Persuasive Essay On Track And Field

Track and Field is a sport that can be decided in a matter of milliseconds. In the 2000 Olympics, Marion Jones won two bronze and three gold medals. Three out of the five came down to the nearest millisecond. Later on, she tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Marion was stripped of all her medals and sentenced to a 2-year suspension from competing. Without these, she would not have been able to win, showing how performance-enhancing drugs affected her performance at the Olympic games. Marion Jones is just one example of a large pool of athletes that are on performance-enhancing drugs. Most athletes take amphetamines, anabolic steroids, erythropoietin and other human growth hormones (“Sports and Drugs Use”). All of these improve overall athletic performance as they increase red blood cells in the body which supplies oxygen to muscle groups. These types of PEDs help athletes’ stamina and allowing them to perform at their best

In terms of physical appearance, men can get “severe acne, genital changes, water retention, and yellowing eyes and skin. These features can be very unattractive. Female users run added risks of male-pattern baldness, decreased breast size, deeper voices, hairy bodies, and menstrual irregularities” (Kowalski). As stated, this is unattractive and shows how using steroids for a year or more has the effect of making someone look bad for the rest of their life after they stop using it (Kowalski). In addition to the physical problems, many health problems emerge after an athlete stops taking PEDs. “Coronary artery disease, ligament injuries, high blood pressure, changes in cholesterol levels, sterility, and liver disease are all associated with steroids. Other possible side effects include the male breast development, kidney disease, headache, muscle cramps, abdominal pains, and bone pains”