Have you ever thought about how a kid feels about steroids and sports?
I have my own personal feelings about this topic, but I wanted to get some thoughts from a kid. I asked my Daughter to sit down and give this some serious thought and write down what she came up with.
These are her words
“Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring can return.”
Steroids aren’t a problem only in Major League Baseball, they are a problem in every sport. So many athletes want an easy way to get ahead. However, they don’t realize the issues that come along with steroid usage. Athletes who use steroids are poor role models for children, cheating against opponents, and putting themselves in danger of serious health risks.
All professional athletes are role models for kids, whether they like it or not. When they step out on that field, rink, court, or whatever it may be, athletes have thousands of children’s eyes on them, hoping one day they too can stand in the same place. These kids will do anything and everything these athletes do in order to be just like them. They’ll train hard and practice every day. They’ll copy their stance, style, and attitude.
Unfortunately, if an athlete does steroids to get ahead, so will these kids. They think that if a guy that was once a little kid just like them can go pro by using steroids, they can too. Instead of training hard and practicing, they’ll just take the easy way out and use steroids. They lose that experience and rewarding feeling of actually going out there and giving it all they’ve got, with no artificial assistance.
In my humble opinion, “using steroids” is just another way of saying “cheating.”
When an athlete uses steroids, they are trying to get ahead. Now, there’s nothing wrong with trying to outdo your opponent. That’s the point of competition. But it becomes a problem when steroids get involved. One guy may be in the weight room or on the field training and practicing nonstop so they can reach their full potential.
Then there’s another guy who stumbles into the weight room every few days, not really doing anything because they don’t need to. They’ve got that artificial help. They gain a completely unfair advantage against the other guys working incredibly hard.
“And if the moral aspect of cheating isn’t enough to stop an athlete from doing steroids, then maybe they should keep in mind that they are prohibited in nearly every professional sport.”
Too many players are ignoring the consequences of using steroids. Or maybe the consequences aren’t strong enough. In Major League Baseball, for example, you can test positive twice and still be able to return eventually. Given, it’s a pretty long suspension and there’s no pay, but is that really enough?
“It may seem harsh, but I believe the first positive test should get you banned. If this were the case, maybe the players would understand that there is zero tolerance for steroid usage”.
Finally, if you don’t think that steroids are morally wrong, let’s look at the health risks.
Everyone knows about the outward appearance risks of steroids, such as a deeper voice for women or baldness for men, but we should take a minute to look at the more serious internal risks of steroid usage.
For example, steroids can cause liver abnormalities and even tumors. They can also cause high blood pressure and serious heart and circulatory issues. Steroids can also cause mental health problems, such as severe depression and aggression. These problems affect not only the person using the steroids, but also the people around them. Aggression can quickly lead to violence, leaving a person’s loved ones in danger.
Professional athletes who use steroids are not only hurting themselves, but they’re dragging others down with them, whether it be the kid they’re letting down, the opponent they’re being unfair to, or the people in their lives they’re hurting.
Here’s a great DVD outlining risks and prevention of anabolic steroids.
“Maybe the problem isn’t steroids after all. Maybe the real problem is the players who are so mentally weak that they think the only way to gain an advantage is artificial (and illegal) assistance”.
While I personally feel that Major League Baseball, and sports in general, have played a significant role in the problem with steroids in sports, I couldn’t agree more with everything this kid had to say.
Great job baby!
I truly hope you found this article interesting. If you have any thoughts that you would like to share, or any questions that I can help you with, please leave a comment below and I will get get back with you as soon as I can.
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Thanks for stopping by. ~Jeremy
Cathy says
Hi Jeremy,
I couldn’t help emphasizing on steroid’s adverse effect. Even on therapeutic level, they can be a disaster. Just the other day, my friend experienced a sharp pain from the back of her shoulder.
Without any diagnosis workout, the physician just gave her a dose of steroid shot and told her to rest. That one injection upset her menstrual cycle for months and caused her to become bloated in appearance.
The pain came back after a while and she finally got herself scanned. Turned out, she has got a muscle tear and need radiotherapy for treatment, not steroid. Yeah, that’s how steroid can really mess up your body.
