Topic Proposal- Policy Paper

Anabolic Steroids in Sports



On the topic of Anabolic Steroids I will take a global approach and offer a broad plan to solve this major social problem that affects the entire sports community. To do this I will use a policy argument to answer the question of whether or not steroids should be allowed in sports.
The problem is athletes using Anabolic Steroids to gain an advantage over competition in sporting events. Many of the users are professional athletes where the sport is their career. The use is not as rampant in amateur and school sports. Pro steroid activists argue that in many cases using steroids is a business decision for the professional athletes and they are simply trying to reach their full athletic potential. Those against steroid use see it as cheating the game and acknowledge the serious side effects involved.
Steroids have been banned from sporting events and those caught using are given serious and legal consequences. The drugs are not only banned from sports, but they are considered an illegal substance and if caught by legal officials it is treated as any other drug violation. The solution to keeping steroids out of sports is a regular and consistent drug tests that are monitored and cheat proof. In the past, athletes have been able to trick the test into mistaking the synthetic steroids for those naturally produced by the male body. Chemists have come up with ways to detect the difference between synthetic and natural and whether the use is long term or stopped shortly before the test is administered. If sports associations would make such testing mandatory before and during training prior to the start of the season, the drug use would greatly drop. As a culture we need to reduce the appeal for better and better performance also.
Many young and older athletes alike are putting themselves at great risk by using these performance enhancing drugs. More advertising for the dramatic and serious side effects needs to be done to let these athletes know what they are doing to their bodies. These men and women are putting themselves at great risk down the road for the short lived benefits of muscle mass increase and strength in their desired fields.
This paper is based on the medical viewpoint and the viewpoint of saving the integrity of sporting events. It will be taken from the perspective of those against the use of the drugs for sporting and mainly health reasons. I will be able to use my medical journal sources and the editorials against the use of Anabolic Steroids.