Should Performance Enhancing Drugs Be Banned

Performance Enhancing Substances: Do They Really Help You Perform Better? Have you ever wondered why a pitcher in baseball throws over one hundred mph every pitch. It is possible but is very unlikely. This is usually caused by Performance enhancing substances or drugs (PED’s). PED’s are commonly used by MLB players. These drugs boost your testosterone level which help you perform better. The use of these drugs also have a downside to them. Although banning these drugs would take away the freedoms of the athletes, performance enhancing substances should not be permitted in major league sports because they cause injuries, health problems, and give unfair advantages to the people who use these drugs. One reason that performance enhancing substances should be banned is that they cause health problems. Athletes …show more content…
Some athletes are starting to use painkillers and vitamins because they are easy to purchase. “The changes in the law have also altered how the United States is regarded in the world sports community and have changed American attitudes, medical experts say, about products that might once have seemed risky, but which can now be purchased over the counter like vitamins or painkillers”(Johnson). Athletes should not be able to get over the counter meds to help them perform better. Some drugs are used very commonly like androstenedione. Androstenedione is a strong PED that boost levels of hormone testosterone. “The substance androstenedione, a compound that can temporarily boost levels of the hormone testosterone, became famous when baseball player and home run slugger Mark McGwire admitted using it during the 1998 baseball season”(Johnson). The protection of athletes is important to the organization. “Mumford equates the choice to use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to opt out of sports; it is not always a question of unfair advantages or protecting