Properly used, steroids are a class of drugs that can be extremely helpful in the treatment of certain types of injuries and medical conditions. The problem is not that steroids are bad. The problem is the misuse of steroids, which is drug abuse, in the same class as crack or meth.

In the cases of motorcycle racing, boxing, and playing football, the chance of injury is in the nature of the specific competition. If you love playing football and decide to play, you are also accepting the risk that you will get all smashed up and concussed. The difference between steroids and the inherent dangers of sports is that the harmful effects of steroids aren’t inherent in sports. If you want to play a sport, you acknowledge the risks, but you shouldn’t have to accept steroids as part of the dangers.

In highly competitive events such as the Olympics or Major League Baseball, there may be people willing to harm their bodies in exchange for the edge given by steroids. By doing this they are putting a competitive pressure on people who still wish to compete, but don’t want to use steroids. This is where the unfairness lies.

If someone wants to set up a new game called ‘steroid abusing’, then the use of steroids can be allowed because the dangers of steroids are inherent in its nature. If someone wanted to play that game, they would accept the risk of steroids, and that would be alright.

So, the issue here is not whether or not steroids themselves are safe or legal or good or bad, it’s whether or not an athlete has a right to compete without them. I think that if steroids are allowed, the option to not use them and remain competitive is taken away.

Yes, steroids are bad in about all aspects of life. The harmful effects of using steriods are well known throghout the health field and they carry a great risk for any person willing to take them. Why not let some athletes choose whether or not to take them some may ask. An obvious answer to this question would be that in order to gain the best possible advantage, one would have to take their own life into danger by taking steriods. This would take the skill factor out of sports and also many would feel the joy of playing would be taken out as well. Also, for an athlete to be the best or gain the best possible chance of winning, they would have to seriously risk long term health benefits. The outcomes of athletic events should be determined on skill level and the amount of practice and hard work a team or individual is born with or worked hard to obtain, not by those who are willing to risk their future health by taking steriods to gain an advantage.

Steroids have thier pros and cons. People use steroids for many health related problems. Only when they are misused are they bad.

Athletes use steroids to enhance their performance. Athletes also drink gatorade and wear cleats to enhance their performance. Steroids just happen to be mind altering and that’s where their downfall is. But taken properly in small doses they don’t mess with your head. So yes, steroids should be allowed in sports. And about letting indiviual athletes take risks…we let people do risky things all the time, contact sports, extreme sports. Drinking alcohol is more dangerous than pot. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to smoke?

Steroids arnt bad if needed medically, but for sports, that’s a story. Morals and ethics, that’s the main arguments about sports and streroids. For one, steroids do mess with the natural balance of sports; the purpose of sports (back in ancient greece) was to compete with their god-given abilities. In the spirit of sports, athletes compete with their given abilities, unaltered by medicine.

Gatorade isn’t cheating because all it has in the liquid is minerals and water which is harnessed in the body natrually. Food isnt cheating because it is nessesary for our survival. Steriods only manipulate the body to focus on development muscle – do you see the problem here:

GATORADE AND PROTIENS ONLY REPLENISH VITAL ORGAN FUNCTIONS!

STEROIDS (to a healthy normal person) ISNT NESSESARY FOR SURVIVAL!!!!!!!!

My point:

Steroids isn’t bad if used in moderation for ailments that medically accepted

Steroids is bad for sports because it defeats the purpose!

Though, it would be interesting to see a streoid competition of power lifting; wouldn’t mind seeing the the pinical of strength of a preformance-enhanced individual!!!!!!

I feel as though steroids are so dangerous especially if they aren’t used and monitored properly. The added althletic benefit from steroids isn’t worth risking the lives of those taking them. It’s nice to see those athletes that stand on their natural talent and intelligence perform well. It gives the credit to the athlete and not to the steroid use.

i would like to pose myself as a guinnea pig for all the arguments prior and to all to come- i am 18. i personally used human growth hormone for about 8 years from age 5 to about age 13. i used them medically to fix a defiency in my natural production of the hormone. it was not vital to my survival. i did not use it for performance enhancement. i used it to grow taller though you wouldn’t know that by my current height(about 5’2” if you were wondering). this steriod does not to my knowledge cause “roid rage” which i think is what brian ment by mind altering. could my use of this steriod for so long have made me more athletic? i’m not sure on that myself. i’m trying to cover all bases but if anyone wants more details just ask.

I have used Steroids to help me regain my strength. This is when I had a health problem and my Doctor prescribed me to use it.
So yeah, Steriod is not bad as long as you have medical reasons to back it up.

