In the year 2001, Barry Bonds was about to break the home run record by cheating.  He didn't cheat like the Astros he used anabolic steroids but he wasn’t the only one competing.  Other players used these drugs and were competing for the same thing bonds were and that was the home run record. This leads me to believe anabolic help with your athleticism. When you hear of cheating in sports you might think of baseball players using pine tar or football players using drugs but you never really hear about steroids. Now I believe that steroids improve your athletic ability to overcome obstacles they couldn't without taking steroids. In this essay, I will be talking about anabolic steroids, sports, and athletes. This leads me to my first point.

First, what are anabolic steroids? Well, anabolic steroids are a male sex hormone called testosterone. Taking these steroids makes your testosterone level higher than what it should be which leads to muscle growth. They are used in multiple sports such as football, MLB, weightlifting, and the Olympics too. First, in the Olympics steroids were banned in 1967 yet so many athletes still use them. For example, even in this year's Olympics a Ukrainian cross country skier Valentyna Kaminska tested positive for steroids.  She's not the only one, 443 cases in the 2020 summer Olympics and Russia accounts for 133 according to Procon by britticonia 12/15/21 of these cases Russia leads it when it comes to steroids. There's always a consequence for using these drugs in the Olympics which results in disqualification and loss of their medal.  They could be banned from the Olympics and their sport for up to four years or even life depending on the severity of the case. The officials can find out what drugs you're on by testing. The most common type of drug testing is a urinalysis which is a urine test. The main reason they test your urine is that the steroid will last longer in that region. There's also another way you can test for steroids and that's through blood testing although it's not as common and reliable as urine testing. Urine testing gives more reliable tests. Steroids can stay in your body anywhere from 14 to 28 days according to us drug testing centers copyright 2022. Getting caught with steroids can leave a negative impact on your life and your name.

This takes me to my next point: the finds and suspensions in MLB.  First the MLB, there are probably some bigger names you have heard of such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and Alex Rodriguez. When Barry Bonds was found guilty of using steroids he was sentenced to 2 years of prohibition, 250 hours of community service, and fined 4,000 dollars. The MLB’s rule is that someone who tests positive for steroids is automatically suspended 50 games without pay and if they are found guilty twice they will be banned for 162 games. When they are caught 3 times it is an automatic lifetime ban for the player. They test two times a year, one in the spring and one at a random time. The MLB does urine tests only for a more reliable source of information instead of using blood according to the professional sports league 2011. Secondly, long-term health problems from taking these steroids. First off you don’t wanna take a big dose of steroids and then quit. If you do this you may get a life-threatening condition called adrenal insufficiency. You have a bigger risk if you have been taking prednisone 40 mg a day for more than a week. Prednisone helps with arthritis, cancer, and immune problems. Some long-term effects of steroids are anger and aggression known as “roid rage”, delusions, heart attack, tumors in the liver, blood diseases from an injection, and kidney failure; these are all serious problems when taking steroids.  Some athletes just don't care as long as they get better at their sport. Northwestern University July 14, 2015.

Third, Athletes will do anything to get better at their sport and they will do anything to improve their performance and ability. Here are some big names that got caught cheating: Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lance Armstrong was a professional cyclist and Barry Bonds was a professional baseball player. Arnold shawrnzegger was a bodybuilder.  These athletes were all connected to using steroids in their sport. Lance Armstrong won 7 France titles, Barry Bonds broke the home run record and Arnold Schwarzenegger won 7, Mr.Olympias. These athletes did lots of things other natural athletes couldn’t. Lance Armstrong was caught with a blood transfusion but passed the drug test. Barry Bonds was caught with a cream-like substance that he rubbed on; he later admitted to using these steroids. He said that his trainer told him it was flaxseed oil and arthritis cream. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he used steroids and “doesn’t regret using them” the reason being they were new at the time and he went to the doctor and did it under their supervision.

In conclusion, athletes use steroids in many different sports such as baseball, track, and football. I think it's a fact that taking steroids makes you a better athlete. It can boost their energy and help them recover faster for a more intense workout. Many probably know Barry Bonds as the home run leader with 762 career home runs which is good but I feel he doesn’t deserve this. The reason is that he took steroids from 2001 to 2006. From 2002 to 2004 he hit 134 home runs. Now research says it doesn't help with athletic ability but I feel it does. He was in his 30s near retirement when he did this and he was trying to break the home run record. Two other athletes were competing for the home run record and they were also on steroids makes me believe that it does help with athletic ability. The cons of athletes taking these are tendonitis, baldness, shrinkage of testicles, and acne. All of these negative impacts on an athlete's body can lead to mature problems down the road. While they may be good now and help with athletic performance in the future there are going to be more and worsening health effects on an athlete's body, some even fatal.