Introduction
Steroids are drugs used to reduce inflammation in the body that are synthetic copies of hormones that the adrenal glands produce. Steroids, in addition to their anti-inflammatory properties, can help improve an individual’s athletic performance, which leads to their widespread use among professional athletes. This is the main argument of the supporters advocating for the use of steroids among athletes. However, the Major Baseball League was involved in a scandal involving the usage of steroids by sportsmen to improve their performance throughout the 1990s and the 2000s. This controversy is linked to the adverse effects of steroids and the harm they cause to a person’s body.
Steroids
Steroids are medications that are applied to decrease inflammation in one’s body. These medications are synthetic versions of hormones naturally produced by the adrenal glands. Apart from the anti-inflammatory properties, steroids can help enhance the athletic performance of individuals, which results in the widespread use of this medication among professional athletes. Between the 1990s and 2000s, the Major Baseball League has had a scandal linked to the use of steroids by athletes, which allowed them to enhance their performance. This paper will examine steroids, their effect on the body, and the Major Baseball League’s use of steroids. Steroids are not allowed for use in professional sports due to the substantial side effects that they cause, despite the benefits of enhanced performance.
Opposing Position
The argument opposing the restriction of the use of steroids is based on the benefits of this medication and the effect that it has on muscle strength and performance. Steroids are a type of medication developed from the blueprint of a hormone that a human body produces. Steroids are synthetic alternatives of hormones that are naturally generated by the adrenal glands, which are two small glands located above the kidneys (NHS, n.d.). Steroids diminish redness and swelling when taken at more significant levels than a person’s body typically generates, which is why these medications are prescribed to reduce inflammation. This can aid in the treatment of inflammatory disorders such as asthma and eczema (NHS, n.d.). Steroids also suppress the immune system’s functioning, which is the body’s natural defense against disease and infection. This can help when treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which are caused by the immune system attacking the body (NHS, n.d.). However, similar to any medication, steroids should be taken with caution and only if prescribed by a medical professional. Despite this, many athletes have used steroids to enhance their performance, which subjected them to substantial side effects.
Context for the Opposing Position
One reason why athletes often use steroids is the effect of these medications on their performance. Bodybuilders, among other sports professionals, who want to improve their physiques are increasingly turning to performance-enhancing drugs (Fink et al., 2018). However, as the Internet has grown in popularity and regulations preventing the sale of these medications without a prescription, the route of procurement and administration practices has become increasingly perilous. Hence, the side effects and the performance enhancement effects of steroids have been recognized by regulators and organizations overseeing sports competitions, which is why these medications are banned from public access. Athletes undergo screenings to ensure they do not use these medications.
Before the mid-1970s, anabolic steroids were unregulated and widely available from physicians and pharmacies around the world (Fink et al., 2018). The Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 was adopted in the United States, resulting in the expansion of illegal markets and underground laboratories (Fink et al., 2018). The transition from pharmacy to underground websites for anabolic steroid procurement resulted in an increase in bogus goods with low purity and the potential to threaten the health of anabolic steroid users. Thus, apart from the apparent side effects of the uncontrolled use of steroids, there is an issue of using this medication that was produced without proper governmental control. People supporting the use of steroids may appeal to the fact that these medications are now available to people from unofficial suppliers, which is more dangerous.
Underground laboratories emerged both locally and in nations with loose legal frameworks. ‘Anabolic steroid tourism’ and huge networks of internet resellers arose, leading to the legalization of illicit anabolic steroid procurement (Fink et al., 2018). Furthermore, the increased circulation of anecdotal information on the Internet among anabolic steroid user forums results in increased ignorance and harmful practice. All in all, this leads to the cases of steroids misuse and people’s health being harmed due to uncontrolled use of steroids. The amounts and methods of administration advocated on these forums are based on unverified information that may be inaccurate and misleading to persons who lack a medical background and cannot obtain guidance from their physician.
Restriction of the Use of Steroids
Doping with anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is prevalent among both male and female athletes, and it is becoming a serious public health issue. The use of AAS in female athletes has been linked to side effects such as acne, hirsutism, voice deepening, and menstruation abnormalities; life-threatening side effects such as cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death have also been documented (Huang & Basaria, 2018). As a result, detecting AAS usage in female athletes is critical to ensuring fairness in competition. Moreover, the use of detection practices is vital to preserving the health and lives of these athletes because, as was discussed in the previous paragraphs, the information on steroids available online is usually misleading and not based on empirical evidence. At the same time, athletes should be taught about the negative repercussions of AAS use (Huang & Basaria, 2018). Although exogenous androgen injection has been linked to ergogenic effects, it is uncertain if endogenous hyperandrogenism is exhibited in some medical illnesses such as disorders of sexual development (DSD), congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and polycystic ovary syndrome is ergogenic (Huang & Basaria, 2018). Even among the medical professionals’ community, there are many gaps in understanding how steroids work and how they affect one’s body.
