by Dan Dawson

Created on: November 10, 2007   Last Updated: June 27, 2010

On the surface this would appear to be a no brainer. Steroids have been linked to a multitude of medical problems such as heart disease, kidney ailments, liver problems, etc.

The pursuit of the "competitive edge" in the financially lucrative world of professional sports has led many an athlete to potentially risk their health to attain fame and fortune. Even the deaths recently of some very high profile athletes such as Lyle Alzado of the NFL and Chris Benoit of pro wrestling fame have not deterred many from trying to attain that "edge" through the use of steroids.

Athletes today seem to research ways and products that cannot be detected by conventional drug screening. This has given birth to the popularity of HGH, better known as human growth hormone. This allegedly has been the
enhancement drug of choice for many pro athletes today, most notably, Barry Bonds of baseball fame.

Presently there is no drug screening done for the use of HGH, giving the potential users the proverbial green light to "enhance away". Most sports fans are still "purists" and would like to believe that their sports heroes are getting stronger, faster, quicker, bigger, due to advancements in training techniques and nutrition than through the use of illegal and dangerous drugs.

The bigger argument against allowing steroid use in professional sports can be made by simply going to your local gym where the use of supplements has exploded. This has become a BILLION dollar industry. Your average JOE is taking some kind of supplement just to look better in a tank top. Much of this drug use is done recreationally by gym rats that have no professional sports aspirations whatsoever. This also has become a very lucrative
criminally enterprising niche and anytime you have "drug labs" popping up in unsuspecting areas it leads to the potential deterioration of communities.

Lastly, let's say NO for the sake of the kids, who like it or not view these
athletes as role models. They will emulate what their sports heroes do and legalizing the use of steroids will send the absolute wrong message to our youth.

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