Drug use in professional athletics affects future generations

Micheal Simmons, Sports Editor

In professional sports it’s a common debate of whether to allow performance enhancing drugs or not.

Despite this, several athletes who experimented with PEDs are trying to justify using them or even  allow them. But the use of PEDs should be banned because it sets a terrible example, athletes should not get awarded for it and it is an unsafe practice.

Younger people and to look up to the previous generation to learn how to structure their life. Professional athletes have the ability to directly impact students athletes lives every day. A study conducted by ABC news found that 73 percent of children list athletes among role models in their lives. Of that 73 percent, 16 percent said that it was OK to abuse alcohol or drugs.

At the same time, there is an  increase in the number of drug violations in professional sports. 47 gold medals were rescinded in the most recent report from the International Olympic Committee due to drug violation involving the 2008 Olympics. On top of that a Kansas City Royals player was banned for 80 games due to drug violation.

This same increase can be found in the NFL, as they had a staggering 54 suspensions in 2016 for substance abuse.

Finally, there is an increase in the number of college athletes abusing drugs with 21.9 percent of NCAA athletes using marijuana within 12 months of the survey in 2013. This directly correlates professional athletes abusing substance to the substance abuse of  following generations. Professional athletes using substances has a negative effect on society and should not be tolerated.

Beyond setting a terrible example, it is also unfair to athletes who did not take PEDs. Some athletes who compete in the Olympics train for the majority of their lives, sometimes meaning several decades of hard work. Taking a pill or affecting your blood takes much less time and effort as it does to train for decades for a single event.

With that being said, why should someone who put in significantly less time and effort for something be rewarded the same as someone who did? As the saying goes, “you can’t get something for nothing.” The International Olympic Committee sometimes strip entire teams of their medals for one violation. For example, the Jamaican 4×100 relay team was stripped of its gold medal when a member tested positive for doping. The IOC reexamined test results form 2008 Olympics in 2016 and made their final decision on Jan. 25 2017.

Several organizations banned PEDs for several reasons cent be large one being the permanent medical consequences. While PEDs might be able to help you win a temporary competition, it’s likely to give you increased risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrhythmia.

One of the more common PEDs is Testosterone which falls under the anabolic agents category, will cause increased aggressiveness and sexual appetite. These effects can lead to criminal behaviour referred to as “roid rage.” In some cases when athletes attempt to wean themselves off of these anabolic agents, it will cause severe depression and eventually suicide.

Ultimately it comes down to the athlete. The current professional athletes will be the ones to decide rather or not they take PEDs. The current youth idolize them, therefore they have a say in the future of a generation as a whole.

Athletes should not participate in taking any sort of PEDs because it sets a terrible example for kids, it is unfair to committed athletes and very unsafe.