Summary: The Use Of Performance Enhancing Drugs

A topic that has landed many of the world's finest athletes with million dollar fines and long term suspensions is the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. Stars like Barry Bonds, Lance Armstrong, and Mark McGwire have all been caught using these illegal substances. The most recent athlete caught for using Performance Enhancing Drugs was Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod). In 2013, A- Rod was placed on a two hundred and eleven game suspension from Major League Baseball that would ban him from the 2014 season also. Along with his suspension, Rodriguez was not paid his two-million dollar contract during those two years (Morgan). Lance Armstrong a seven time Tour de France champion, admitted to using Performance Enhancing Drugs in January 2013. Armstrong

PEDs are a common problem among professional and teenage athletes. Organizations have banned the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs, because of the edge that they give athletes and the health problems that are associated with them. The National Football League (NFL), Olympics, Major League Baseball (MLB), and National College Athletic Association (NCAA) have all banned the usage of any performance enhancing drug. The National Football League (NFL) implemented Human Growth Hormone (HGH) testing in October of 2014, since then no NFL player has tested positive for using the drug (Marvez). Along with human growth hormones, stimulants, anabolic steroids, and masking agents are all forms of performance enhancing

This form of performance enhancing drug is used by athletes to increase muscle mass and decrease their body fat. HGH has always been difficult to detect because it does not show up in urine test, until the NFL released a new way of testing for the drug in October of 2014. Baseball legend Mark McGwire, known for breaking the all-time record of the most home runs hit in a season in 1998. Admitted to using Human Growth Hormones during his career, a mistake that will prevent him from being inducted into the Hall of Fame. McGwire suffered many injuries during his 16 year career, nearly quitting the sport early but instead battled it out until 2001 when he retired from Major League Baseball (Markazi). McGwire said "I did this for health reasons. I didn't do this because I needed strength. I've always been able to hit home runs." Taking HGH was a huge mistake that McGwire can never take back, but now as the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he can teach his players a valuable lesson of how using Performance Enhancing Drugs can ruin your