On the news of the possibility that Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants may be indicted, I thought I’d republish a piece I wrote several years ago titled “Athletes & Steroids: A Modern Epidemic.” Nothing has changed except for a more heightened awareness of the problem in Major League Baseball — and the possible indictment of one of sports more notorious alleged users of these poisons. I have never liked Barry Bonds, his attitude, his obvious use of these dangeous drugs over the last few years, and especially, his sullying of one of sports great achievements.
Now, he may reap the whirlwind.
Athletes & Steroids: A Modern Epidemic (Copyright 2004 George L. Moneo)
The pressure for athletes to perform above and beyond the norm is greater today than ever before. In the intensely competitive professional sports world, winning or losing may determine the outcome of an athletes’ career and their bankability for immensely lucrative outside endorsement deals. Athletes need — and greatly desire — to enhance their performance any way they can.
Many young athletes dream of being pro athletes and this creates pressure to be faster and stronger in order to obtain that precious scholarship for college play. When they see that performance enhancing drugs and supplements achieve the desired effect on their physiques, they feel obliged to take them.
So why do athletes take these dangerous drugs? They are taking enormous risks with, not just their careers, but their lives. The vast majority of steroid drugs are illegal without a prescription and can be deadly. Over the short-term, these drugs permit the athlete to train harder, get bigger and stronger, improve their ability to run faster, hit further, lift heavier weights, and jump higher, or simply to possess more muscular endurance when competing, while making him or her more aggressive. Once these results are experienced the fear of being caught diminishes. Over the long-term, however, the side-effects of these drugs can be extremely harmful.
This overconfidence exists even though drug testing for athletes is more prevalent today than ever before. Athletes who fail the myriad drug tests for steroid use given by professional teams, the International Olympic Committee, and colleges can face a variety of athletic or legal consequences as a result. The main issue is that society has still not properly addressed what to do with “sport heroes” who are caught using the performance enhancing drugs and dietary supplements. Sadly, the media often turns a blind eye to this rampant drug abuse since it is not perceived as serious as other forms of substance abuse.
Famous athletes and steroids
The most famous case of an athlete dying of steroid use is Lyle Alzado. Alzado played for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and the Los Angeles Raiders during his great career. He was ranked as one of professional football’s most versatile defensive linemen. Alzado died at the age of 43 from brain cancer, reportedly contracted from the excessive use of anabolic steroids. Alzado started using anabolic steroids at the start of his career in and continued using them throughout. He acknowledged that the steroids made him play better and made him violent on the field but had regrets toward the end of his life:
In his account to Sports Illustrated, Alzado said he began taking anabolic steroids in college in 1969 and never stopped. “It wasn’t worth it,” Alzado wrote. “If you’re on steroids or human growth hormone, stop. I should have.” (Puma).
Another example is Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco, now retired. He stated that he had used steroids throughout his 17 year career. He claimed to have also obtained these drugs for other players:
Canseco said he used two varieties of steroids — including pills and needle injections. He also told publishers he used steroids with, and helped obtain them for, other players, Ronald Laitsch, Canseco’s literary agent, confirmed to Wall Street Journal reporter Sam Walker, a regular contributor to ESPNEWS. Canseco also added that some of the major leaguers he helped procure the drugs for were still playing (ESPN).
The most publicized example of steroid use appeared in the national consciousness in 1998 when it became known that Mark McGwire had been using the muscle enhancing dietary supplement androstenedione (Brown 42). McGwire broke the 37 year old record of 61 home runs in one season set by Roger Maris. When his use of androstenedione became known, a firestorm of controversy broke out: An athlete of the caliber of McGwire was indirectly endorsing a legal, though dangerous, steroid. To his credit, McGwire stooped using the drug “as soon as he heard that young people were emulating his behavior” (Brown 56).
The use of anabolic steroids has become so prevalent in our sad, modern society that the athletes are contributing to this deadly cycle just by the influence they wield by their use of these drugs.
What are anabolic steroids?
The most common type of steroid is the anabolic steroid. Anabolic steroids are a group of synthetic hormones that increase metabolism, produce muscle, and prevent muscle breakdown. The physical effects of steroids include a temporary increase in strength and muscle size. Steroids are also used to treat patients who have cancer, pneumonia, and medical reactions. There are three types of steroids: anabolic, androgenic and corticosteroids. Corticosteroids, such as cortisone, are used to control and relieve inflammation; these medications do not build muscle and do not get as much media attention. Anabolic and androgenic steroids are the type of steroid used by athletes to “bulk up” and improve athletic performance.
For example, if androstenedione is consumed in very large daily doses, it can build muscle, but it can also significantly increase levels of testosterone and muscle proteins. These are extremely harmful to the cardiovascular system since an increased amount of blood would be pumped in the body at a faster rate.
The human body produces many forms of natural steroids. Anabolic steroids resemble the chemical structure of the body’s natural sex hormone, testosterone. Males, and in much smaller amounts, females, naturally produce testosterone in their bodies. Anabolic steroids stimulate the muscle tissue in the body to grow larger and stronger, emulating and exaggerating the effects of testosterone on the body. The effects of too much testosterone in the human body are very harmful over time.
The anabolic properties of steroids include the rapid healing of body tissues, causing athletes to become more aggressive and competitive, increased muscle growth, and an increase in lean body weight. Anabolic properties enable athletes to train harder with less fatigue; so increased quality training time gives rise to greater power. These are the principal reasons athletes take anabolic steroids: they act to enhance athletic performance (Kutscher 289-290).
