Next, many children and teenagers often look up to professional athletes as role models. For many high school athletes, professional athletes are major influences. High school athletes choose the jersey numbers of their favorite professional players. They emulate their training regimens. They imitate their style of play, and they are influenced by their drug use. Young athletes often believe that steroid use by their role models gives them permission to use. If a young athlete, who is easily influenced, sees his role model attaining success through the use of performance-enhancing drugs, he's going to perceive that as the only way to attain success. “Among students in grades 8 through 12 who admitted to using anabolic steroids in a confidential
The steroid use among secondary school competitors has multiplied between the times of 1991 and 2003. Weaver clarifies the risks of steroid use among youthful competitors. The utilization of steroids can make harm the heart and liver. It can likewise bring about skin break out and weight pick up. Weaver likewise clarifies the withdrawals from steroid utilize like discouragement enduring up to 6 months. As per Dr. Yesalis, the utilization of steroids is expanding among secondary school competitors since it's "A medication that can make you more well known, sexually appealing and can make you a
Many children all across the United States and other countries try to replicate their favorite superstar athlete. Many athletes become the children’s idol and once the child learns that the athlete has cheated the game the athlete plays the child no longer looks up to the athlete. It is almost gotten to the point where no athlete that excels in a particular sport can be trusted. Every time a single athlete becomes great at their respective sport, speculation of steroid abuse immediately follows.
Steroids have taken over the game of baseball and more players are starting to get involved with them. Steroids are a big part of the Major League today in 2014, yet they entered the game of baseball through trainer Curtis Wenzlaff in 1992. Players and the game’s images are ravaged when they become caught up in steroids. Some of the best players to ever play the game of baseball have been caught up in steroids, including Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. Players with this level of skill are supposed to be role models for younger kids, yet younger kids see that they used steroids and are tempted to use them. When their young, impressionable minds witness steroids use, naturally kids attempt to imitate their idols. More
In all areas of sports, professional, college, and even high school, there is widespread illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. It seems like you can’t go more than a week without hearing about somebody’s PED problems. 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. The question that many people must answer to themselves is “is it worth the risk”. Therefore, it is important to understand why performance-enhancing drugs are used, the consequences of their use, and then apply that knowledge to how they are represented in the media.
Drugs in sports is becoming a problem everywhere. “Another 26-year old athlete died of liver cancer after taking a number of different types of steroids over a four year period ” (Drugs and…). This is significant because this shows how dangerous drugs can be. If we have drug testing in schools this student could still be alive and would have stopped drugs before it got bad. The evidence points to the fact that drugs are a major health risk that is very concerning. In some cases taking drugs can even lead to death. In addition, another situation took place that affected a college student named Bob. Bob tried everything to gain weight so he could play football, so he chose to try steroids like everyone else. Steroids got him to play professional football, but horrible things were happening to him. He was having serious health problems. Bob quit drugs and is lucky to be alive (Drugs and…). This connects to the fact that doing drugs is a major
Athletes, whether they are young or old, professional or amateur, are always looking to gain an advantage over their opponents to come away with the win. The desire for an "edge" exists in all sports, at all levels of play, from peewee wrestling to professional football. Successful athletes rely on skill, practice, and hard work to increase their skills, speed, power, and ability. Today, high school and even middle school students are using steroids illegally. The United Institute of Health reported that 2.9% of twelve graders in high school have used anabolic steroids(Drugs In Sports, 2) These drugs may also have been called: roids, juice, gym candy, pumpers, stackers, balls or bulls, arnies, or anabolics(Anabolic Steroids, 1). Also most
Famed writer Grantland Rice once wrote, “When the great scorer comes to mark against your name. He'll mark not won or lost but how you played the game” (World of quotes, 1). That buoyant attitude of selflessness and heart has slowly diminished throughout the course of time. Now, George Allen’s booming voice, former coach of the Washington Redskins, runs throughout head of America, “Only winners are truly alive. Winning is living. Every time you win, you’re reborn. When you lose, you die a little” (Harris, 67). It is with this frame of mind that athletes are pushed beyond the edge of reason. Although peer pressure and pressure from coaches are central reasons why one may use steroids, most users begin using in order to improve their self image or excel in sports. Ethics, integrity, and legality aside, some athletes will stop at nothing to attain “that extra edge”.
