The Importance Of Drug Testing In Sports

In 1995 the Supreme Court stated that schools could randomly drug test their athletic students. By 2008, 16 percent of school districts had started to take on some kind of drug testing program (John 2). Even though the Supreme Court has a certain amount of ruling on who is tested at the schools, some schools have expanded their range of students, a few going all the way to the whole student body (John 2/3). One of the main reasons the supreme court ruled towards testing the student athletes is because they are supposed to be seen as the role models and influencers of the school, and outside the school. Seeing athletes doing drugs might increase the drug use of the school. (John 3). Student

Eugene Robinson from the Washington post once stated “Most fans watch sports…to see people unlike themselves perform extraordinary physical feats. The superhuman quality of professional athletes is precisely what Americans admire about them” (CITE) Drug testing was created to stop the use of performance enhancements as artificial stimulants for physical and mental enhancements. (CITE) Drugs which are used by athletes in all types of sports have many advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, laws were created to keep an equal playing field.

The use of illegal substances is rapidly increasing in the college sports due to the expansion of supplements used by athletes that are being banned. In a study done, athletes were asked if illicit drugs would negatively impact their performance. Majority of them responded “yes”, their main reasoning being; the effects of illicit drugs were both mental and physically damaging. Illicit drugs come in many forms, but the testing procedures are all the same for any substance. There is almost always a consequence with the use of prohibited substances. Drug testing is appropriate to help ensure the safety of student athletes while they participate in intercollegiate contests. (Krotee, M 555).

In many states and surrounding countries athletes are using what are labeled as Anabolic Steroids. Anabolic steroids are a synthetic derivative of a naturally produced hormone testosterone, it promotes the growth of muscle (NIDA 2004). This kind of steroid is usually prescribed by doctors to treat patients for conditions such as ones who have delayed puberty or people who have medical problems that causes low amounts of testosterone. Anabolic steroids are prepared in the arrangement of a capsule, shot, ointment, or salve. Though this kind of steroid makes muscles bigger and bones stronger anabolic steroids can cause serious if not fatal effects in the body. Men as well as women using this steroid can have various problems and complications if not monitored. The majority of people who use this steroid are athletes. Athletes want a bigger and better body to improve how well they play a certain sport or how they look, therefore many use and abuse this drug illegally and having life changing consequences later.

However, like most things in this world, if there is a positive side to an issue, there is usually a negative lingering in the shadows. When taking performance-enhancing drugs, the user will receive great rewards, but at high risks. There are major mental and physical risks involved when taking a performance-enhancing drug, especially anabolic steroids. According to the Mayo clinical staff, “Men may develop breasts, shrunken testicles, and infertility. Women may develop a deeper voice, an enlarged clitoris, and increased body hair. Both might experience rage, severe acne, infections, and other health issues,” (Clincal Staff, Mayo). It is evident that there are high risks when taking a performance-enhancing drug. These risks come in various forms, from being mild to

Anabolic steroid is a steroid that includes hormones that derive from testosterone, the primary male hormone. As a Schedule III drug, it has a low to moderate chance of being abused. In 2001, approximately 2% of high school students had taken steroids in the past year. Steroid revenue is about 400 million dollars a year in the United States. With 100 varieties to choose from, no wonder high-profile athletes have used them to get a “one-up” on their competition. As more varieties are being invented, either by “blending” or “stacking,” people need to be aware of the detrimental effects of anabolic steroids.

Many professional athletes in this era rely on performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, to take their athletic abilities to the next level. Over the years, steroid abuse in sports has only gotten worse. This is where the controversy occurs because some people think that the usage of steroids should be legalized in sports, while others do not like that idea. The National Institute on Drug Abuse stated that, “Anabolic steroids are related to the male sex hormones such as testosterone. They promote the growth of skeletal muscle and the development of male sexual characteristics in both males and females” (NIDA). This is a brief definition explaining what anabolic steroids are and what they do. Anabolic steroids were first developed in the 1930’s in order to treat a condition in which the testes produced an insufficient amount of testosterone for normal growth and development. Shortly after, lab tests revealed that steroids were very helpful in the growth of muscle tissue. This lead bodybuilders and athletes to use steroids. Steroids are used by athletes in order to improve performance, build lean muscle mass, and increase strength and speed. There are many opinions on whether steroids should be legalized in sports or not. Some people argue that they provide an unfair advantage between athletes, stating that they should be banned. Others argue that steroids don’t provide athletes with skills, emphasizing that athletes achieve them on their own and not with the help of

