Topic > Pressure to Win Gives Way to Performance-Enhancing Drugs

The use of performance-enhancing drugs has become increasingly common due to the pressure to win. Most serious athletes know that the competitive drive to win can be intense and often rely on performance-enhancing drugs to succeed. There are many types of performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids, androstenedione, gonadotropin, and erythropoietin. Performance-enhancing drugs are a temptation for athletes because they give athletes strong sensations and help athletes recover from a difficult workout very quickly by decreasing the muscle loss that occurs during training. This allows athletes to exercise faster and more often without overloading their body. The benefits of these performance-enhancing drugs are not worth it as there are more cons than pros because they can be dangerous to the human body and no one wants to be known as a cheater. Athletes know the side effects but ignore them out of a desire to succeed. “In response to growing international awareness of the illegal use of PEDs and the apparent inability of individual sports associations to ensure a level playing field, national governments have taken note and, in some cases, have instituted comprehensive national drug testing legislation for professional sports" according to "Safe At Home? Evaluate U.S. efforts to protect youth from the effects of performance-enhancing drugs in sports." Performance-enhancing drugs should be excluded from sports because it is unfair to athletes who do not use them and the drugs can be very harmful to the body and can even lead to death if used too frequently. "For strength and potency, the best -known drugs are probably those of the large family... in the center of the paper... from them" according to the article “Judgments about fairness in the use of performance-enhancing drugs.” Fans will not be able to see their favorite players play if the athlete is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. It's also very disappointing for fans, especially when they look up to them. To summarize, it's really not worth taking performance-enhancing drugs. The cons outweigh the pros. It's not right to be superior to other competitors because of doping. Cheating is never the answer and this is not fair to other athletes who do not take performance-enhancing drugs. The side effects can be harmful to the human body and can ultimately lead to death. Not taking performance-enhancing drugs will reduce the chances of them getting sick. Instead of taking the easy route to success, play fair by not using performance-enhancing drugs.