health project

Really A y e h T e r A “ s id o r e St Park?”

Knock Out Of The By, Max Rowe

Alex Rodriguez

November 24, 2009

Steroids In Professional Sports

Inside this issue: Steroids

1

The Impact of Steroids

2

Lyle Alzado

2

Should the record stand?

3

A– Rod

3

Steroids are used Resources

3 4

Today, steroids or specifically human growth hormone (HGH) is becoming a common controversy in the sports world today.

Steroid use is a growing activity in several sports and is used by all ages and skill levels. Athletes use steroids to improve their performance so that they can be the next Babe Ruth or ‖Stan the Man‖.

Over 300 professional athletes have tested positive for the use of steroids, including wellknown players like; Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Andy

Pettitte and Manny Ramirez. Many athletes believe steroids will improve their game and make them bigger, faster, stronger, and ultimately better. Steroids look bad on their profile, but also can ruin their reputation, which can affect them in future dealings, such as free agency or being traded to another team.

Human beings have the right to live their lives any way they choose, however, they need to deal with the consequences of these choices.

Whether a steroid using athlete has been caught

The Impact of Steroids There are many types of steroids used in the world today.

The one that is most commonly used in the world of sports is HGH also known as human growth hormone, There are over 500 types of steroids and can all be taken at different amounts and the time of when they are taken. For the most

part steroids play a number of roles which can benefit an athlete, including; increase muscle mass, breakdown fat, accelerate healing time, enhance male testosterone and much more.

Steroids are very easily obtained and can be taken on a regular basis without anyone knowing. Not only do players

pay high financial costs for steroids, they pay in other ways to avoid the risk of being caught. Athletes give up much more than their health when making the choice to take steroids. They give up their personality too, steroids can unleash another person inside

or not, he must live with the guilt, potential ridicule and consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, this is a situation many athletes have chosen. It can be the most thrilling or exhilarating feeling to win a championship or win an award, but to do it by cheating takes away from the achievement. While some pro athletes were once considered role models for the kids, steroid abusing athletes are now being looked at as cheaters.

Page 2

Steroids “Are They Really A Knock Out Of The Park?”

The Complications Of Steroids Steroids don't just make you bigger, faster and stronger, they also will lead to horrible affects later. It can lead to problems with the liver or even liver cancer. Steroids reduce the livers excretory function, which slowly and slowly hurts it until, it just cant function anymore. Steroids also can hurt the cardio-vascular system. They can lead to lung, heart and a whole lot of other problems with continued use. It is not worth having to take medications for the rest of your life just so you can get bigger and stronger. If you really want to get better at something, work at it, do not rely on steroids to make you better. If you have to be a better player: 1. you would be a bet-

ter team player and not just taking the easy way out. 2. it will be much more exhilarating when you win that Gold Glove or MVP without cheating. Why would anyone want to be on the same team as someone who gave up and took the easy way out? The answer is they would not want to be. Picture this bottom of the ninth, two outs and you rely on a cheater to do his best for the team. It doesn't work like that, he will not work his hardest and just take the easy way out. I do not want anyone like that on my team which is competing for a title. Steroids don't just have complications on your health, but they also have an affect on how people ―look at you.

Lyle Alzado; Steroids Ended his Career and His Life Lyle Alzado, a Jewish football player in the 1970s and the 1980s was a drug addict. Not the drugs that are smoked and whatever you want to do, the performance enhancing drugs. Lyle was raised in New York to an Italian father and Jewish mother. He played for the Raiders, Browns and Broncos. And his one way ticket to the pros was anabolic steroids.

He was a small high school player and weighing 175 his senior year of high school. As s freshman in college he weighed 195, sophomore he was 245, junior, 280 and his senior year he was a moving freight train at 300 pounds! He attended Kilgore Junior College and after not making the team, he moved to Yankton College in South Dakota; a tiny NAIA. It was here that he began to use anabolic steroids and he relied on them to feel strong and ultimately a good athlete. ―I just did not feel strong unless I was taking something.‖ He was the first ever player to be drafted by a NFL team form Yankton. Steroids blinded his vision on the rest of the world and he could not see past himself. He did not understand that you can work hard and earn your

strength rather than do it the short and of drugs. So, eventually coaches, family easy way.

He had 4 wives and he was a and many others tried to stop him from very violent man and just wanted to hurt abusing the steroids. But they tried and people. This is not because of his pernobody succeed. He died at the age of sonality, he is a very kind43 due to hearted and just a big old brain lym“I never met a man I didn't want to teddy bear. It was the sterphoma, a fight.” oids that was doing this to very rare him. They were turning him form of - Lyle Alzado into something he is not. His cancer but family and friends said it was Lyle inlike he is two people in one sisted that body. Two very different people caged it was a side effect of using all of the on one body. One a kind hearted teddy steroids he did in the past. There was bear and the other a violent jerk. People and still is no link to lymphoma and steron the team would ask him for favors and oids but he was so persistent on the fact the next day he would have ―something‖ that it was ―on him‖ and it was nobodies to help. A few days later he would get fault but his own. He was one of the mad at them assuming that he stole form most caring and gentle people on the him. His teammates, wives, coaches and planet but the steroids took that from family all knew about what he was doing. him. Now, he is looked at as a model and His wives would find spent needles in the his brother speaks to athletes across the trash, he was out of his normal personalcountry on what steroids can do to you. ity. The steroids did this to him and it is If he could take back all of the things he truly sad to see a man go through the did when he was in drugs his 2nd wife things he did. He was a gentle man and CindyLyle knows thatPassed he would, Alzado away―He in I just would never have done all of these bad that kind ofatguy.‖ 1992 The Age Of 43 things if he was not under the influence

By, Max Rowe

Page 3

Should The Record Stand?

