Performance-enhancing drugs used in various sporting events to give competitors an advantage over their opponents have been implicated in widespread use dating back even to the early Games Olympics. Ancient Greek athletes used many types of herbal medicines, wine potions, and even hallucinogens in an attempt to achieve peak physical performance in order to hopefully win and get their name out there. These days, with such huge amounts of money and major sponsors on the line, it can certainly be difficult for some athletes to feel like they can keep up with everyone else on the playing field without using muscle-enhancing supplements. performance. So they decide to use them and most of them end up getting caught, it can instantly ruin an athlete's entire career and reputation, just because of one bad choice they felt obligated to make due to the intense competition and nature of the sport. For many people, the use of any medication that could impair or enhance an athlete's performance should absolutely not be allowed on a professional playing field. For other people, it might make events more interesting if they know everyone is at peak physical performance all the time. This essay will look at the idea of ​​allowing performance-enhancing supplements in professional sporting events and what that could look like for the future of sports. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay During the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea, there was a very big scandal involving the very popular sprinter Canadian Ben Johnson and his use of anabolic steroids. compete and win a gold medal. He had been training for a very long time to beat his rival, Carl Lewis, and when the Olympics came, he was able to set the new world record in the 100m. Three days later he was discovered to be using steroids and his medal and record were stripped, with Carl Lewis receiving 1st place. However, long after the Olympics, it was found that Carl Lewis and almost every other athlete in that race had used performance-enhancing drugs at some point during their training for the Olympics and also for several others. events. This shows that most athletes were already aware that their competitors were all using performance enhancements and felt obligated to use them just to keep up with them, otherwise it would have been unfair competition. This also raises many ethical questions regarding the use of these supplements in major competitions, including the Olympics, NHL, NFL and NBA. One of the most commonly used performance-enhancing supplements in professional sports is anabolic steroids. These drugs come from testosterone which is naturally produced in large quantities in males and in much lower quantities in females. These medications can help athletes build much larger muscles and have much higher overall strength to give them a slight edge over their competitors so they can win. The side effects of these medications, however, can be very harmful to athletes and cause a considerable increase in blood pressure, kidney failure, heart disease.and increased aggression, also known as “roid rage.” Athletes know all the serious risks they face and accept the risks associated with drug use to win. This is partly due to the overwhelming pressure society places on these athletes to succeed. Although in some cases they are dangerous, it would be very interesting if these performance enhancing supplements (especially anabolic steroids) were not banned in sports competitions and looked down upon. If this were the case, many athletes would take advantage and start using them. This would make the sport much more interesting to watch because the athletes would all be in near optimal physical condition and perform at their best at almost all times. This wouldn't be unfair to anyone because they are the ones who have the option to use or not use supplements, nor would it be that different than an NBA player choosing to wear shooting sleeves or not for the To help improve your game, this equipment is not banned in the league and can help, but not everyone has to use it. A very recent and notable example of a case involving large amounts of testosterone is what happened to South African Olympic athlete Caster Semenya. She is a runner and won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 800m race. What is unusual is that although she is a woman, she has much greater amounts of testosterone in her body than everyone else, allowing her to run faster and win against almost anyone against who she is competing against. She was in the midst of a very controversial debut in 2009 where, after winning a world championship, she was forced by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to take a test to ensure that she she was indeed a woman. She was able to return to running after a short ban and went on to win several competitions before the IAAF intervened again and this time she was forced to take supplements to reduce testosterone. This naturally caused huge controversy, because she obviously wasn't deliberately increasing her testosterone levels, she just naturally had higher levels of it in her body. Many people think she should still be allowed to run without taking supplements because that's exactly who she is, she didn't do anything to cause this. This can also be used to bring up the ethical debate over allowing performance-enhancing supplements in athletic competitions. If everyone racing against her is complaining about her higher testosterone levels, why shouldn't they be allowed to use supplements like anabolic steroids so they can compete fairly against each other. Keep in mind: This is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert editors now. Get a personalized essay Performance-enhancing supplements have been around so long that they are almost a part of some sports, that People like it or not, the majority of athletes who use them end up doing so. get caught, but those who don't have an unfair advantage. Performance enhancing supplements should be allowed in sports competitions to put every athlete on the same level playing field to make things fair for everyone. Works Cited Smith, J.D. (2019). Performance-enhancing drugs in sport: a historical perspective. Journal of Sports Ethics, 27(2), 123-140. Johnson, A. B. (2020). The ethical dilemma of performance-enhancing drugs (2020).