Why are anabolic steroids such a bad thing for the sports industry and athletes everywhere? More and more athletes are beginning to use steroids as a crutch in their field. *This drug has* Anabolic steroids have been around for a while, and *it* the drug does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Anabolic steroids have become a tiring topic for most people involved in sports, and it should be understood that the drug has no place in any athletics. However, there are still many athletes who do not see the problem with doping in sports. Anabolic steroids have managed to remain a problem that a majority of sports continue to face. The drug has been found being used in collegiate, professional, and even national level athletics such as the Olympics. There is a clear epidemic in the sports industry, all stemming from athletes who use anabolic steroids. The infamous drug is causing all kinds of problems within the sports industry. Doping is not only causing health problems for athletes, but the drug is also an illegal form of cheating that is just outright unfair. Anabolic steroids are also making athletics less entertaining for spectators, and is setting a *bad* horrible example for upcoming athletes. There are many reasons why anabolic steroids are *bad* unacceptable for sports, and *there are no arguments that can justify the act of doping in athletics* very few reasons as to why steroids are useful. Steroids should be made and remain illegal in all sports forever.

The biggest problem with using anabolic steroids in sports is that it hurts the athletes more than it helps them. While anabolic steroids can make athletes much stronger, faster, and almost super human when it comes to physical abilities, the illegal drug does come with quite a few drawbacks as well. There have been hundreds of studies and test done on anabolic steroids that proves the drug can hurt the body much more than it helps. Doping comes with numerous proven side effects, all of which are backed by medical data. Medicine and science *is* are now so advanced that everything there is to know about anabolic steroids has become known. There have also been numerous papers and articles published detailing the negative effects of anabolic steroids. One of these articles, written by Vita Birzniece, states that these health issues can include problems ranging anywhere from “cardiovascular complications” to “muscle rupture”. Birzniece also goes into detail about how steroids can also cause athlete's mental problems such as “anxiety and major depression” (Birzniece 240-241). Many of the health problems associated with, mental and physical, can lead to hospitalization or even death in some cases. While according to Ryan J. Mcgrew “many of the side effects...are reversible”, this does not mean that athletes should take chances with the drug (Mcgrew 236). While some side effects may be reversible, this does not include the more serious health problems associated with the drug. It also becomes harder and harder to reverse the side effects after prolonged use of the drug. Many adverse effects such as "…acne, male pattern baldness, gynecomastia, decreased sperm count, testicular atrophy, impotence, and transient infertility” have also been identified as some of the more minor health issues associated with anabolic steroids (Hoffman and Ratamess). Lastly one of the most well-known and probably worst side effects that comes with anabolic steroids is the problems it causes with testosterone. Anabolic steroids essentially use an artificial testosterone to produce more muscle mass, while this muscle mass may be good, the artificial testosterone is not. The use of artificial testosterone eliminates the need for the body to produce its own testosterone. If an athletes body loses the ability to create its own testosterone, then there will be an even greater need for steroids just to keep muscle mass consistent. This is how steroids can become an endless and unhealthy cycle for some athletes. 

Steroids not only affect athletes’ health, but the drug can and does negatively affect the cheating athletes public image. Anyone involved with sports knows that it needs to be a fair fight at all times. The growing popularity in steroids has caused many people to doubt the integrity and fairness of all sports. A big part of this is due to athletes using steroids even though the drug is banned in most sports. More and more athletes are getting caught using the performance enhancement drug. The athletes getting caught are beginning to be seen more as cheaters and liars by spectators and people involved in the sports industry as well. Sadly, these cheating athletes are not only affecting their own reputation, but the reputations and credibility of their fellow athletes too. Due to a minority of athletes making the bad decision to use performance enhancing drugs; all athletes are beginning to get stereotyped as steroid users. Professionals and spectators have become more skeptical when analyzing any one athlete due to the fact that they can't be completely certain who is and who is not abusing steroids. Many amazing records in sports have also begun to be viewed differently by people. This is due to the fact that numerous records are being continuously broken by steroid users. Records in sports are starting to lose their value due to the cheaters that are breaking them. Even if a steroid user gets caught after breaking a record; the same athlete is allowed to keep the record. This problem is beginning to blur the line between legitimate accomplishments and false accomplishments. Many fans and professionals have begun to view the sports industry as a *big* huge fraud due to problems like this. People's views of sports have also been impacted by the minimal punishments given to cheaters. Punishments such as timed bans and expensive fines obviously have not been enough to stop athletes from abusing steroids. All these laughable punishments have done is make the sports industry look that much more fake.

