Essay On Performance Enhancing Drugs

The use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) has been a part of professional sports for decades, but it's only recently that the sports world is beginning to see a change in the landscape. “Doping” in professional sports is a complex issue that has been covered extensively by the media. Doping refers to the use of banned substances, PEDs, in competitive sports. The most often used PEDs are anabolic androgenic steroids, which are renowned for their capacity to both burn fat and develop and enhance muscle, and human growth hormone (HGH). These substances are used by athletes, and other young people, to enhance performance and build muscle. The fact that it's still a problem today demonstrates the lack of knowledge regarding the effects of PED

Utilizing performance enhancing drugs should lead to automatic expulsion from professional sports due to the harmful, long-term health risks, the disadvantages other athletes are subjected to, and the overall message it conveys to adolescents.

Many athletes seek a competitive advantage that will allow them to train harder, move farther, recover faster, and be stronger. Athletes who choose to take performance-enhancing drugs put more than just their careers and reputations at danger; they also seriously jeopardize their health. In the academic journal “Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Amateur and Professional Sports: Separating the Realities from the Ramblings”, the author brings up the point, “Athletes who participate in combative sports such as football and wrestling, as well as powerlifting and sprinting, often must make a crucial choice: use steroids and compete on a level playing field with athletes who do not hesitate to use performance enhancers, or

According to Roger Gardner, in the Journal of the Philosophy of Sport (1989), PEDs “distort the outcome of sport by giving an unfair advantage to the athlete using the drug” (Gardner __).The implications of PED use is far-reaching, as it not only affects the outcomes of the sport, but also the athletes’ mental health. PEDs have a psychological impact on athletes, as the use of drugs is associated with increased anxiety and depression, as well as decreased self-esteem (Gardner __). Furthermore, the use of PEDs creates an unbalanced playing field, as athletes using PEDs are able to gain an unfair advantage over those who choose not to use them. Aforementioned, it can lead to a distorted sense of justice, as athletes who do not use PEDs, despite having worked hard and trained for the competition, can be left feeling as though their efforts have been in vain (Gardner __). As such, the use of PEDs can and does create an unfair advantage for athletes, which has a significant impact on the outcomes and fairness of sport. According to Jean Zimmerman, drug-free athletes can suffer from a significant loss of confidence and self-esteem. That is due to the fact that drug-using athletes often have an unfair advantage, which can create a feeling of