The Use of Steroids in the Sports Industry

Melanie Formentin’s response in regard to sports journalist Tom Verducci’s visit to Penn State University discusses the main issues that were discussed during his visit. I found all the topics interesting yet the part that struck my thinking the most was the section on steroid use. For many Americans, sports, whether they play them or not, are a part of their lives. So many people get a sense of enjoyment from watching them and especially from seeing their favorite teams win. Not only do people develop a pool of favorite teams, but some have certain players on these teams that are their favorites and that become icons to them. Many athletes are looked up to by people of all ages. When issues arise, such as steroid use, many questions come up. What kind of message are these users sending to the youth who look up to them and hope to be similar to them someday? Should athletes under the influence of steroids still be allowed to play? Should these people be let into the hall of fame? And also, If these players are not allowed to play anymore then does it make sense to still let them into the hall of fame? These are questions that even I, someone who does not typically pay attention to these issues, had trouble forming an opinion on. It made me think: How much does the use of steroids actually alter a person’s ability to play better in any given sport? Aside from the questions regarding what the players’ consequences should be for these actions, I wonder how a majority of their fans react when these people are convicted of using sport enhancement drugs. Are a majority of these fans sticking by their icons and their performance regardless of substances that may have helped it, or when they are caught using these drugs are a majority of their fans turning on them. Although all these questions would probably be answered differently by a variety of people, and even I do not have a clear opinion on them, one thing to me is certain; Sport enhancement drugs, such as steroids, are an issue today that cause major controversy in the sports industry.