Physiological effects
The physical side-effects of steroid use for both males and females are varied. Steroid use has been associated with various types of cancer, enlargement of the heart muscle, cardio-vascular disease (including heart attacks and strokes), irreversible liver damage (including abnormal bleeding and liver cancer), damage to bones (including osteoporosis), increase in cholesterol and lipid levels, muscle aches, heightened hair loss, and stunted growth in teenagers causing the growth plates in the bones to mature too fast and fuse (Kutscher 290-293).
Male athletes are at risk for feminization, testicular atrophy, gynecomastia, and impotence (Kutscher 291). In addition, since steroids can increase aggressiveness, they can sometimes act as a sexual stimulant; there may be greater risk of sexual assaults by males.
Female athletes also take enormous health risks. The side-effects may include problems with their menstrual cycles, long-term problems with fertility, acne, hair loss, including the withdrawal of the frontal hairline and male pattern baldness, the lowering of the pitch of their voice, increased facial hair growth, breast atrophy, and enlargement of the clitoris (Kutscher 291). If the athletes are pregnant and using steroids the fetus may die, or the baby could be born with severe mental and physical disabilities.
And, as if all of the preceding risks weren’t enough, the sharing of needles, or the use of dirty needles, to inject steroids puts athletes at risk for HIV and hepatitis.
Psychological effects
Psychotic behavior, including schizophrenia, has been found in athletes taking steroids. These drugs can also make the athlete exceptionally angry and hostile for no apparent reason. This phenomena, known colloquially as “roid rage,” is being increasingly reported in the sports press and general media:
Several case reports have described the association between anabolic androgenic steroids use and violent crimes, such as murders, child abuse, spouse battery, rapes and other forms of violence. One study described a case which related anabolic androgenic steroids use to the development of psychiatric illness (hallucinations and delusion) and violent crime. Psychotic symptoms improved in this case after cessation of anabolic androgenic steroids use (Pärssinen 90).
The increased level of testosterone in the steroid user is associated with violent and aggressive behavior. Steroid users have also experienced mania, hypomania, and major depression (Pärssinen 89, Kutscher 294). In another study,
[o]ne patient using anabolic androgenic steroids met the . . . criteria for psychoactive substance dependence. The patient complained of depression and outbursts of anger, and he felt controlled by the steroids. He had fleeting suicidal thoughts. With withdrawal symptoms he felt depressed, low in energy, fatigued and weak, and experienced headaches and missed the high he felt from the steroids. When receiving the steroids, he was disturbed by his temper outbursts over which he lacked control (Pärssinen 91).
Conclusion
The use of steroids at every level of sport — high school, college, professional, and Olympic — has become an epidemic. Athletes are affecting themselves, their coaches, their teams, their families — and society in general. In addition, since the professional athlete is looked upon as a “role model,” young and teenage athletes may be prompted to emulate their “mentors” and use these drugs. The deadly cycle goes on and on. Professional athletes cannot consider themselves “professionals” and “role models” if they are taking illegal substances to enhance their athletic performance.
What are possible solutions to this epidemic? The absolute banning of all anabolic steroids and athletic stimulant and performance enhancers, more extensive and random drug testing, and zero tolerance of athletes when they have been found in violation of drug rules and laws, are a good start. The testing should be done often and randomly; it is the only way to detect these chemicals. Testing should be performed at least on a semi-monthly basis. If the athlete is found to have illegal substances in their tests, then immediate suspension without pay, and medical and psychological intervention, should be started. If appropriate, legal and/or criminal steps should be taken. These actions by owners or colleges or the national Olympic Committees can communicate to the athlete — and the fans that pay their salaries — that illegal and performance-enhancing drug use will not be tolerated. These tests must be performed at every level of athletic competition — from the high school to the most seasoned professional to the Olympians. As an example of a viable method to require frequent and random testing, recent advances are making the testing of an athlete’s hair a viable way to detect anabolic steroid use:
It is generally accepted that chemical testing of biological fluids is the most objective means of diagnosis of drug use [. . .] In recent years, remarkable advances in sensitive analytical techniques have enabled the analysis of drugs in unconventional biological specimens such as hair. The advantages of this sample over traditional media like urine and blood are obvious: collection is almost noninvasive, relatively easy to perform, and in forensic situations it may be achieved under close supervision of law enforcement officers to prevent adulteration or substitution. Moreover, the window of drug detection is dramatically extended to weeks, months or even years [. . .] (Kintz).
The banning of all stimulants, steroids, and performance enhancers, will be difficult to effect considering the influence of the sports, pharmaceutical, and health food lobbies in the United States. However, the will has to exist to make it happen. Rehabilitation centers should be used to assist the athlete in kicking the steroid drug habit. This should send the message to every athlete that they are hurting themselves, hurting their sport, hurting society, and putting their life in danger.
The sports industries make billions of dollars every year. These solutions would represent a fraction of their revenues and would substantially increase the goodwill with the fans that pay for the events, as well as ensuring that the athletes are not killing themselves slowly just for the sake of a game.
References
Brown, William J., Basil, Michael D., and Bocarnea, Mihai C. “The Influence of Famous Athletes on Health Beliefs and Practices: Mark McGwire, Child Abuse Prevention, and Androstenedione.” Journal of Health Communication, Volume 8, Number 1 (January-February 2003), pp. 41-57. EBSCOHost Electronic Journals Service.
ESPN. “Literary agent: Canseco said he used steroids.” ESPN.com.
Kintz, Pascal. “Testing for anabolic steroids in hair: a review.” (Abstract). Legal Medicine, Volume 5, Supplement 1, March 2003, Pages S29-S33. Selected papers from the 5th International Symposium on Advances in Legal Medicine (ISALM) 2002.
Kutscher, E. C., Lund, B.C., and Perry, P. J. “Anabolic Steroids: A Review for the Clinician.” Sports Medicine, Volume 32, Number 5 (2002), pp. 285-296. EBSCOHost Electronic Journals Service.