The use of steroids by athletes is often looked at from the point of view of regulation and punishment: how best to find out if athletes are using steroids, and what sort of punishment should be assigned for each offense. Indeed, the British government is facing this sort of dilemma as it nears the 2012 Olympics. However, in order to truly understand the phenomenon, it might be useful to try to picture the process by which an athlete might decide whether or not to use steroids.
Athletes generally take steroids because they strengthen muscles, leading to a strong stereotypical association between steroids and strength-related sports such as weight-lifting. However, steroids can also make muscles more resilient and less likely to tire or feel pain, which can make them attractive to athletes in endurance sports, or to those who simply wish to put in longer practice hours without becoming tired. Thus, it is o wonder that famous long-distance bike race Lance Armstrong was dogged by rumors of drug use, especially in connection with his amazing performance at the Tour de France.
Another desirable effect of steroids for some athletes is more emotional and psychological than physical. Steroids can make a user feel more aggressive and even angry. This state of mind can help athletes push themselves harder in competitions, and may even give some a decisive edge. Of course, it is also possible that an athlete might not be able to control his or her temper while using steroids, even when they are not in the game, giving rise to the term “roid rage.”
Some of the side effects of steroids are cosmetic. Users, particularly women, may experience severe acne. Male pattern baldness can occur in users of both sexes. Sexual characteristics may also be affected. Men’s chests can enlarge to the point of resembling women’s breasts, and women can have more body hair and deeper voices. The long list of side effects from steroids also means that athletes who use them are courting long-term risks for short-term or immediate gains. These sorts of effects can persist even after steroid use is discontinued.
On a more serious note, steroid use can also affect a person’s cardiovascular system, leading to heart irregularities and high blood pressure, compounded by steroids’ tendency to increase the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol present in the body. Anabolic steroids can be particularly risky for adolescents, since their bodies are still malleable and not fully developed. Young people who take them may experience stunted or otherwise irregular growth.
Another major consideration is the threat of punishment. For example, an Olympian who fails a random, unannounced drug test can be banned for two years on the first failure. Athletes who swear they are steroid-free but found to be otherwise might be charged with perjury.
Then again, the pros and cons of using steroids are not just a matter of the individual athlete balancing personal victory versus punishment and/or physical side effects. An athlete—especially a highly-paid and very famous one—may feel a lot of pressure to bring victory to his or her team, and end up turning to steroids in order to stop up. There are even some cases where athletes on a national team have accused their own governments of systematically pressuring them to use steroids, as is widely believed to have happened to Olympians representing what was once East Germany. It is very hard to say know when an entity as powerful as a government is pushing you to do whatever it takes to win. That kind of pressure or even outright coercion can trump all other kinds of calculations. All these factors must come into play when deciding how to deal with athletes who use steroids.
is there any way that use of steroids in sports may be deemed legal? is use of steroids to improve one’s performance in sports and body form actually safe? there are so much fuss about steroids but there is hardly enough information to allow people to make wise decisions regarding it.
Steroids in sports is considered illegal but that is only because, some people say, that we don’t have a very good impression about the drug and its possible positive effects to mankind. In a sense, they say that we are misinformed about steroids and if our impressions are corrected we will welcome it with open arms.