Cheating the Game and Themselves
In 1996, Major League Baseball star, Ken Caminiti, emerged as the standout third baseman for the San Diego Padres. In a single season of one hundred forty six games, Caminiti put up career high numbers of one hundred seventy eight hits, forty homeruns and one hundred thirty runs batted in. In addition to these unbelievable numbers, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the National League. Six years later, after he had retired, Caminiti told Sports Illustrated that he had been using anabolic steroids throughout his career. When asked to recall those years, Caminiti explained "[he] saw no real problem with steroid use considering many of the players [he] knew used them as well" (Sports Illustrated 5/30/02). How would you feel if you worked tirelessly to earn something while half of the people around you were cheating and achieving higher than you? In the new age of sports there is a growing problem in an illegal form of body enhancement: anabolic steroids. Athletes abuse these bodybuilding substances in order to gain the edge on others
A new testing system needs to be established and all that abuse these drugs should face severe consequences. Lastly is the problem of these substances being illegal and players sneaking by the law in order to get the edge in the sport. When consequences such as season suspension or being expelled from the sport are put out, athletes will be less likely to abuse steroids. Since people were upset about the players cheating to break records in baseball, Major League Baseball has announced they have "decided to do formal steroid testing next year," and that "testing will carry both fines and suspensions for players" (DSJ Bradley Justus). Steroids have been known to have side effects such as stunting growth, liver cancer, heart attacks, hair loss, severe cases of acne and infertility in men. Most will be too afraid to risk their luxurious lifestyle and career to increase the level of their game play. NIDA studies have shown that when testing on animals, steroid use for extended periods of time has "caused a high percentage of premature deaths" (NIDA 10/21/02). For the ones who do violate the rules, the league must make an example of them to show others that this is not a subject to be taken lightly. You can take action by voting against steroid use, writing letters explaining your point of view and possible solutions, or you join a protest group and fight for fairness. Use of illegal enhancement substances should no longer be tolerated in sports for the sake of the players and the fans. Steroid abuse is a major problem that needs to be closely focused on in the wide world of sports. Together we must continue to press the issue by voting for testing as well as other ways of prevention. By creating a more advanced testing system, athletes will hopefully grow to fear the use of these drugs.
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Acceptance Essays