Jeremy says
Hi Cathy.
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your story. Sorry to hear about your friend.
Talk to you soon. ~Jeremy
Sebastian says
I personally think that where there is competition and especially competition with a lot of money involved there will always be people on the lookout for an unfair advantage.
That is unfortunately just the way life is.
The best incentives not to do steroids come from the inside and cannot be imposed from the outside with bans etc. I therefore think that the government should invest more in educational campaigns about the risks of steroids.
Jeremy says
Hello Sebastian.
I certainly agree that education is the first step. However, players continue to cheat and I feel that punishments need to continue to get more and more harsh until it stops. Pete Rose was banned for life for an allegation, while at the same time you have admitted steroid users who are allowed to return to the game even after 2 offensives. I know we are a forgiving society and that’s a good thing, but the punishments are not stopping the problem. I propose a season long ban for the first offense and a lifetime ban for the second. What do you think? Thanks for stopping by Sebastian and I look forward to hearing from you. ~Jeremy
Michelle says
Hi Jeremy. I agree completely that using steroids is a way of cheating. A person who uses steroids to get stronger and be better in an artificial way can’t look themselves in the mirror and be proud of what they have accomplished. Not only that, but steroids are dangerous and hard on your body. I think the health risks alone would be enough to stay away from them. This was a great article that is important for kids. They need to be aware of the dangers sooner than later.
Jeremy says
Well said Michelle!
I will have to assume that until baseball and sports in general, stops rewarding cheaters with big paychecks, players will continue to try and find ways to break the rules. Thanks for stopping by ~Jeremy
Kinya says
I do agree that using steroids is morally repugnant. Not from a perspective of role models, but from a perspective of why would you mess your body up in order to earn millions of dollars? When you retire, all of that money is going to go towards treating you and keeping you alive, because you wanted to take a shortcut. You won’t even be able to enjoy it.
That’s messed up. I don’t think they actually care about themselves at all, or else they wouldn’t do something so stupid.
Jeremy says
Hi Kinya.
It really is hard to understand. I have to assume it’s the instant satisfaction of the money? You make some great points about the long term effects of steroid use. Thanks for the comment. ~Jeremy
Colin says
Hi Jeremy – unfortunately cheating exists at all levels of sport. We take Lance Armstrong for one , Hero to Zero in no time, his fame modeled on substance abuse.
Yes the side effects are evident but dormant effects like tumors, heart attacks, depression only appear later on in life and in most cases it’s too late.
Education is key in warning kids from an early age of what the effects will do to you – I would say the dream of losing it all just like Lance Armstrong will send a clear message to anyone that you risk damaging your image and career if you cheat.
Jeremy says
I couldn’t agree more Colin. Armstrong is to cycling what A-Rod is to baseball. Cheat the sport for your whole career, and then when your exposed, your labeled nothing but a cheat and a liar….deservedly! Thanks for stopping by. ~Jeremy
erna says
hey Jeremy
This is a great post and I agree with you, every role model should not used steroid. they like it or not there some other people watching and mimicking everything they do. anyway why an athlete uses steroids, didn’t they make enough muscle as they practice everyday? or maybe they used it for some other reason?
Jeremy says
Hey Erna! It’s unfortunate, but you are correct. Athletes are role models whether they like it or not. Sadly, sports have condoned steroid use and turned a blind eye to the problem. I think a lot of athletes feel they were left with little choice. It’s absolutely no excuse in my opinion. Thanks for dropping by. ~Jeremy
Diondre says
I completely agree with this post. Steroids are a serious problem in baseball and in most sports for that matter. It falls into the category of cheating and are very dangerous to the user’s health.
Jeremy says
I’m right with you Diondre. Baseball needs to deal much more harshly with steroid use.
How can a great player like Pete Rose be banned for life for allegedly betting on a game (after his playing career was over), while admitted steroid users are given an open invitation to return after a 50 game suspension. These guys have cheated the game their entire playing careers! Makes no sense. Thanks for stopping by. ~Jeremy