Proformance Enhancers in Sports
I choose to research the topic of performance enhancing drugs. Throughout the following paper I will focus on the different types of drugs along with the ages and different sports affected by this problem. Performance drugs have an ancient history dating back to the Greek Olympians who used hallucinogenic mushrooms to psych up for an event. In 1886 a French cyclist was the first known athlete to die from performance drugs, he died from a mixture of cocaine and heroin called "speedballs" (Schrof, 1992). In 1904, marathon runner Thomas Hicks nearly died after gulping down what he called a "stimulating strychnine and courage-inspiring brandy (Strychnine is often used as a rat poison)." (Current Events, 2000). In the 1920s, physicians inserted slices of monkey testicles into male athletes to boost vitality and in the '30s; Hitler allegedly administered the hormone testosterone to himself and his troops to increase aggressiveness (Schrof, 1992). There are many different types of performance enhancing drugs. Right now two are dominating the market creatine and androstenedione. Baseball players Mark Mc-Gwire and Sammy Sosa have admitted consuming creatine and Mark McGwire also admits to taking andros
Andrea was stripped of her gold medal in the floor exercise after she took a cold medicine that contains pseudoephedrine, a drug banned by the IOC (Current Events, 2000). The National Collegiate Athletic Association, too, has established stricter measures for testing and disciplining steroid users (Mishra, 1995) The truth is that no one can even agree on which, if any, performance boosters should be allowed. The use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs has covered the Olympics with a great ugly cloud. Then there's the "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" philosophy common in so many school athletic programs. Some two-dozen heart-attack deaths have reportedly been linked to EPO use (Lemonick & Park, 1998). Sessions focus on the effects of steroids, sports nutrition and strength-training alternatives. Erythropoietin (EPO) is the drug under investigation at the Tour de France. 4 billion on sports supplements in 1999, hoping that the pills, drinks, and powders would help them bulk up, slim down, or compete more effectively (Consumer Reports, 2001). Tampering with a "master control system" like HGH is potentially dangerous, especially in the young adult years when the body is so sensitive to it (Current Events 2000). Because they are labeled as dietary supplements they are not subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (Josefson, 1998). But with so many harmful effects from steroids and similar illegal drugs, why do so many young people continue to use them? One answer is social pressures. Natural production of too much growth hormone (a disease called acromegoly) leads to disfigurement and early death. The Olympic games are now closely monitored to prevent athletes who use steroids from participating.
Common topics in this essay:
Current Events,
Consumer Reports,
Lemonick Alice,
Athletic Association,
Hormone HGH,
East European,
Enforcement Agency,
France EPO,
Avoid Steroids,
Football League,
mishra 1995,
current events,
current events 2000,
events 2000,
coakley 2001,
anabolic steroids,
national collegiate athletic,
schrof 1992,
park 1998,
athletic association,
collegiate athletic,
lemonick park,
collegiate athletic association,
lemonick park 1998,
performance enhancing drugs,
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