There is much controversy over ―If the record should stand?‖ For example Barry Bonds, the holder of maybe the most prestigious record in all of sports is deserving of it. I believe he is not.

By using steroids, he cheated and took the easy way out instead of working hard and earning it. The previous title holders; Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth hit all of the home runs legally, showing that hard work pays off. The easy way out is not the answer. Steroids did not exist in sports back when Stan Musial

and Lou Gehrig ruled the field. They relied on hard work and perseverance.

All of the players that are caught for steroids now-a-days are all of the ones that were popular 5 and 8 years ago, The athletes that were on the covers of video games and in Backyard Sports‖‖ games.

Would anyone have expected athletes of such a

thing in 2003? But is it ethical to revoke an award? I believe it is. Is it ethical to use steroids?

No. If athletes choose to use steroids they need to be aware of the consequences. If you cheat or lie it will catch up with you whether it be in 5 years, 10 years or after death, In my opinion, no the reBarry Bonds holds the all time cord should not stand. record for home runs at 762

The Rise and Fall of A– Rod Alex Rodriguez (A– Rod) is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He will likely rewrite many records and has been named MVP three times and earned two Gold Gloves, four Hank Aaron Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards and he is only 34. Sports Illustrated stated, ―He could quite possibly be the best all around player to play the game..‖ Derek Jeter has

respect for him, saying that, ―he is a great teammate and somebody I would want to sit next to on the plane home.‖ The baseball world was shocked when A-Rod publicly admitted to using steroids. Fans were outraged and he quickly became a less and less of a role model. Steroids are

cheating and a player of his "Enjoy your sweat because caliber should despise the hard work use of performance endoesn't hancing drugs. A-Rod guarantee success, but tested positive in 2003 but without it, you went unmentioned until don't have a chance." - A. 2007. He was on a list of Rodriguez 104 players who tested positive, but it was never mentioned. Alex is most likely going to be in the Hall Of Fame, but he will always be remembered for his failed drug tests.

Steroid Use Effects All Ages Steroids are not just used in professional sports although that is where most of the focus is directed. A report out of San Francisco reports that about 2% of athletes between the ages of 10 and 14, and 5% to 10% of high school athletes have used many types of steroids, In addition, approximately 5% of college athletes currently use different types of steroids. It is easy for people to obtain and take these dangerous drugs. High school athletes use them mostly because they want to get as big as possible so they can compete. Ath-

letes that rely on them to perform well are usually not happy about how they play without them. College athletes take them to get an extra edge, so they have a better chance to become a pro. Little do they know, when they get caught they are finished. Now that people know about this issue, the question is how to stop it. It will be

very hard to do especially in today’s world.

Type ―steroids‖ into Google and you will find several sites selling steroids. All high school and college students should have to sign a agreement they understand that ―steroid use is prohibited‖. Unfortunately, that is not enough. Just like the pacts teenagers sign about drinking, they make promises not to drink, but do it anyway. The message about the danger of steroid abuse needs to be understood by all ages..

e Max Row 1.

Mark McGuire tested positive on ―The List‖ in 2003

Roberts, Selena. "Baseball's Steroid Era: List of Players Linked to Steroids and/or Human Growth Hormone." Baseball's Steroid Era. <http:// thesteroidera.blogspot.com/2006/08/list-of-steroid-hgh-users-inbaseball.html>.

2.

"Different Types Of Steroids In Body Building & Different Types Of Steroids Risks." Man Health Fitness & Nutrition Solutions To Man Health Problems. <http://www.man-health-fitness-solutions.com/different-types -of-steroids.html>.

3.

"Impact of steroids felt across high school sports." San Francisco Bay Area — News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Classifieds: SFGate. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/20/ MNGNDL90A51.DTL>.

4. " The author, a former NFL star, has a dread disease that - 07.08.91 - SI Vault." Breaking news, real-time scores and daily analysis from Sports Illustrated – SI.com. <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/ magazine/MAG1139729/index.htm>.

4. "Types of Steroids" GaleNet.http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SciRC? locID=sain62671&bi=SU&bt=steroids&c=1&t=1&ste=21&docNum=CV21915 00036&st=b&tc=31&tf=0

More Information If you are looking for ways to find alternatives to steroids. Like speed and strength camps, protein powders, free clothing and your self esteem you may try contacting SWATS or Sports With Alternatives To Steroids. The offer all of the above and promise that you can be bigger, stronger and faster if you use them for training and they will sell you discounted products.

If you are looking for more ways to help yourself find other ways or even help a friend or teammate get off using steroids you might try

going to www.Steroid Law.com. It is the law site and you don't have to turn in your friend but you can scare them by showing them what can happen if their addictive behavior is continued. They offer counselors and group sessions to help steroid users.

I had the privilege to talk to Chris Long, the St. Louis Rams Defensive lineman. He said they have regular and random drug testing and he has seen athletes and fellow teammates get busted. He believes that ―you should work for glory and try your hardest and that is the best you can do‖. He is a hard worker and would not have

made it this far if he was not. He believes it is a slap in the face to all of his coaches and teammates if he were using steroids. ―there is no room for that stuff in our game.

He is depriving them of working their hardest and he would never think once about trying it. He is as big as anyone that has and will use steroids. He has a Hall of Fame Father, 6’8’’ brother that will either be a pro baseball or football player and another brother who is going to Virginia to play lacrosse. His family is full of great athletes and each one works hard for what they have earned.