Should Anabolic Steroids Be Banned

The performance enhancing drugs particularly anabolic steroids have become increasingly common in competitive sport. Even though the performance enhancing drugs have been banned by all major sports organizations including the Olympics, FIFA, and NFL. The World Anti-Doping Agency has introduced very strict rules and penalties for participants who are caught using performance-enhancing drugs. However the industry keeps finding a way to produce more sophisticated performance enhancing drugs, so tests have to be updated almost every week. So ''Is it possible to eliminate performance enhancing drugs from the competitive sport? '' Some sports experts and analysts believe performance enhancing drugs should be legalized because athletes ''should be

In ancient Rome, participants drank herbal infusions to greatly improve muscular strength and endurance. The performance enhancing drugs were perfectly acceptable in ancient Rome. In the late nineteenth century, coca and cocaine were popular because ''they staved off the sense of fatigue and hunger brought on by prolonged exertion.'' (Murray, 1993) More recently, athletes have replaced coca and cocaine with anabolic steroids and male hormone(testosterone). Anabolic steroids have both positive and negative effects on the body. The performance enhancing drugs particularly anabolic steroids improve recovery rate, muscular strength, and muscular endurance. However, negative effects associated with anabolic steroids far outweigh the positive. Anabolic steroids have been shown to enhance the risk of cardiovascular disease(heart attack), liver diseases and decrease immune system effectiveness. On July 13, 1967, Tommy Simpson died during the 13th stage of the Tour de France. His autopsy revealed traces of an amphetamine and brandy. Tommy Simpson's death had created pressure for sports organizations to take action against