To juice or not to juice? The argument over whether professional sports organizations should be allowing their athletes to freely use performance enhancing drugs has been going on for quite some time now. In these types of heated debates, there are always two very opposite sides, each of which cling to their beliefs like they are holding on for life itself. There are those who refuse to change and wish to do things as they have traditionally been done, these people wish to see PEDs banished from sports entirely. They believe that eliminating PEDs from sports would level the playing field, preserve the integrity of the athlete, and protect the meaning and value of sports. On the opposition, there lies the open minded, willing and ready to change in pursuit of a bigger and better future. These people wish to see professional athletes push the boundaries of human athleticism and achievement to new levels with technology and entertainment leading the charge. In this debate, there are many factors looming overhead, including the health risks associated with PED use, the illegality of PEDs in sports organizations across the world, and the ineffectiveness of banned substance testing. What we have here is a battle of old school versus new school. I believe that the allowance and implementation of PEDs into professional sports would create a more entertaining on field product, level the playing field and push sports into the modern era. Embracing technology in the sports world has the capacity to further our games, competitions, events, and organizations to an entirely new level. This new level is one in which everything is possible and there are no limits. 

Since the beginning of time, people have looked for a way to get an edge against their competition. Gaining an advantage was so important in the past because it was usually the difference between life and death. For example, take the battle of David versus Goliath. Goliath was a monster of a man and he was sure to crush David in a normal fight, however, David used a slingshot to take down the giant. Even the ancient Greek athletes experimented with the use of PEDs. Greek Olympians drank opium juice, experimented with herbal medications, consumed hallucinogens, and ate animal hearts and testicles all to improve their athletic performance for the Olympics. In fact, the Greeks did not view this as cheating, it was encouraged (Bowers). In today’s highly competitive world of sports, the sling shot has been replaced by PEDs.

 PEDs are a large classification for substances which are consumed to improve activity performance. There are many different types of PEDs: anabolic steroids, stimulants, ergogenic aids, human biomolecules, nootropics, painkillers, sedatives and blood boosters. In the sports world, the most common form of PED is the anabolic steroid. PEDs are commonly used by professional athletes, bodybuilders, military operators and musical artists to better their performances. The current governing bodies of all the major professional sports organizations currently outlaw the use of PEDs by athletes. Many athletes get busted every year for having PEDs in their system while countless others are able to evade detection. People who advocate for ridding the entire professional sports landscape of PEDs do have some reason to be cautious. Long term use of PEDs is associated with shrinking of the testicles and impotence in males, abnormal menstrual cycles, deepening of the voice and cessation of breast development in females, acne, baldness, liver damage, stunted growth in adolescents, increased aggressiveness and sexual appetite, and in some cases depression during withdrawal (Effects). What these people fail to recognize is that many of these professional athletes use PEDs in cycles. Cycling PEDs is when athletes use PEDs and train very aggressively for a period of time. These athletes then decline their PED usage in advance of testing periods. This practice enables athletes to build up strength in muscles, bones and tendons thus allowing them to train at higher intensities over an increased duration all the while experiencing fewer injuries. This process also allows time for the drugs to be washed out of the user’s system, although it may take up to a few weeks. This method of consumption is used by professional athletes because it enables them to use PEDs for all their benefits and have a better chance of passing a drug test (Woerner). Today’s sports world has become so competitive and the stakes are so high that athletes feel pressure to perform at their best all the time. If they don’t perform, they risk missing out on tens and sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars that a new contract could provide. With high stakes and tremendous amounts of money on the line, it’s no question why athletes turn to PEDs. 

