Shouldnt all athletes be able to compete on an even playing field? Most high school, college, and professional athletes participate in sports for the chance to put their abilities against those of their peers and to experience the gratification of competition that comes from playing to high standards. A nationwide study of 12th-grade male students found that 6.6% had used anabolic steroids at some point in their lives (Walker). Anabolic steroids are usually synthetic hormones that are derivatives of testosterone, used medically especially to promote tissue growth, and are sometimes thought to be abused by athletes to increase muscle size, their strength, and improve endurance. The primary position why performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are outlawed in most levels of sports is they give users an unfair advantage over non-users. Various professional sports leagues have tried regulating performance-enhancing drugs by testing for its use and penalizing those who are found guilty. Its a noble idea but it is clearly not working. Major League Baseball hands out suspensions daily to players
found guilty of using outlawed substances and it is insane to believe or think the players who get caught juicing are the only ones guilty. Steroids, doping, and other illicit performance-enhancing drugs and treatments have become the biggest scourge of professional sports leagues, and thats why it may be time they were made legal (Smith). The usage of performance-enhancing drugs in sports needs to be legal. Legalizing performance-enhancers would not only make the playing field even for all players, it would be at a higher level. Part of the fun in watching sports is viewing the peak of human athletic ability and legalizing performance-enhancing drugs would aid players in climbing even higher. My first reason for promoting PEDs to be legal is if they are regulated, they will be safer. Another reason for my demanding anabolic steroids legality is it promotes equality in sports. My last reason why legalizing performance-enhancing drugs is a must is because they make the game much more interesting and entertaining. Lets be honest here, who doesnt love watching multiple home runs a game?