Some studies have already confirmed the adverse effect of AAS use. Although exogenous androgen administration has been linked to ergogenic effects, it is unclear whether endogenous hyperandrogenism is seen in some medical conditions such as disorders of sexual development (DSD), congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and polycystic ovary syndrome confers any competitive advantage (Huang & Basaria, 2018). In general, more research is required to determine all the effects of AAS on the human body and particularly on the athletes’ bodies, considering that this medication is often used without medical supervision.
Context and Major League Athletes Steroids Scandal
Major League Baseball is one of the athletic organizations that was accused of the use of steroids. According to Palmerino (2021), Major League Baseball (MLB) is an American professional baseball league based in Midtown Manhattan, New York. Moreover, MLB is the oldest professional sports league in the United States and Canada, having been founded in 1876 (Palmerino, 2021). It is divided into two leagues, the American League and the National League, with thirty teams participating between April and October of each year. Teams compete in a 162-game season, with five teams from each league qualifying for a playoff tournament building up to the World Series Championship clash between the league champions (Palmerino, 2021). Considering Major League Baseball’s long history, the league has experienced a number of crises and scandals that have jeopardized its organizational stability, one of which was linked to the use of steroids by athletes.
The MBL has had several scandals, and some linked to teams being paid to lose, while others involved the unauthorized use of medications, which has harmed the reputation of this league. According to Gonyeau (2021), data gathered over the last several years suggest that baseball’s popularity has begun to fall in comparison to other sports such as football and basketball. While this problem may be ascribed to a variety of factors related to baseball, MLB has experienced several major crises that have jeopardized its place as one of North America’s main sports leagues. When the steroid and Houston Astros cheating scandals arose, the league’s popularity experienced a significant decrease (Palmerino, 2021). This shows that the public’s response to the athletes’ steroid use is adverse, and therefore, such practices are harmful not only to the people using steroids but to the businesses that support this approach.
One of the most contentious issues in professional sports history is the usage of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances (PEDs). According to Preiato (2019), the usage of these medications provides people, particularly athletes, with various advantages in terms of strength, power, muscular endurance, and improved recovery from workouts, which essentially boosts the ability of these athletes to perform. However, as was previously discussed, steroids carry a number of hazards, including the risk of infection and addiction, among others (Preiato, 2019). The Anabolic Steroids Control Act was approved by the United States Congress in 1990, making steroids a prohibited substance in the United States. Since then, unless they were prescribed by a physician (Axisa, 2022; Bates, 2022). There was no regular drug testing for Major League Baseball players at the time, during the 1990s, and thus, there was no incentive for the players to observe the regulation. For example, Jose Canseco, a known steroid user, led the American League with forty-four home runs in the 1991 MLB season. Three years later, the league’s slugging percentage had risen to.424, its best level since 1930 (Palmerino, 2021). These were unmistakable indications that the league was experiencing a steroid problem as the results of their athletes were remarkable. In 1996, seventeen different players hit at least forty home runs, which is still an MLB record (Palmerino, 2021). The public began to pay attention to the league and its regulations, causing backlash and demands for the leadership to impose rules that would allow monitoring the use of unprescribed medications by athletes.
Conclusion
In summary, this paper presents the arguments that justify the use of steroids by athletes and the position justifying the need to restrict the usage of this medication. In particular, the example of the Major Baseball League shows the public backlash that the use of steroids by athletes causes. Moreover, there are various side effects that uncontrolled use of steroids leads to, which is why these medications cannot be used without prescription in the United States. People who support steroid use may point to the benefits that this medication provides in terms of endurance, muscle strength, and performance.
References
Axisa, M. (2022). Why MLB has stopped testing players for steroids during the owner-imposed lockout. Web.
Bates, D. (2022). Major League Baseball has stopped testing players for steroids. Web.
Gonyeau, M. (2021). Why baseball is losing popularity across the nation. Web.
Fink, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Hackney, A., Matsumoto, M., Maekawa, T., Nakazato, K. & Horie, S. (2019). Anabolic-androgenic steroids: Procurement and administration practices of doping athletes. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 47(1), 10-14.
Huang, G. & Basaria, S. (2018). Do anabolic-androgenic steroids have performance-enhancing effects in female athletes? Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 464(15), 56-64.
NHS. (n.d.). Steroids. Web.
Palmerino, J. (2021). Examining the strategies in response to rises in Major League Baseball. Clark. Web.
Preiato, D. (2019). Are steroids bad for you? Uses, side effects, and dangers. Web.