Currently, some athletes choose to consume PEDs while others abstain because it is illegal, a potential health risk and there are suspensions and fines for getting caught. In an anonymous poll administered by ESPN the magazine in 2014, where 143 current Major League Baseball players were surveyed, it was estimated that 9.4% of current players were using some type of PED (Skillin). With numbers like that, it is becoming increasingly impossible to prevent and test for every illegal performance enhancer available to athletes. Tests are becoming too expensive to administer for all the PEDs readily available to athletes with the right connections (Exploring). It is safe to assume that many current professional athletes are flying under the radar of banned substance tests because they are using drugs developed in labs, not yet known to be tested for by authorities (Camporesi). So really, it does not make sense to be testing for banned substances when athletes will find a way to use PEDs without getting caught anyway (Smith). That is how advanced and secretive this industry has become in recent years and will continue to become in the future. We must realize that a sport in which some professional athletes choose to follow the rules and others choose to cheat is not really sport at all (Veber). There must be a clear structure in place to solve this issue. Since it would be impossible to completely rid the professional sports world of all banned substances, the next step is to allow their consumption. This would ensure that nobody has a distinct advantage over their competition because everyone would have access to the PEDs of their choice. Allowing professional athletes full access to PEDs would surely level the playing field.

When examining the so called “violation” of the spirit of sport when athletes choose to engage in the use of performance enhancing drugs, Julian Savulescu, a noted doctor in the field of sports medicine, points out that notable performers, including classical musicians, use performance enhancing drugs to control their stage fright. Their performance enhancer of choice is most often Beta blockers. In a study about the effects of Beta blockades and Beta stimulations on stage fright by Dr. Brantigan, it was concluded that Beta blockades eliminate the physical inhibitions to performance caused by stage fright. Some of these inhibitions were increased blood pressure and dry mouth. The quality of musical performance, as judged by experienced music critics, was significantly improved as well (Savulescu). Why is a musical artist taking a beta blocker different from a professional athlete using anabolic steroids? Both are paid and encouraged to do whatever is necessary to perform as well as they possibly can. What owner or coach wouldn’t want his players to perform at their best? Allowing professional athletes full access to PEDs would enable them to compete at their peak performance levels with regularity. 

People who don’t want professional athletes using PEDs also believe using PEDs is morally wrong. They want our athletes to be model citizens that our children can look up to. Although athletes are often the role models of young people, they never asked to be and aren’t required to be role models. A common narrative by those people who oppose the use of PEDs say that professional athletes who consume PEDs set a bad example for the youth and encourage bad practices. They cook up this narrative to explain the spread of PEDs into amateur sports, but in reality, it is the ever-increasing competitiveness of youth sports and uninformed physicians that cause this problem. According to Andrew Gregory, a physician, physicians must educate themselves about PEDs because it is not a topic taught in medical school (Gregory). That leads to a lot of inexperienced and uninformed physicians giving out prescriptions for PEDs to people who should not be receiving them. Most people who are angered by these statements fail to realize that athletes get paid millions of dollars for their athletic performance, not their astute personalities and morality. Yes, some athletes are natural role models and they should embrace that role, but, if we assume that all athletes should be role models, we are the ones to blame. If we force our professional athletes to be something they are not, what we get in return looks a lot like Johnny Manziel. The former Heisman winning quarterback and first round pick is now out of football and headed down a dangerous path of reckless behavior with drugs and women. He tried to become somebody he was not and the pressure got to him. Professional athletes are also in the limelight 24/7 and receive tremendous amounts of media attention, which also provides them with a lot of chances to make the wrong decision. As a society, we wish everyone could be a good person and able to set a good example for the kids. But, this is America and we have the freedom to be and do as we please. So, we should discipline professional athletes when they cross the line but be sure not to confine athletes to certain roles in our society.  

