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Creatine in Athletes

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Creatine in Athletes

As more and more people are playing professional, collegiate and high school sports each year (Debate), the competition for playing time has become more heated. Most male athletes in any sports these days are looking for any sort of edge that they can get over the people who are fighting for the same spot they are. These battles for playing time become so heated that these kids are willing to try just about anything to win. Most kids are not willing to try anything illegal like steroids, but something very similar to steroids is a supplement called creatine. Creatine is now the most widely used supplement in athletics today (Debate).

The sport that creatine is most commonly used in at any level is football. …show more content…

In the entire National Football League, approximately fifty percent of all players use creatine (Martinez). Other professional athletes who take creatine and also stand behind it are Troy Aikman, Brady Anderson, Michael Johnson, and Chad Curtis. Michael Johnson claims that creatine helped him win his gold medals, while Curtis claims he gained fifteen pounds from taking the supplement (Martinez). These athletes are just a small example of professionals who endorse creatine, and their success is a big reason why many younger athletes feel the need to try it.

On the collegiate level, the number of athletes who take creatine are just as high and continue to climb each day. Young kids that are trying to make it to the next level and play professional sports are almost living off of creatine. Lamberto Byington, a student at San Diego State University, thinks creatine is his answer to playing college football. “. . . I use creatine regularly and plan on using it in the future. At my weight — 175 pounds — I need every pound I can get. Creatine helps me with my workouts and helps put more mass on my frame. I'll keep using it.” Lamberto is definitely not the only college student who feels this way as thousands of other college athletes also take creatine regularly (Martinez).

Creatine is not only limited to professional and college athletics. It has finally replaced illegal anabolic steroids as the most used supplement in high

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