Performance Enhancing Drugs Essay

Performance-enhancing drugs otherwise known as PEDs are drugs that are commonly used by athletes to enhance their level of play. Performance-enhancing drugs have been around a long time, and were initially introduced in 776 BC - 393 BC. The Ancient Greeks used PEDs during the original Olympic Games in order to have an advantage against their opponents. They were used on and off throughout the years, and became prominent again during the 1900’s where they were used in the modern day Olympics from 1904 - 1920. “Mixtures of strychnine, heroin, cocaine, and caffeine were used widely by athletes and each coach or team developed its own unique secret formulae” (Gold). Decisively, the first rule against doping in sports was established in 1928 by

“Armstrong began his career as a professional cyclist with the Motorola team” (“Lance”). Armstrong was later stripped of all his titles and banned for life when it was discovered that he had been using PEDs for the majority of his cycling career. When an athlete as well known and accomplished as Lance Armstrong is found to have been using performance-enhancing drugs to perform at such a high level, it reflects back on the sport in a negative way. Cycling having to admit that one of the most successful athletes to ever participate in the sport is a fraud was a big let down for the

Although these consequences are important to take into mind, perhaps the most significant consequence is setting a bad example for children and teenagers who look up to these athletes. “A study published November 2012 in the journal Pediatrics reported that nearly 6 percent of middle school and high school girls and boys in the U.S have taken a steroid or growth hormone...” (Nourain). This has become a major concern in today 's world, as it could majorly impact the health of the young viewers. By athletes in Track and Field using PEDs the sport as a whole is influencing the public in a negative