Steroids and Baseball

Athletes and Steroids

Jose Canseco claims steroids can make an average athlete a super athlete, and make a super athlete incredible. With that statement said, it not only compels pro athletes to use steroids, but teenagers as well. In 2002, NIDA funded a study that asked teen athletes if they ever tried steroids. The study confirmed that 2.5% of 8th graders used it; about 3.5% of 10th graders; and 4% of 12th graders admitted using steroids. The percentage of teens using steroids is on the rise every year and I believe something needs to be done to prevent it from even getting higher.

Most athletes acquire steroids to gain size and strength. The main reason I believe younger athletes are taking steroids is because they take notice of pro athletes taking them. The pro athletes you hear taking them are: Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, as of late. Young athletes have grown up watching these two superb athletes and strive to be like them. In reality, the only way they can even come close to being as great as them is by taking anabolic steroids.

Professional athletes have been taking steroids for decades, it is proven. Athletes get stripped of gold medals they've won in the Olympics because of steroid use. Many sports have been now increasing the amount of steroid testing because they feel it is an unfair advantage. People who take steroids clearly are more superior to those who don't. On "60 Minutes", Canseco was reported saying, "I would not have been a major league-caliber player without using steroids." If a young athlete reads that what are they to think? Many dreams will be devastated, while others will take the initiative to take steroids and develop into the athlete they've dreamt to be.

Steroid use by professional players is tarnishing pro sports, as well as high school sports. If a high school athlete was juiced (taking steroids), there would be an incredible disadvantage to those who aren't. Don't get me wrong, there is a disadvantage to those in pro sports too, but many pro athlete's bodies are more developed and can build and obtain more muscle mass than a 16 year old.

Barry Bonds used to be my favorite baseball player since I can remember. Until recently all the allegations of him using steroids has altered my thinking. If people accuse Barry of using steroids then they should accuse many others as well. I don't think gaining 30 pounds of muscle within a few months is typical for athletes. If you look at pictures of athletes from their rookie year compared to 10 years later, it'd be normal to see a noticeable difference in muscle mass. People say that Barry started taking steroids prior to his record year when he cranked out 73 home runs. I think the substances he took were not anabolic steroids.