by Megan Risley

Created on: March 16, 2009

"The drugs that athletes typically take are called steroids, and they are illegal in all sports. When an athlete takes drugs, they are trying to get an unfair advantage over other athletes. This is wrong and should not be done. Not every athlete does it, but those that do are not playing fair. I do think it is important to understand some probable motives a sports competitor might have for taking drugs, though, even though is it not ok for them to be doing so.

"He or she may be afraid of getting hurt in the grueling competition of his or her sport. Maybe the athlete does not feel he or she can keep up with the rest of the athletes in her sport; she really does want to be a good athlete, but thinks she needs some extra help in helping her body sustain the often harsh and difficult circumstances of sports.

"Some athletes take steroids because they want to get stronger. These athletes may not feel like their training is enough for them, and want to be in better and stronger shape in order to be more competitive. A lot of athletes want to be better than everyone else in order to feel special, and so they think that taking drugs will help them achieve this goal.

"An athlete may feel the pressure to conform to be the best at his or her sport in order to feel better about themselves. We know that love is not based (or should not be based) on what you do, but we also know that lots of people watch big sports games, and there can be a lot of pressure when all those people are watching you not only to not make a mistake but perform really well for their entertainment.

"The athletes that have gotten caught taking drugs have been punished for it in a variety of ways: some have gotten suspended from whatever sport they were playing for a certain amount of time, some have had record-setting performances invalidated (or taken away) from them which basically means that if an athlete hit a record number of home runs during a particular baseball season but was then found to be taking drugs, the record would not count and the person who had the record before would continue to have the highest number of home runs.

"Most athletes that take drugs are not bad people, even though taking drugs is a bad choice. It is better to work hard and develop an athletic and fit body naturally, though: one because drugs are illegal in the sports arena and two because it is much healthier for you not to take drugs. Although athletes may feel pressure to be better or just keep up, afraid to get hurt or the desire to be the best, drugs are an illegal and unfair way to achieve one's athletic goals. The most important thing they can do is try their hardest and do the best they can, naturally, with the gifts and talents they have. After all, it is much more amazing for someone who worked very hard to break a sports record than for someone to break that record with the use of unnatural enhancements and outside help."

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