Steroid Use In Baseball

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.