Have you ever wanted to gain a competitive edge on the court or the field? Then you would be in the majority of athletes who would like that edge and advantage. One way some athletes seek an advantage is with the help of anabolic steroids rather than through dedication and hard work. Just ask cyclist Lance Armstrong who took steroids and was later busted for them. He would later be stripped of all of his Tour de France titles. Or you could ask one of the best hitters in any baseball capacity Barry Bonds who will not be able to join the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame due to his doping scandal being released. Marion Jones is an American former world champion track-and-field athlete. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but she was stripped of her medals after admitting to steroid use. These athletes would compete at the highest level for their respective sports while being on these steroids and now they will reap the consequences for many people to see still today.
Something most athletes do not account for is the legal consequences when being caught taking steroids. The legal battle you would need to endure is not worth the search for anabolic steroids, the acquiring of the anabolic steroids, and the consumption of the anabolic steroids. According to federal law, steroid possession with intent to distribute, dispense, or manufacture could lead up to 10 years in prison with hefty fines of $500,000 or even more.
The impact of doses of anabolic steroids can have many major health effects on your body. For example, famous bodybuilder Rich Piana, passed away at age 46 due to collapsing from his heavy use of steroids to look for the bodybuilding competition. Or use Lyle Alzado, who was a fierce linebacker for the Los Angeles Raiders, passing away at age 43. His passing was noticed to be from a rare form of brain cancer attributed from the years of his time in the NFL taking heavy doses of steroids for performance enhancement.
There are ways you could have cleaner and healthier outcomes without steroids while also looking like or performing better than the individuals who do. Someone who could be taking them for looks could have the same exact result as someone who is taking them for performance enhancements and those effects could cost you your life. Well renowned sports author Larry Gerber states ¨stars in practically all kinds of sports have won medals, championships, and millions of dollars after getting help from steroids. Some got caught and some did not. Some succeeded beyond their wildest dreams and for some that dream would turn into an instant nightmare, and with some they paid the price with their lives being lost.¨ Elite athletes who use steroids will receive all this money from their success, but will lose the ultimate prize in the end, their life.
As you see the same effect could happen with a bodybuilder using for looks and an athlete using for performance. Sports doctor Jack E. Henningfield, Ph.D commented, ¨Many of the decisions will never be easy. Hopefully, however, armed with information, perspective, and resources, people and readers will be better prepared for taking on the challenges posed by addictive drugs in everyday life” He is right because steroids possess a harmful, addictive element to it which can grab in users almost instantly. If this addiction grabs a hold of you for good though, it could lead to early heart attacks, strokes, liver tumors, kidney failure, and even death in some cases. Aside from the very serious effects of steroids, there is a heavy legal penalty for them. Using illegal steroids could cost you up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $50,000.
But for some high schoolers they might disregard all of this information and go through with it. For example, 17 year old student Matthew Dear, a young high schooler with his whole life ahead of him passed away from steroids. It started as a regular sickness thought to be food poisoning but the actuality of it was much, much worse. His parents stated, ¨He had been sick for about a week when his condition took a drastic turn for the worse. He said he didn’t know where he was and his pupils were the size of saucers and seemed really ill.¨ At that time his mom or dad did not know about the steroid use and they called the paramedics. That is when his dad first found out that he was dosing. When the young man Matthew told them he was, they were shocked. Soon later he was sent to the hospital where it seemed like he would come back and rebound from the sickness until he randomly lost his eyesight. He later passed away from the steroid complications. Three months later it was revealed that his brain had endured major brain swelling. His father quotes ¨He was such a good kid, pure gold. He lived to join the armed forces.¨ Matthew was just a young kid with aspirations to serve his country and it all fell short due to the dangerous effects of steroids.
Steroids can look like a good option for some, but building and gaining muscle, working out, and keeping a good routine will work better long term 100%. The body produces its own natural steroids, which help build muscle. The right diet and workout routine are key though. Your body will match the input you’re putting in and will show results over time with the right work ethic and the right mindset.
There are many athletes who can prove that the hard work you put into your body will reward you back. Look at the plethora of athletes who show that hard work beats artificial work 10 times out of 10. Look to the NFL´s Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K Metcalf, or NBA´s Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, or lastly MLB´s New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. All of those athletes prove that their hard work, patience, and good mindset will pay the big money without taking any steroids while being healthy.
There are other consequences with steroids though aside from health complications and legal complications like the disownment of fans, the disgrace from fans, and the heavy backlash the athletes could face. Track star Marion Jones´s career ended in disgrace when she was caught using steroids. Barry Bonds will never make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame because of his doping. These athletes were caught in the act and have lost the respect of many people around the world. So I will ask again, have you ever wanted to gain a competitive edge on the court or the field? If you answered yes I would hope you would take the route of respected athletes who dedicated their lives to the grind and hard work to get the prize of making it to their league of choice.
