Drug Use In Sports

Drug use has lead to the downfall of many professional and non-professional athletes. These athletes have fell off because of the drugs worsening their play or suspension or expulsion from their respective leagues or teams due to their drug use. Many people believe that drugs help with sports, but research has contradicted this. The careers of many pro athletes have backed up this research. The result of drug use in sports is negative and apparent and has even lead to the death of some athletes. Cocaine lowers an athlete’s play in many ways. Stimulants like Cocaine speed up your heart rate. This mixed with the increased heart rate from physical activity can cause severe chest pain and eventually a heart attack. Next, cocaine can …show more content…
Like marijuana, it slows down heart rate making it hard to breath and affects concentration and senses. A different effect is that some types of alcohol with wheat add on weight. Alcohol has affected athletes across all sports. Shawn Kemp who had a very good NBA career was an alcoholic. In his prime Kemp was one of the best power forwards in the league and was a monster dunker. When he was with the Cavaliers Kemp’s career began to go downhill, his weight reached 300 lbs, but still was productive putting up 17.5 ppg. When he left the Cavs and went to the Trailblazers alcohol along did more than just affect his body. His numbers when from 17.5 ppg to 6.5 ppg. Kemp had the potential to be an all time great, but alcohol threw this potential right out the window. Vin Baker is a player who is not as well remembered as Kemp, but definitely could have been if he also did not have an alcohol addiction. In the beginning of his career, Baker was a four time consecutive all star with the Bucks and Super Sonics, a surprising and remarkable feat. After the lockout in 1998, he became addicted to alcohol. His addiction quickly affected him and like Kemp reached 300 lbs. His career derailed quickly, and he played his last game in 2006. Alcohol did more than just end Pelle Lindbergh’s playing career, it ended his life. Lindbergh was a goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers and became the first European player to win the Vezina trophy. Pelle struggled with alcohol his whole life and on Nov. 10, 1985 his addiction came to a head. He was driving way over the BAC limit and lost control of his car. He crashed into a school wall and was pretty much dead on impact. He was on life support for the next few days, but was taken