We have a problem in our professional sports-- performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). This is not a new problem. People are trying to solve this problem, while others are making this problem bigger. Some people say that PEDs aren’t a problem, and they make professional sports more exciting, that it’s your body, and you can do anything you want to it. Others say that PEDs are dangerous and if everybody takes them, then other people will want to take more drugs or stronger drugs to be better that everyone else. As we looked closer, we see an issue that is more complex. Professional sports should not allow performance enhancing drugs because it is dangerous, it is cheating, and it isn’t a good message to kids who play sports.

There are many dangers to using PEDs in professional sports. Reid Forgrave is a writer for FOX sports and he has written many articles, including “No Easy Answers for PEDs, Youth.” This article is about a father whose son died because of PEDs. This article states “And he remembers those final weeks of Taylor’s life, where his body went from an overload of testosterone to none at all, and when he fell into a deep depression that ended in his death.” This article shows sad story that probably ruined a family and all he did was try to be better. To be better be better by being yourself and using your own talent. How would you feel if you were Taylor’s friend and all he wanted was to be better than everyone else, by taking drugs, and that ruined your life?

PEDs are cheating because people don’t take them to even the playing field, they take them to be better than everyone else. In an article called “Why It’s Time to Legalize Steroids.” States that “The primary reason why performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) are outlawed in professional sports is that they give users an unfair advantage over the rest of the field.” This article shows that using steroids or other PEDs is cheating and unfair to the other players who don’t want to take PEDs and want to use their own talent. Chris Smith is the writer of this article and he is a writer for Forbes.com. The article goes on to say “It’s absurd to think those players are the only ones guilty of juicing.” This means that more people are using PEDs then are caught, and people need to find a way to stop the cheating. We wonder why people don’t take PEDs and think about this: what if all you wanted as a kid was to be famous, strong and healthy? If you take PEDs you will be famous for being a cheater, and not strong in your mind, and your body will be wrecked if you do take PEDs.

People do PEDs in professional sports for many reasons, one of the main reason is that their role model did them and they want to be just like them. According to Procon.org in the article “Did You Know? Drug Use In Sports.” States that “20% of high school students said that their decision to use anabolic steroids was influenced by professional athletes and nearly 50% said that professional athletes influenced their friends' decisions to use anabolic steroids.” (a steroid that resembles testosterone to grow bigger muscles). That means that one out of five students that use PEDs used them because of professional athletes and five out of ten students said that their friends used PEDs because of professional athletes. Procon.org is a non profit organization and a public charity. The article also said “Of 52 German athletes given anabolic steroids during the 1970's and 1980's who were examined in a 2007 study, one quarter got some form of cancer, one third reported thoughts or attempts of suicide, and the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth was 32 times higher than in the normal German population.” This proves that if you used PEDs at an early age, than later in life you will regret and they could make you die earlier.

PEDs are dangerous they have many long term effects. People don’t use PEDs to level the playing field they use them to get an unfair advantage against their opponents. If one amazing player in professional sports uses PEDs, then that could make hundreds of other kids who looked up to that player use PEDs. What if your best friend used PEDs, then he fell into depression and eventually killed himself? How would that make you feel? Someone elses mistakes will have affected your life forever. If you see someone using PEDs tell them to stop and tell them to use their natural talent, and if they make it to their goal, then it will not be because of getting an unfair advantage. Lets all go out there to ban PEDs in professional sports forever.