and blatantly take steroids. Works Cited ESPN.com news services. "'96 MVP admitted steroid use, fought drug problem." ESPN . 4 May 2006 from . National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Steroids (Anabolic)" NIDA. 15 Apr. 2006 from