Performance Enhancing Drugs: Anabolic Steroids In Sports

Performance enhancing drugs, also known as PEDs, surprisingly have been around since the late 1800’s. First making an appearance in baseball, a player named Pud Galvin used a serum created by physiologist Charles Brown-Sequard to acquire an advantage over his competitors. While Pud’s case of drug use isn’t very well known, PEDs are seen all throughout sports today. These drugs are illegally used in order for an athlete to attain an unfair advantage over the opposition. Cases in recent history include Lance Armstrong and Alex Rodriguez. In order to fully understand why performance enhancing drugs are so controversial, it is important to know what types of PEDs there are, the effects on the body, and how they seen in sports today. The term “performance

The most prolific type of PED is known as the anabolic steroid. While anabolic steroids are a subcategory of performance enhancing drugs, they also contain a plethora of different substances. Testosterone boosters, Albuterol, and Vicodin just to name a few. Along with many others, these are some of the most common types of anabolic steroids, these reduce pain, increase the size of muscles, and even increase muscle power output. In the United states some of the most notable cases of anabolic steroid use have happened in baseball. Some of the most famous cases include Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramirez. Sosa, a superstar star right fielder, has lost his chance at being inducted into the baseball hall of fame because of his PED use. Ramirez, once an MLB all star, faced a 100 game suspension before deciding to retire from baseball in 2011. While these cases may be particularly well-known, the consequences are relatively similar. Depending on the severity of the case, players can be punished by suspension, a ban, and even legal charges for perjury. Competitive athletics while entertaining, are similar to life in many ways, people will cheat to get ahead, but in the end they will have to deal with the longstanding complications of their

While there are many different PEDs, every single one is harmful to the body in some way. Some effects on the human body are irreversible and they can cause lifelong damage for the user and loved ones. These drugs give competitors an unfair advantage over those who choose to stay clean. While in the short term performance enhancing drugs can lead to great victories and success. The long term damage caused and the immoral advantage gained is why PEDs are and should always be unethical to use in competitive sports and in healthy