PED In Sports
A performance enhancing drug (PED) is any substance taken to improve a person’s physical performance. PEDs are most often taken or abused by athletes who are trying to improve their abilities. Athletes take Steroids or Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which are types of PEDs that are used to build up muscle strength. They might also take different forms of painkillers to try and increase their threshold for pain. Another type of PED that an athlete might take is a blood booster such as Erythropoietin or EPO. This particular type of PED increases the blood's ability to store or carry oxygen and is most commonly used by endurance athletes such as bikers or long-distance runners. PEDs are not allowed in sports and can be extremely dangerous for
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There are many forms that steroids come in. Those forms include tablets, liquids, gels, and creams. A person can ingest the drugs orally, inject them into muscle, or rub them on their skin. When taking steroids, athletes will sometimes mix various ones together, possibly injecting one kind while taking another kind orally. This is referred to as stacking. Pyramiding is another way that athletes increase their steroid intake. They will take steroids in patterns where they increase and decrease the dosages during a specific time period to achieve peak performance part of the way through the sequence. All of the mixings of the drugs and the high dosages further increase their risk of negative side …show more content…
With so much possible health issues, athletes should know to avoid using PEDs. But, many athletes still use them to gain an advantage in their sport or to try and recover faster from an injury.
PEDs are used in many different ways in sports. In baseball PEDs are used for hitting home runs (getting stronger). In football they’re used for getting bigger and stronger; players that use PEDs in football could hit harder or kick longer field goals, because of the extra leg strength from the PED. Basketball players may not use PEDs as much as other sports to gain muscle mass or strength, but instead to help their injuries heal faster.
Major League Baseball has taken steps to drive down PED use, with mixed success. The first formal policy, adopted in 2005, set out specific game suspension penalties for players that test positive for PEDs. With each failed test, a player was suspended for a larger quantity of games. The number of games they were suspended ranged from 10 all the way up to a full year’s suspension. In extreme cases, the baseball commissioner would determine the penalty. Due to the increase in the number of positive tests, Major League Baseball has regularly updated the policy, implementing stiffer and stiffer penalties. Players can now be banned from the sport of baseball for life if they fail too many drug tests.
There are many forms that steroids come in. Those forms include tablets, liquids, gels, and creams. A person can ingest the drugs orally, inject them into muscle, or rub them on their skin. When taking steroids, athletes will sometimes mix various ones together, possibly injecting one kind while taking another kind orally. This is referred to as stacking. Pyramiding is another way that athletes increase their steroid intake. They will take steroids in patterns where they increase and decrease the dosages during a specific time period to achieve peak performance part of the way through the sequence. All of the mixings of the drugs and the high dosages further increase their risk of negative side …show more content…
With so much possible health issues, athletes should know to avoid using PEDs. But, many athletes still use them to gain an advantage in their sport or to try and recover faster from an injury.
PEDs are used in many different ways in sports. In baseball PEDs are used for hitting home runs (getting stronger). In football they’re used for getting bigger and stronger; players that use PEDs in football could hit harder or kick longer field goals, because of the extra leg strength from the PED. Basketball players may not use PEDs as much as other sports to gain muscle mass or strength, but instead to help their injuries heal faster.
Major League Baseball has taken steps to drive down PED use, with mixed success. The first formal policy, adopted in 2005, set out specific game suspension penalties for players that test positive for PEDs. With each failed test, a player was suspended for a larger quantity of games. The number of games they were suspended ranged from 10 all the way up to a full year’s suspension. In extreme cases, the baseball commissioner would determine the penalty. Due to the increase in the number of positive tests, Major League Baseball has regularly updated the policy, implementing stiffer and stiffer penalties. Players can now be banned from the sport of baseball for life if they fail too many drug tests.