The issue of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) has been among the most controversial in the sports world. A number of high profile athletes from Barry Bonds to Lance Armstrong have seen their reputations tarnished as a result of their use of these substances. Even the US Congress has held a number of high profile hearings on the subject to rid professional sports of their usage. In the sports world, it is almost assumed that sports are better when PEDs are removed from the game, and that the sport’s integrity is threatened when its players use these banned substances. Bud Selig, the former commissioner of Major League Baseball, described ridding baseball of PEDs as necessary “to maintain integrity, fairness and a level playing field.” Sports leagues have created highly sophisticated systems to identify players who use PEDs and levy them with harsh punishments. I will argue that the argument from fairness presented by Michael Lavin is not a valid reason to ban PEDs from professional sports. To clarify, my argument is not that PEDs are good for athletes or professional sports, but merely that they should not be banned out of a concern for fairness.

I believe that athletes should be drug tested every month or so. There have been several athletes in history that have lost their ability to play professional sports as a result of taking Performance-Enhancing drugs. If we drug tested athletes it could stop advantages, preventing use, and protect athletes.

Drug testing of athletes is being increased because of the performance enhancing drug athletes such as Alex Rodriguez are subjects to increased drug testing because he took performance drugs. Rob Manfred said “Alex will be tested like every other player” (drugabuse.gov). Player who has violated the program. The major player who has violated the program The major league baseball drug testing program requires players who have been suspension and are coming back to take more frequent drug tests. December 2011 the joint drug agreement was accepted by the major league association.

Professional athletes who take drugs to do better in their sports are cheaters (“Should professional athletes have to take a drug test?” para 3). Taking drugs is also very dangerous to the body (para 4). It is not fair when athletes take drugs because they are going to be really good at their sport their playing. It is not fair to the athletes who don’t take drugs and train hard to become better at the sport. Professional athletes should have to be tested once a year to test for steroids.

As a kid you want everything to be even and fair, the same hope that everything is fair continues into sports and goes through the highest levels. Drug testing in high school sports should be mandatory from all sports and athletes across the country. At the highest college and professional sports levels there are mandatory drugs test taken by every individual player before the season is started. High school athletes are able to get away with using drugs during their sports season because there is no mandatory drug test that is taken. The drug test is a necessity to keep everything even and fair throughout the season of high school sports. Students may take PED’s because they see athletes at the highest level of competitions using them and succeeding to a high extent. High school sports should be fair all across the board and students that use drug make it not fair, mandatory drug test would help with the amount of drug used in high school sports.

Performance-enhancing drugs (PED 's) have been an issue for many decades now for the medical and sports field. Olympic and professional athletes have been using them to gain an upper hand on the competition, but some may ask if it 's really worth it? Studies show that performance-enhancing drugs have been proven to negatively affect the health of athletes who take them. Simply put, performance-enhancing drugs could either improve athletic performance or can be extremely dangerous, in certain situations, deadly. There have been strict rules and drug testing in the professional sporting organizations, as well as in world competitions. For example, in the summer of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, in two of the

Drugs in sports, also known as doping, is very common around the world. The usage of drugs in sport goes way back, about all the way back to where the concept of sports was invented, during the 1960’s. Doping is a practice that has been going on since the time of "ancient Greek athletes, who supposedly ate herbs, sesame seeds, dried figs, and mushrooms for this purpose" (Hoberman, 1992, 104).In ancient times, when the fittest of a nation were selected as athletes or combatants, they were fed diets and given treatments considered beneficial. For instance, Scandinavian mythology says Berserkers could drink a mixture called "butotens", to greatly increase their physical power at the risk of insanity. One theory is that the mixture was prepared from the Amanita muscaria mushroom, though this has been disputed. The German missionary and doctor Albert Schweitzer wrote of Gabon in the early 19th century: "The people of the country can, having eaten certain leaves or roots, toil vigorously all day without feeling hungry, thirsty or tired and all the time showing a happiness and gaiety. In ancient Rome , where chariot racing had become a huge part of their culture, athletes drank herbal infusions to strengthen them before chariot races.

“Some athletes take a form of steroids — known as anabolic-androgen steroids or just anabolic steroids — to increase their muscle mass and strength. The main anabolic steroid hormone produced by your body is testosterone. Testosterone has many risks some of them are Anabolic effects promote muscle building. Androgenic effects male traits, such as facial hair and a deeper voice. Men get some major risks from taking this type of drug like some are prominent breasts Baldness, Shrunken testicles, Infertility, and Impotence.”(Mayo Clinic)