FCAs Matthew Accatatta
1. Thesis Statement December 22, 2010
2. Three reasons to support thesis English 6-1
3. Conclusion Persuasive Article-First Draft
Steroid Use In Baseball
According to the article “Who Knew?” in ESPN Magazine published in
November 2005, steroids finally made it to baseballs banned substance list in 1991,
but testing for major league players did not begin until the 2003 season. Many
professional athletes use steroids or performance enhancing drugs to help them run
faster, be stronger, get bigger, and build more muscle. I think athletes want to be
better at their sport. However, athletes should not use steroids because they are
hurting their bodies, are setting impossible records in the sport, and are bad role
models to fans who root for them.
One reason steroid use is bad for athletes is because using them can hurt an
athlete’s body. The changes to the body with steroids cause mood swings,
depression, and rage. The feelings of rage are called “roid rage.” Some athletes
who use steroids have become very angry and may hurt other people or even kill
themselves. If an athlete uses steroids, he may develop acne, problems with the
liver, or cancer. Some athletes get very bad injuries when they use steroids. A
baseball player will have more damage to his knee because the muscles in the
knees get too big and when the muscle tears, it rips off the bone. Sometimes
athletes may have career ending injuries.
Another reason athletes should not use steroids is because records are being set
that aren’t reachable for athletes who don’t use steroids. Roger Maris held the
single season homerun record for many years. Years later, Mark McGwire broke
the record and then he later admitted to using steroids. Sports fans are questioning
whether McGwire would have broken the record without using steroids. If you
compare McGwire’s homerun counts from other seasons, it is obvious steroids
helped him the season he broke Maris’ record.
The final reason athletes should not use steroids is because it could influence
fans of sports to use steroids, especially high school and younger players. Fans
want to be like their football and baseball idols. Players like Alex Rodriguez,
Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa are admired by baseball fans but they have used
drugs. If players in high school and town leagues admire these players, they might
get the idea to use steroids to improve their game. That’s why players like Derek
Jeter are so important. Derek Jeter is the team captain of the Yankees and he has
not been accused of using steroids.
My dad has a book written by Jose Canseco called Juiced. In the book, Jose
says he was using steroids for his entire career. That is sad because he was a good
ball player and was exciting to watch. Now, whenever his name is said in our
house, it’s never about his playing days but always about how he used steroids. If
more players admit to using steroids while playing baseball, the most loved game
in America will just be a joke.
