Roels Corinne October 16, 2009 English 105; Paulette Zillmer Paper 2 Final Draft Anabolic Steroids: An Athlete's Dirty Little Secret Ben Johnson, a famous track and field star, was not the only athlete using steroids while competing in the Olympics; however, his story became one of the most famous scandals in Olympic history. Over the span of his athletic career, "he emerged as the world's fastest man" winning several bronze, silver and gold medals in various athletic competitions across the world (Pampel 18). Early in his career, Johnson claimed victory over his rival Carl Lewis during the 100-meter dash and set a new world record. Still celebrating his gold medal win, an analysis of his pre-race urine samples was released, disclosing evidence of stanozolol, an oral anabolic steroid created to replicate testosterone. With uncontestable evidence suggesting his unfair advantage, Johnson's actions led to the revocation of his Olympic medal. Stripped of his victory and world record, with nothing left but a tarnished reputation, Johnson's story exhibits one of the many repercussions associated with steroid usage. These consequences have become more serious since steroids have become more prominent; and officials are now seeking to protect the integrity of track and field sports and eliminate the fraudulent actions of competitors. Even with growing awareness of steroid use in sports, protecting a moral and ethical reputation of the Olympic Games poses more of a challenge than many may anticipate in a world where steroids have become so intertwined with the sports culture. The use of such prohibited substances grants an unfair advantage to those daring enough to risk the effects of potential consequences occurring when found with performanceenhancing drugs in their system. However desirable the results may be, the repercussions of becoming banned from sports, as well as the health risks associated with steroid use, far
outweigh the potential gain in any competitive event. Steroids are clearly inappropriate in sporting events because of the unfair advantage that competitors gain over other athletes and therefore in order to assure that not only the integrity of the sport is upheld, strong stances against steroids must be imposed. In order to protect the ethics and integrity of the sport, sports officials must further enforce drug testing regulations and teachers must educate the youth in order to deter young athletes from finding the appeal in such substance abuse. The only way to combat the widespread influence of steroids is to continue administering thorough drug tests at every competitive event, as well as educating new athletes about potential harm they could incur while using these drugs. Cultivating awareness amongst teenagers is also an important step in the battle against steroid use, as about three percent of tenth graders are already using anabolic steroids to enhance their athletic performance in inter-school competitions (Bellenir). Steroids are inappropriate in sporting events clearly because of the unfair advantage that competitors gain over other athletes, indicating that cheating is an acceptable way to gain victory. This awareness can be achieved by informing teens about the structure of steroids and where they come from as well as the health risks associated with them in hopes that these facts will deter the students from engaging in steroid use. These include an effect on your heart; steroid use has "been associated with cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke" (Bellenir 150). Steroids also affect mood; causing people to be "angry and hostile"; there are even "recorded cases of murder attributed to intense anger from steroid use" (150). Informational books such as Bellenir's Drug Information for Teens document these side effects as well as explain several that discourage teens specifically, such as an "affect [on] appearance" describing how it can cause "male pattern baldness, cysts, acne, and oily hair and skin" (Bellenir 150). More sources portraying steroids negatively such as Drug Information for Teens should be made available not only in print sources, but also in the
media such as television and magazine advertisements; exposing the truth behind the performance-enhancers. Several organizations combating smoking have been effective across the nation with this plan, even hiring celebrities to promote their cause. With a plan such as this, the public could gain a better understanding of the negative effects of steroids. Although the education of youth could be improved, there are certain authorities in the field of sports, especially those of the Olympic Games that have begun to express concerns about the expanding use of steroids in athletics. In 1960, the International Olympic Committee identified that steroid production had potential dangers not only to the abuser's health but also to the integrity the of sport the athlete competes in. The following year, they took action, setting up committees to investigate athletes. The first tests were most likely done using saliva, which then led to the use of urine as a more accurate test method; the concentration of supplement appeared to be more concentrated in urine than in saliva (Egendorf). With use of performance enhancers comes those who will stand up for their usage. Advocates for steroid use still hold their positions strong today; in 1983, Fredrick Hatfield Ph.D published a book titled Anabolic Steroids: What Kind and How Many... in which he documented his pro-steroids position. He supported his position by not explaining how the effects of steroids were undeniably desirable, but instead by asserting that "drugs have proven to be, are still, and will probably continue to be an important source of man's salvation. They have the capacity to prolong life, improve the quality of life, and - yes - improve athletic performance" (Hatfield 91). Although Hatfield may be correct from the standpoint of a steroid user, his argument lacks external validity; steroids have not been established as any sort of addictive drug, and therefore cannot be considered one that is necessary in a man's salvation. Drugs in the sense of pharmaceutical medication have indeed been established in order to improve the quality and length of life, however steroids have been found to do
exactly the opposite. It is not enough that these drugs can enhance the athletic performance of an athlete when they are taking away the long-term vitality of the human behind the muscular faade and in turn destroying what medicinal supplements were intended originally to sustain. For this reason among others, officials should not condone steroid use in sports and should instead focus on dismissing those who insist on gaining that unfair advantage from the sport. The use of anabolic steroids has decreased the integrity of not only the Olympic Games, but games in all facets of sport. "Performance-enhancing drugs have cast a cloud around many of the world's most popular sports, from baseball to swimming, to track and field" (Egendorf). With the known tainted fate of sports contest results, it is difficult for many to accept the sport as fair competition. In addition to diminishing the reputation of the sport, it also brings into question the reputation of many runners from around the world who compete sans performance-enhancing drugs; unfortunately resulting in athletes with higher moral values than those subjecting themselves to performance enhancers to have less of an inclination to become competitive in the field of their sport because they feel that the competition is unfair. Because of the fact that those talented competitors feel unworthy of competing in their field of sport, it is imperative that real steps be taken to combat all performanceenhancers. If nothing is done, the current compliance to the status quo of drug usage will only encourage today's young athletes to participate in steroid enhancement. To remedy this, the best plan would be to thoroughly educate athletes on the effects of using anabolic steroids use, especially the effects on one's health. Similarly to the nationwide strive towards a hard drug and alcohol-free youth; a prevention committee for steroid use should be implemented so that the youth of America can be educated about the consequences of using steroids in sports environments. Even if this information is not yet applicable to their lives, it is
important that they gain this knowledge at a young age as opposed to none at all. This youth education, coupled with a stronger base for drug testing at sporting events could very well decrease the widespread use of these drugs. The battle against steroid use will be a long and hard one, but with adequate testing methods and facilities, it is possible to eradicate the use of these illegal performance-enhancing drugs and assure equality throughout all sports.
Works Cited Bellenir, Karen, ed. Drug Information for Teens : Health Tips about the Physical and Mental Effects of Substance Abuse. Danbury: Omnigraphics, Incorporated, 2002. Cowart, Virginia S., and Charles E. Yesalis. The Steroids Game. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1998. 39-51. Cowart, Virginia S., and Charles E. Yesalis. The Steroids Game. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1998. 51-67. de Kruif, Paul. The Male Hormone. Garden City, N.Y.:Garden City Publishing, 1945. Egendorf, Laura K. Drugs and Sports. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Hatfield, Frederick C. Anabolic Steroids: What Kind and How Many. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1983. Litsky, Frank. "Track and Field; Montgomery Is Suspended 2 Years for Steroid Use." The New York Times 14 Dec. 2005. Pampel, Fred C. Drugs and Sports. New York: Facts on File, Incorporated, 2007. Yesalis, Charles E. Anabolic Steroids in Sport and Exercise. New York: Human Kinetics, 2000.