1. Racster 1
David Racster
Professor DiSarrio
English 103
3 November 2010
An anabolic steroid is something that athletes use to get an unfair advantage in the
sport they play. It can cause the player to gain more muscle mass in a shorter period of time than
without taking them. Today people question how many athletes are actually using these kinds of
steroids to improve their game or physical status. To this day, almost anyone who enjoys
watching sports knows that steroids are a part of many sports known to man. Some people are
fine with it and just enjoy watching the sports that are to the max. They seem to accept this
shocking circumstance because the players are more athletic on steroids than without them. On
the other hand, some people disagree and think that not only is it bad for the sport, but it is also
terrible for the professionals and the kids watching them play.
For people who that understand athletes and their use of steroids, well there can be
multiple reasons why. First off, what is one thing people love watching in sports, specifically
baseball? It’s obviously the hard hits and homerun balls being hit out of the ballpark. Lately in
the national football league (NFL) players have been caught using steroids, too. One well-known
player that was caught was Brian Cushings, last years AFC Rookie of the Year. Come summer
time he was caught with anabolic steroids in his system. In return, they had to revote on whether
he should still be considered the rookie of the year knowing that he had taken steroids, and of
course he retained the title. This further proves the fact that people just want to see the most
athletic players making the hardest hits possible and don’t care if they are on steroids or not.

2. Racster 2
Another example would be the baseball player we all know, Barry Bonds. In the 2001, in one
season Barry Bonds blew up and hit a major league baseball record with 73 homeruns. He broke
Mark McGuire’s homerun record by three homeruns; McGuire was also accused of taking
steroids. In San Francisco, fans love it when a player hits the ball out of the ballpark and they
even call it the McCovey Cove. Barry Bonds is the all-time leader with the amount of balls being
hit out of that ballpark with 35. There have only been 55 hit out total, so he has more than half of
them. The fans love it when it happens and don’t care if Bonds is on steroids or not. They just
want to see homeruns, and players on steroids can do that better than anyone else.
Not only are Professional athletes getting caught using steroids, but now it is trickling
down to high school athletes as well. The latest state to handle this issue has been Texas; they
have taken it out of the hands of educators and are making a test necessary for all athletes to take
before they can play in a sport. This is a great reason why parents are becoming angry about the
influence professional athletes are having on their children. It is obviously not good when high
school athletes are getting caught using steroids more and more. The percent of high school
athletes has gone from 6 percent to 11 percent within the past three years. That is not a good
statistic for young people to be taking steroids. I feel professional players caught using these
steroids need to have more harsh punishment then what they are now.
Now for other and most people, steroids just hurt the sport, and are a bad influence on kids
that want to play sports. If athletes want to increase their body mass and become stronger they
should have to work on that with out the influence of steroids or even the thoughts of taking
them. Not only can one be suspended or even kicked out of a sport for using, but also can
extremely risk the state of their health. Psychological effects appear to be the only consequence
of an overdose of AAS, but long-term usage can lead to infertility, testicular atrophy (in males)

3. Racster 3
and disturbances of the menstrual cycle (in females). The severity depends on which steroid or
combination of steroids that are being abused. The brain (psyche), the skin (acne), and the liver
(hepatis) are three main parts of the body that get abused by shooting steroids. In 1994,
recreational bodybuilders attending a Welsh needle-exchange clinic completed a survey on
feelings of hostility/aggression. Subjects reported significantly higher feelings of aggression
towards objects, verbal aggression and aggression during training. During the 6 to 14 week AAS
period, other changes included significantly higher feelings of alienation, irritability, anxiety,
suspiciousness, and negativism. This shows that there are tremendous negative effects of using
anabolic steroid, not just the glory that we fans get to see. ( Graham, Michael R)
Present players need to think of how they are affecting younger athletes. The
suspensions aren’t doing what they need to be doing, someone has to take charge and think of
another way to deal with it. People can be for it and against it but all in all the professional
athletes taking these steroids are pretty much saying that it is alright if you take steroids; and that
is not alright for young athletes to think at all. They need to get to that high level of play on their
own not by taking steroids.

4. Racster 4
Work Cited
Graham, Michael R., et al. "Anabolic Steroid Use." Sports Medicine 38.6 (2008): 505-525.
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2010.
Whether a professional athlete is taking steroids or breaking a minor infraction in their
contract, they should have to suffer the consequences no matter the penalty. Not only are
athletes getting away with such outrageous behavior, but they are making it more popular
around the teenage world. This needs to stop.