The real argument with the use of steroids is not the “possible” health effect of steroids, which there have been numerous studies done that can conclude that the proper use of steroids and not abuse can cause significant muscle growth and recovery, but is using steroids cheating? Here is my argument, if steroids are considered cheating then what would you call a person who hires a personal trainer and spends infinate amount of money on sports supplementation. Is that person not at an advantage over the person that cannot afford to spend that kind of money? That would create just as unfair playing field as a person using steroids as opposed to the person that did not.

you should stop using steriods i heared they killed a wwe chamption he got crazy and killed his family then him self thats why steriods ARE BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!

I think the fans have a desire to see genuine ability and not something artificial. We like to see ordinary people do extraordinary things. If the players’ supercharged ability comes from a substance and not from within themselves, what is so special about that? Why watch it?

Steroids should not be banned in fact they should be incouraged to a certain extent because lets face it when players are jucing up the game is more exciting like in 98’ when McGwire and Sosa were in the home run chase. Both more than likely were using steroids and at the same time the are credited for saving the game. So as long as players dont abuse the drug it is fine with me.

I know pressure is put on athletes for superior performance. I also realize in doses there are cases where steriods are used. My concern is for the people using anabolic steriods. I have heard so many horror stories about the users of steriods. Take Robert Hazelton for exapmle. He’s a former heavyweight champ. Today he can’t walk because of steriods. He has had dozens of surgeries and they had to take his legs. All because of steriods. These bans on steriods are for the athlete’s safety!

Unfortunatly to some people, steroids are still oblivious and are looked over, and we let people use them with-out much question. Society loves sports and is a big part of life today but people dont tend to look the other way when it becomes dangerous.

Personally I feel that Anabolic Steroids carry no more risk of long term side affects than other chemicals and tokins that we are legally allowed to put into our bodies, with no restrictions. If I so choose I can smoke a carton of cigarrets, drink 2 cases of beer and a gallon of wiskey a day for as long as I choose. What are the long term affects of these? Why are they not class 3 substances?

I can argue many of the above posts all day long as many of you are misinformed when it comes to steroids. Even are medical field cant tell you with absolute certainty what the long term affects of steroid use are. Did you watch the videos of Dr. Bailes? How often did he use the phrase “we think” There really hasnt been any intense studies done. It’s all speculation. I hear that Joe Blow wrestler did what he did because of steroids, nevermind all the trauma the he incured to his head all those years, nevermind the pain killers he was most likely using.

But thats it, I gave my 2 pennies now all of you run off and get a couple of big macs and wash it down with a jug of wiskey and smoke your cigarette when your done. Oh by the way keep an eye on your heart and liver it might need some attention after few years of the above regimen.

Obviously excepting the legitimate medically prescribed necessity (to address many true medical crises) of taking steroids, it is extremely harmful for an individual to take steroids to enhance his/her athletic performance. Just like everything else in life—quick rewards are often negated by long-term damage to health and well-being. There are so many examples of shortened life spans (as a result of taking steroids) from Lyle Alzado to many other athletes. And it is extremely hypocritical now for Americans to equivocate on the issue of (nonmedically required) steroid usage. For decades our government condemned the East Germans and Soviets for allowing their athletes to take controlled substances to improve their Olympic level performances. Now, many American leaders and media are increasingly shown giving young people the message of “be careful not to get caught if you take steroids” or “steroids are acceptable in some sports like football.” Americans wonder why we are facing moral bankruptcy in our society—part of the answer is officialdom’s acceptance of or acknowledgement that steroid taking is inevitable. But it goes further than that. Everytime we watch an athletic contest the analysts and commentators dilute right and wrong (and thus have a negative impact on young American viewers) by routinely making comments like, “the official missed that unsportsmanlike penalty—if he doesn’t see it it didn’t happen” or “make sure you get your punch/shot into your opponent’s face while the official is looking the other way” or my favorite “hurry up and run your play before the official realizes his mistake on that last penalty” or “hurry up and run a play before the opposing coach can throw the red challenge flag” (in other words cheating is acceptable and better yet a great strategy as long as you get away with it). Taking steroids is not only BAD but it is an example of the “win at any cost” zero-sum, enjoy the rewards and worry-about-the-consequences later mindset of not just our nation but many others in the world. Unfortunately this antequated world view/mindset not only is rubber stamped in the world of athletic competition but is also part and parcel of how many people (Americans and countless others) see the world (through a warped lense). Steroid use is just another symptom of the apparent decline of our civilization. But, with the glass half full, there is always the possibility that these trends can be halted or even reversed as has happened in the past.

I think that steriods are bad for the athletes that play in sports due to the problems in the long run of their life .