Professional athletes who abuse steroids are also beginning to negatively affect young aspiring athletes in a big way. With the numerous steroid abuse scandals that have come out in the past few years there is no doubt that a lot have people have seen it. With all the attention these stories get, it is obviously reaching young people. Many of these young people most likely have dreams to enter the sports industry. The problem that steroid abusing athletes are causing is the example they are setting for the younger audience. Young athletes and children in general look up to professional athletes as heroes and role models. Many young people aspire to be like their favorite athletes, and there is nothing wrong with this, until these young people start to notice their favorite athletes abusing drugs. Young athletes see the pros using anabolic steroids, and then get the impression that it is okay to do the same in order to succeed. More and more young athletes have started to follow in their favorite athletes’ footsteps, and have begun doping in order to succeed as well. *“With steroid use on the rise among high school athletes, clearly* Now that steroids are starting to pop up in high schools it has become obvious that “…the message that drugs have no place in sports is not getting across” (Storm). Many of these young athletes do not see the problem with abusing steroids, since so many professional athletes have been let off easy after getting caught doping. Athletes who abuse anabolic steroids need to be much more heavily scrutinized in order to get the point across that the illegal drug abuse is simply not acceptable at any level of athletics. Young athletes need to stop following the pros bad example and instead need to understand that “steroids are not only a form of cheating, but they can also be dangerous…” (Storm). The only way to get this point across is to start harshly criticizing the athletes who cheat, and to get the point across to the youth that anabolic steroids are simply not acceptable in any athletics.

Despite the clear problems that steroids cause within athletics there are still people who believe that steroids should be made legal in all athletic activities. Although there are not many advocates for anabolic steroids left, there still remain a few who argue that anabolic steroids could be a good thing for the sports industry. Some people still believe that steroids can benefit athletes in the form of hormonal therapy. Some people believe that hormonal therapy “…use appears legitimate, because it does not threaten the norms of sportsmanship or medical safety” (Hoberman 171). This is simply not true, mostly because the medical information backing hormonal therapy no longer stands. The data supporting hormonal therapy is out dated, and does not help athletes any more than doping. Hoberman also argues that “uniform public condemnation of athletic doping does not exist” (Hoberman 216). This is also outdated information. More and more sports fans have realized that anabolic steroids have no place in athletics. This has been proven by the ridicule that athletes receive after getting caught doping. Although some fans may be quick to forgive certain athletes, this does not mean that the public is okay with anabolic steroid abuse. There are also many athletes who are fine with legalizing steroids, simply because they do not know enough about the illegal drug. A study was done that proved that “large number[s] of body builders are using anabolic steroids without proper knowledge of the adverse effects of steroids” (Usman, et al. 285). If body builders are abusing steroids with little to no knowledge of the drug, then other athletes are more than likely doing the exact same thing. This drug epidemic amongst athletes could easily be solved if a few minor regulations were implemented to keep athletes in check. A few simple drug test a year could keep athletes from abusing anabolic steroids, and from hurting themselves due to lack of knowledge. It could also be beneficial to punish those who have been caught doping as well. Athletes who are found abusing anabolic steroids should be fined, striped of any major accolades, records, and trophies in order to deter other athletes from making the same mistakes. Not only professional athletes, but all athletes, from the lowest level all the way to the highest, should be held responsible for steroid abuse. No athlete should be let off easy after getting caught abusing steroids, especially since it is a severe form of cheating in the sports industry. 

Steroids have played a role in athletics for far too long, and it is time that this illegal form of cheating be treated much more seriously. The negative effects of anabolic steroids are now widely known and understood, the only problem is that people in the sports industry do not want to give the issue of anabolic steroids the attention it deserves. Just by looking at how anabolic steroids can affect athletes’ health, their image, and even the impact that the drug can have on young aspiring athletes, it is hard to believe that people can still support the drug. Steroid abuse will continue in athletics until people start to realize the impact it is really having on the sports industry. Cynthia Sysol believes that “…legislation… is not only constitutional but necessary to eradicate the growing problem of youth steroid use” (Sysol). It is beliefs like this that can help to get rid of the obvious steroid problem that lives in athletics. There needs to be action taken in order to prevent anabolic steroids from completely destroying the sports industry. Anabolic steroids have already spread outside of professional athletics, to lower level sports and even common gyms. A study was done that found that “doping among fitness center visitors is an issue of extreme relevance…” (Simon et al.). Any and all athletes need to be educated on the issue of anabolic steroids, in order to keep people safe from the dangers that the drug can cause.