In order to resolve this issue, ATHENA and ATLAS create “squads” with leaders to create a positive peer influence against the use of steroids (“Athletes” Promising). ATLAS and ATHENA’s belief is that things such as scare tactics, and even drug testing aren’t enough of a scare to stop young athletes from using steroids (Kaminski). In order to end the use of performance enhancing drugs in high school athletes, ATHENA and ATLAS has created peer-lead programs within high schools in 31 different states to influence other students to avoid steroids, and rely on healthier alternatives to achieve greater athletic
People today go through many different avenues while striving for excellence in sports. Pressure to perform and win can be a heavy burden for players. Every player wants to be the best and become the next superstar of their sport, as Michael Jordan is to basketball. As with many areas of life, the better you perform on the field, the more prestige, money and power you will receive. These rewards are very enticing to young athletes, and many would sacrifice profusely to achieve such goals. Getting to such greatness requires a great amount of time, skill, hard work, and luck. Nevertheless, instead of sacrificing time and hard work, athletes look for the easy way to reach stardom. This seems to be a theme that is growing more common in the realm of sports. Still, some athletes may not be as gifted as others may, so they likely will try to make up for deficiencies by using steroids.
Currently it is an estimated that at least 6.67 percent of high school seniors in the United States have tried steroids, which is 500,000 males between the ages of 17 and 18 (Anabolic Steroids). The pressure of steroids on teenagers is constantly drilled into their heads because they associate increased strength with perfection. Teenagers are under immense pressure to be perfect. Kids are pressured to do well in school, sports, and any other activities that they are participating in. Anything other than the best is unacceptable and failure which strikes and leads to disrespect. Failure has the sole purpose of tearing people from their self confidence and lending them to be insecure, questioning their abilities and themselves. It does
Abstract: With the increase of competition has also come the need to become bigger and stronger than the opponent. The use of steroids among athletes has caused the focus of the game to change. No longer does an athlete want to win by doing their best, but they want to become bigger and have an advantage over the opponent. Ultimately, all athletes feel that they need to use performance-enhancing drugs to compete at the same level. Despite all of the warnings and information on performance-enhancing drugs, athletes continue to use them and overlook the potential health risks associated with steroids.
process. My health teacher was not the greatest of teachers, but I found it easy because she taught us with visuals, which made it easier to
Some athletes turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress of balancing their lives. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead them to abuse drugs and alcohol from an early age. A study comparing drug use of athletes and nonathletes found that athletes had higher percentages of using smokeless tobacco, methamphetamines and banned performance-enhancers compared to their non-athlete peers (Yusko, D. A., Buckman, J. F., White, H. R., & Pandina, R. J., 2008). Even though student athletes know the risks of using drugs, they take the risk. Most athletes are subjected to drug testing and can even be kicked off their team due to drug use. The same study (Table 4) also looked at in-season versus off-season drug use and found that athletes use of marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens and social drugs doubled from in-season to off-season (Yusko, D. A., Buckman, J. F., White, H. R., & Pandina, R. J., 2008). Non-athlete students may use more substances then their athlete peers in some cases, however their range of drug use stays relatively the same throughout the year. Athletes, on the other hand, create an unhealthy relationship with drugs by doubling their usage during off-season. Data from the 1999 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study was reviewed and it was found that male hockey players were twice as likely to report marijuana use, female soccer players
More and more, of our society views winning more important than itself. Success in competition brings status, popularity, and fame, not to mention college scholarships. Today’s athletes are looking for an advantage over the competition that will make them winners. Unfortunately, the drugs of today are caught up in the high stakes competition frenzy. Of this reality, teenage use of performance improved drugs is growing ever more popular. In colleges and in the professional league a lot of people are doing drugs and its ruining their health and life. Also, if some teenagers take performance drugs they are making them better than everyone else giving themselves an advantage over everyone else which is cheating, so why should they get money
Many people believe that drug use in professional athletics is not a serious problem, however it is more widespread and serious than people think. In professional athletics the use of drugs is looked upon as somewhat of a serious problem, but is also very discrete and low key. Every once in a while one might see a prominent figure in a certain sport being reprimanded for the use of some outlawed drug, however this is just one of the many who happened to get caught. Athletes today seem to find no moral problem with using performance-enhancing drugs, or in other words cheating. Also many of them feel that because they are "stars" there should be no repercussions for their illegal activity.