The simple fact is this less people die from steriods than people dying in wrecks jobs and from serial killers etc if we are so concerned with this issue why aren’t we as concerned with the above listed issues people get longer jail time for roid use than molesting children so where are our priorities u tell me

STEROIDS ARE GOOD FOR USING BECAUSE WE SEE THEM WITH BETTER PEFORMANCE =)

I’ve used steroids for a few years now. My blood work is completed on a regular basis and always comes back fine. I’m 15% less body fat then I use to be. I’m more focused on eating well and maintaining a healthy life style. This includes the fact that I don’t chose to drink (at all) anymore and I only eat fast food once in a blue moon. Before I started working out and using steroids my blood pressure was semi-high and my HDL and LDL levels were not looking to good. Everything is fine now. Let me be clear, my change in health conditions is not because of drug use. It’s from the healthy way I chose to live my life now. Steroids give me more focuse and drive and have been, in my opinion the sole reason why I stick to a strict diet and workout program. There was a comment on here about someone working at a gym and they could tell if someone was on steroids or not, this is false. What most people don’t understand is that when someone becomes moody, it’s usually a result of coming off of the steroids. Men are not made to have low Test levels and high estrogen levels. When on steroids both come up together. When comeing off the Test levels drop and the Estrogen levels stay high. This is what causes guys to be moody. It’s like men having PMS. This is very short lived and everything is back to normal in a few weeks. As far as wrestlers who kill themselves and others. For every bad thing you hear about people on steroids there are thousands of others that are doing just fine. There hasn’t been any more or any less deaths by sucide or murder in steroid users than the rest of population. Most negitive points on steroids are just made up BS that no one can prove are caused by the steroids.

Steroids are only bad if they are not SportRoids

I think steroids are bad because it’s a powerful hormone. They affect the entire body. Steroids are bad because it can cause a range of physical and emotional problems. Steroids can provide physical consequences like liver tumors and cancer, high blood pressure and increases in cholesterol. Men may experience shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, breast development, and increased risk of prostate cancer. Women may experience growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes or cessation in menstrual cycle, and deepening of the voice. Taking steroids can also cause dramatic mood swings which are not good, especially if you would like to make friends. There may be some arguments against me because some may say it may help you. Like if you were a athlete you can improve you performance by making you stronger. You can also practice longer and lift heavier weights. There will also be arguments against me it you may be a patient and a doctor needs to prescribe you some anabolic steroids to treat certain specific medical conditions. For example, they may be used to treat the muscle wasting seen in AIDS. Steroids may also be used to treat delayed puberty or loss of testicular function.

I believe that steroids are ok. This may sound bad, but if an athlete is willing to pay the money and ruin his body later in life so that his performance is enhanced and the game is more entertaining to me, then I say so be it. A lot of people complain about baseball players taking steroids and how it is a horrible thing, but baseball is a terribly boring sport if not for the homeruns and the great, full-speed diving catches. What is it that allows for more homeruns and fantastic catches? Steroids. Some people say that they are bad because it is unfair to the athletes who do NOT take them, and are trying to display their NATURAL ability. Well, to that I say that they can get their hands on steroids just as easily as all the other players did. And if they did start to take them, they would improve and start to make more money for being a better player! So it would benefit them financially as well.

I think steroids are a good thing unless they are used in the wrong way. Steroids offer treatment for people with medical conditions. Steroids are bad when they are used to inhance your athletic ablities , they are an unfair andvantage with alot of different sideaffects. With the uses of steroids throughout all professional sports and even olympic teams, it promotes the uses of steroids in our younger genarations, because many of these athlets serve as idols and it kind of goes back to “well if he can do it then I can do”.

PEOPLE, THERE ARE NO STUDIES THAT PROVE THAT STEROID USE IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. NONE! Everyone believes the nonsense that the media puts in front of them. Using steroids is no different then taking a protein shake, energy drink, or anything else that would help the body heal faster or perform better. You cannot just take steroids, and suddenly become some freak of nature. The people taking steroids in different sports usually train harder than ANYONE. Dedication. Steroids help with protein synthesis and help the body to heal faster. Stop listening to everything that is put in front of you and do some damn research.
The media needs something or someone to blame things on. Unfortunately in alot of cases, steroids take the blame for many deaths. Whether it be “roid rage”, which is total bs, or certain health issuea. Yet the damn media never mentions the fact that they were on MANY prescription drugs, or even illegal drugs(heroin,cocaine,etc.). Steroid use can be beneficial to male health when taken properly. Anything that is abused can be bad for you.
I don’t necessarily believe steroids should be allowed in all sports, but in sports such as bodybuilding, every damn IFBB pro takes them! I think in those instances they should be allowed. I definitely do no think steroid use should be illegal, and hope one day the truth will actually be revealed to people, and that they will stop believing the crap the media hands them.