 PED usage is also frowned upon because they are deemed illegal by professional sports organizations. PEDs are only illegal for professional athletes because their organizations say so. PEDs seem to be encouraged in other realms, i.e. performing artists, and they were once used by athletes and nothing was thought of it, i.e. Greeks. PEDs are just extra supplements of naturally occurring compounds already found in our bodies. The abundance of those compounds, like testosterone, is what causes our body to change and grow stronger. It is also what causes some of the negative health effects. Considering the current technology we possess and the growth that would ensue in the market for PEDs if they were to become legal for professional athletes, I believe that a breed of PED could be created that minimizes the negative health effects of PEDs, all the while maximizing the positive gains. If this can come to fruition, there is going to be some seriously impressive human physicality on display. Some of these athletes will in time become too impressive that rules of the sport might have to be changed. But this isn’t anything new because sports are always changing and adapting to the athleticism modern athletes. In the MLB, I can foresee an environment where homeruns on the current field dimensions are too commonplace. This is where our society must embrace a new addition or change to the sports we know and love. The MLB may tinker with a rule which grants an extra point for a homerun over a certain distance. This is very like the addition of the three-point line in basketball once upon a time. There never was a three-point line when basketball first started but, as players grew in skill and athleticism, there was a necessity for change so an extra point was awarded for a shot made from a further distance. Generation after generation, athletes are breaking old records with regularity, we must adapt to the modern athlete to continue this growth. Allowing PEDs is that next step in the evolution of sports. 

If the governing bodies of sports organizations were to embrace the modern world and implement the latest technology into the sports world, it would have the capacity to further our games, competitions, events, and organizations to an entirely new level. Players will achieve feats never dreamed about before, all while transforming what it means to be an athlete. What is hindering this expansion is the outdated policies that are leaving our athletes out to dry. The saddest thing is that there seems to be no motive to update or change these dinosaur age rules and regulations. A potential solution could be to set a procedure for only punishing those athletes who do not disclose everything that they are currently using. This would allow athletes to use PEDs as they please, placing the liability entirely on the user to consume what is best for him/her. Once professional athletes are granted permission to freely use PEDs, the sports world is primed for takeoff. Get ready and strap in because it’s going to be a thrilling ride. PEDs will increase the popularity of sports dramatically. You don’t believe me? Well, during the 1990s and early 2000s, the steroid era of Major League Baseball, baseball’s popularity was at an all-time high. Players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa propelled baseball to record highs in attendance and jersey sales. The 1998 summer was one for the record books as the chase for the single season home run record was in full speed. When the dust settled, Mark McGwire emerged the victor, smashing a whopping 70 home runs! Sammy Sosa finished in a close second with 66, nothing to scoff at since the previous record was 61 dingers, set by Roger Maris back in 1961. I was not old enough to remember the historic 1998 summer, but looking back at these statistics I’m mesmerized. The late 1990s-early 2000s easily produced some of the greatest baseball statistics of all time. From 1996-1999, Mark McGwire hit an astounding 245 homeruns! Sammy Sosa, always right on McGwire’s tail, hit 243 homeruns from 1998-2001 (Bishop). Before this era, baseball was on the brink of extinction, with decreasing attendance season after season. The steroid era produced a can’t miss environment and the fans loved every second of it. It brought people back to watching baseball and potentially saved the sport from collapse. The MLB knew these players were using PEDs but they were willing to look the other way because it was the spark baseball needed to continue as a successful sport. In fact, steroids had been on the banned substance list of the MLB since 1991, but the league did not implement player testing until 2003! Why should we allow professional baseball to unveil this secret weapon of PEDs only in a time of need? As fans, we should be granted the experience of seeing professional athletes perform at this type of peak performance level all the time. The entirety of the sports world could benefit by putting into action a plan and structure to allow professional athletes access to freely consume PEDs. As PEDs did for the MLB, PEDs can increase the popularity of sports in general. An increase in popularity means increased attendance, higher jersey sales, increased salaries for players, bigger stadiums, and more jobs. These positive externalities bode well for all parties involved, deepening the pockets of everyone along the way. 

The evolution of man and sport is our manifest destiny. As we progress into the next century, technology will be king. The enhancement of what we knew to be true is the defining characteristic of an entrepreneur, and the spirit of entrepreneurship is what defines America. Let us be the first, in redefining sport and placing no limits on what is deemed achievable. Allow the market to determine what players use to better themselves, but at the time being, the simple solution is for the governing bodies of professional sports organizations to grant their athletes the freedom to use all PEDs without restriction. With full liability on behalf on the athlete to choose what he/she wants to consume; the league cannot be held at fault and a market for the safest and most advanced form of PED will be given room to grow and create. 
