Michael Osland
Anabolic steroids in sports are a topic that has garnered plenty of momentum over the years; with debates raging on both sides, opinions are definitive and nothing short of polarized says, Michael Osland. Yet one thing is for sure, whether you’re pro-steroids or anti-steroids in sports it’s undeniable they have had their fair share of notoriety when it comes to performance enhancement within the sport.
Here are some of The Pros/Cons Of Using Steroids In Sports:
- Whether this negative connotation can be attributed to poor media representation or just general ignorance is up for debate – what isn’t is the fact that if anabolic steroids were not used intensively by athletes then athletics as we know it would never have progressed at the rate it did during the latter part of the 20th Century. So where do we draw our lines in the sand when it comes to performance enhancement in sports?
- There are some who would argue that it is wrong for athletes to take anabolic steroids, and although this argument holds merit there are some factors worth considering before you ultimately reach your conclusion. So let’s get down to brass tacks explains Michael Osland. The first thing we must consider is whether or not prohibition of anabolic steroid use has worked within sport, and it certainly hasn’t. Clearly, this ban on anabolic steroids in sports has had zero effect on their use throughout all levels of athletics; if anything they have become more prevalent which begs the question: “Is prohibition working?” If you were answering yes then why do athletes continue using them?
- The next line of reasoning will be centered on the fact that the use of anabolic steroids in sports has negative health effects, and although this is true – do they outweigh their positive effects when it comes to performance enhancement? For example, is a slight increase in blood pressure worth being able to run 100 meters 30 milliseconds faster? Is a little bit more water retention within your muscles worth being stronger in the gym by 20lbs, or 10% strength increase on bench press worth an extra rep or two after years of training?
- Most people will answer no because most people are not athletes. And if you’re not an athlete then why should these things matter to you? Sure, most humans would prefer feeling healthier and having less disease associated with them but if competing at the highest level means anything then health takes a backseat. If you were to ask most atheletes they would say that all of these things are worth dying for, the sad truth is it has happened before – over and over again. The fact is if athletes want to use anabolic steroids in sports then they will, no matter what their legal status may be explains Michael Osland.
- What’s alarming about all of this is that many people believe that because anabolic steroids are used by athletes then automatically makes them bad – now unless you’re taking testosterone injections yourself every week for muscle gains I think it’s fair to say at face value there isn’t much difference between someone who takes anabolic steroids and someone who doesn’t. Both groups will get fat (if they overeat), both groups will lose muscle (if they don’t train), both groups will get acne (if they are sensitive) and both groups will get gyno (if they have the genetic predisposition to do so). These side-effects can be avoided if anabolic steroids are not abused, but abusing them is fairly easy to do in any case.
- Common sense should prevail here in that these side effects are avoidable in all cases – it’s just a matter of common sense dictating your usage pattern where you intend on using anabolic steroids responsibly. If you’re going to use then at least do that, don’t take more than what your body needs for its intended purpose. Unfortunately, many people fall into the trap of thinking “more is better” when it comes to anabolic steroids; which isn’t true because you can never get any more than what your body can handle.
- The most important thing to consider when it comes to the use of anabolic steroids within sports is this: who decides what’s fair and what’s not? In other words, which group should hold the power to decide whether or not athletes are allowed to use anabolic steroids? If those athletes decide that they want them then why should we take away their right as people to make personal decisions about their own health? The day someone labels you a criminal for taking testosterone injections should be a sad day in history, but if history tells us anything about its future then decisions like these will be made – where innocents will suffer at the hands of bad and misguided law says Michael Osland.
Conclusion:
The use of anabolic steroids in sports will always exist; the only way to stop it is to take them away from athletes completely says Michael Osland. If they want to use them then who are we to say otherwise? That line of reasoning makes sense on some levels but on virtually all others you’ll find yourself fighting a losing battle that you really don’t want to get involved in the first place. The fact of reality is that if athletes can win without using anabolic steroids (which is rare but has happened) – then why deny them this advantage? Why let everyone else compete under false pretenses when knowing full-well the athletes are injecting testosterone/anabolic steroids into their bodies for better performance?
