Doping is the use of illegal substances that is harmful to athlete’s health and is capable of enhancing performance. Doping also refers to the presence of drugs in the athlete’s blood or urine. So, doping in other words is cheating and can be detrimental to the individual reputation and the sport. There are two types of doping blood and chemical. Blood doping is when drugs are placed into red blood cells, oxygen carriers, and related blood products to enhance an athlete’s performance (1 Anonymous). Effects of blood doping include kidney damage, allergic reactions, and blood clots (1Anonymous). Chemical doping refers to attempts to change samples used in drug testing (1Anonymous). Despite the many risks the use of drugs among athletes is still prevalent.
The first drug test was taken at the Mexico Games in 1968. At these games the IOC(International Olympic Committee) developed a list of banned substances (7 Anonymous). This list included stimulants, beta-blockers, and anabolic steroids etc. Unfortunately, because of limited technology athletes learned how to get around the system. Athletes would substitute urine samples and some would stop using their drug in sufficient time so no trace of the drug would be in the blood before tests (7 Anonymous). But in 1983, drug testing was refined. The i…
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Oakley, Ray. Drugs, Society,
Use of Steroids in Sports
As the use of performance enhancing drugs is becoming more popular among athletes, many of them don’t understand the risks involved in taking these drugs. Many people are looking for a quick way to build muscle, or to get stronger the fastest way possible. Using these performance aids may very well be a quick fix for many athletes, but taking these supplements is unethical and dangerous. Using special drugs to boost an athletes performance is degrading to sports and to the athlete. The human body can produce the same substances naturally, without taking drugs, but people continue to load up on these supplements such as creatine or androstenedione. If the athlete is patient and works hard he can achieve the same strength that he would obtain using supplements. Athletes are trying to cheat using unnatural shortcuts to gain their muscle instead of spending the long hours in the weight room.
Athletes should not take these supplements because it is harmful to their health, to sports, and to future athletes who follow their example by using these dangerous substances. These ergogenic aids popularity is growing among young teenage athletes which see big superstars taking certain drugs and they expect their athletic ability to be boosted if they take these drugs too. On the contrary, taking these supplements are especially dangers when used by adolescents.
The ergogenic aid called creatine is used to build muscle mass very rapidly. Many people consume this supplement without even knowing the consequences or potential hazardous when they use this drug. It is true that creatine will build muscle mass in most people and it works fast, but in contradiction to that it may not work for everyone and there are side effects which are jus…
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Eichner, E. Randy, MD. “Ergogenic Aids: What Athletes are using? and why.” 4 April 1997, n.pag.Online. World Wide Web http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1997/04apr/eichner.htm 14 Oct. 1998
Ford, Peter. “Unmixing Sports and Drugs.” Christian Science Moniter 5 Aug. 1998 n.pag.
Fontenot, Beth. “The creatine craze: Such ergogenic promise but at what price?” Nutrition Forum Mar-April 1998:11
Jones, Marion. “Mark McGwire’s Muscle Pills: Supplements or Steroids?” 26 Aug. 1998, n.pag. Online. World Wide Web. http://www.foxnews.com/health/082698/sluggerdrugs.sml 19 Oct. 1998
Schrof, Joannie M. “McGwire hits the pills: Brawn-building supplements also deliver serious risks.” U.S. News