I think that steroids can be acceptable under one condition, a medical necessity. Some steroids exist to provide a medical purpose rather than those which provide an unnatural performance enhancement. It is common for asthmatics to take inhaled steroids as an anti-inflammatory medication to prevent asthma attacks, and in this circumstance it is one-hundred percent acceptable and alright. However, the use of anabolic steroids in sports and competitions is not. Not only does the use of these steroids do severe harm to your body in the long run, but it also gives you an unfair advantage in these competitive sports, making it harder for those who have to work extremely hard to get where they are to actually win. Their hard work and dedication will mean nothing if someone comes along who is unfairly bulked up on steroids and keeps them from winning, it gives those who break the law a higher advantage than those who obey it. There is a reason that anabolic steroids are illegal, and I feel that they have no place to be used in sports and competition.

I think that steroids are bad for the fact the when athletes use them, it’s a form of cheating, and also that the long term affects of steroids can be fatal. Take Berry Bonds for example, he cheated his way into the history books. He knew what he was doing and it was wrong. He should never be placed in a category with the same people who achieved so much without the use of performance enhancing drugs; that was their own pure talent and his was mainly due to the use of a drug.
Also, when an athlete takes steriods they are probably only thinking about the present and not their future. Steroids can harm you mentally and physically. I know, as a woman, I would never want my significant other taking steroids just because of the moods they can put a person in and you’d never know what to expect or what the drug could make them do to you or anyone elsoe.
All in all, steroids should stay illegalized for two reasons; the athletes health and because steroids are a form of cheating.

I believe steroids have a good use, but also a bad use. Steroids are used to help cure medical problems such as asthma. So steroids aren’t bad until they are used as drug abuse. Like when used as a performance enhancement in sports. I think it is just not fair when people take the easy way out with steroids. People work hard and put in the time and effort to become the best that they can, but they still can’t be stronger or faster than those who do take anabolic steroids. This is illegal anyway nobody should be using them to further their abilities. People should have to play the game the best they can without extra help. I mean the risk with steroids in the long run just isn’t worth it, because of all the possible effects. To keep sports or anything in the competitive nature fair we need to keep steroids out!

Steroids have three main uses, medical uses, aesthetics, and athletic uses.

In a medical setting steroids are a helpful tool used in helping people recover from certain cancers, osteoporosis, asthma, and to rebuild tissue that has been damaged. There is no controversy about steroids being used in the medical field responsibly to help patients recover.

Steroids are also used to boost performance in athletes. As an athlete myself, I see no problem with people taking steroids to enhance their performance, that is as long as they do not plan to compete against other athletes who do not take steroids. I believe every athlete should be tested for steroids frequently. It is proven that taking steroids enhances performance, and therefor can be construed as cheating in creating an unlevel playing field for the other athletes they are competing against. If someone wants to take steroids so they can run a 3:30 mile, that is perfectly fine with me. As long it is labeled as steroid aided and they do not compete against other athletes, such as in a college or professional setting.

There are people who use steroids for sheer vanity. Male models and other people wanting to build muscle quickly use steroids to bulk up. There are warnings of the dangers of steroids’ long term uses available. If its their body, and they are educated on the long term effects, positive or negative, they are free to do with their body as they wish.

I see steroids, in the medical field, as being a wonderful things for recovery. Steroids used in athletics give users an unfair advantage over those who do not, so in organized sports/ professional sports they are a bad thing. For use in aesthetics i have no problem with what people do to their own bodies, like smoking, its their choice to do it and they know the dangers.

I have to say that I believe all forms of steroids should be legal in all professional sports. If an athlete wants to take drugs to enhance his or her performance, even with the health risks iinvolved he or she should have that right. Athletes in many sports take great health risks just playing their sport. Football, hockey, boxing, and rugby are just a few of the sports where athletes put their bodies in serious danger every time they play.
Steroids make the game more enjoyable for the fans. Everyone wnts to see A-Rod jack the ball out of the park and Adrian Peterson plow over a linebacker twice his size to score a touchdown. The health risks they face down the road, if they do encounter any, are their own problems. Obviously the fans don’t care as much as they try to act like either. Since steroids have become more widespread in baseball, and more home run records have been broken, game attendence has risen substantially. Steroids, though many crusaders like to act their putting an end to it, are just a reality of sports. I think we should all just sit back and enjoy the game.

It takes away the genuineness of the game, an the effort it took to be as good an athlete as they are.

I am positive that steroids are bad. They wern’t made for sports they were made for people that tore their muscles and can’t excercise so doctors supply them with steroids that rapidly increase healing. But for sports i dont think so look at chris benoit and eddie guerro and so on and look at what happended to them it slowly kills their body and nervous system when using the steroids. As well as causeing major aggression and depression.

steroids are bad for your health, but also baad for your pride. it gives you an unfair advantage

Only when abused.