Dear Future President:

As an athlete who puts all of my time and effort into the game I love, it is hard to see the other people that don’t put any work into the game. It is disappointing to see that there are people that take drugs to do better in the game instead of working hard to become better. The people that have to play against the other players on the drugs and their teammates are impacted the most. One of many reasons why I care so much about this is because I have some younger family members that watch sports like football, and sometimes they talk about how they want to be just like one of the players. They might not take into consideration that some of the players are doing drugs, but if they were to find out, I believe that they would want to try them to become “cool”. Specifically, my brother played college football and became very involved with pot while playing, which, in turn, destroyed his football career. The difference is that he did have a future, not only in football but he had many offers to go right into medical school. All of that was ruined because he let everything slip down the drain. So, addressing the things that will maybe help our future generations. Please help knock out the drug use in sports!

Research states that “Remember that athletes don't take these drugs to level the playing field, they do it to get an advantage “ ("Should Performance Enhancing Drugs"). This means that the athletes are not taking the steroids to make them get better like from being sick, they are taking them to become bigger and stronger, so that they might be the bigger and better athlete when playing other teams. This is looked at as cheating. To me, and others, it is seen as unfair to play someone that has the bigger advantage.

Text also states, “Opponents argue that PEDs are harmful and potentially fatal, and that athletes who use them are cheaters who gain an unfair advantage and violate the spirit of competition” ("Should Performance Enhancing Drugs"). This shows that the athletes are not just cheating, but they are also putting themselves in harm. The athletes that take these would be considered cheaters because they are taking them to make sure they have the advantage in the game and so they can become bigger and stronger than others.

However, the only type of steroid that should be allowed to be used is ones that doctors prescribe. People say that this issue doesn’t really matter because they are just looked at as jocks that don’t have any other future than playing a sport. Although the counterclaim is understandable, I still believe that it is a problem because they are putting themselves and the people they are playing against at risk. They could go through things such as a reaction to the drug or even roid rage and take out past issues on the person because they are not able to fully comprehend.

Ways that the issue can be solved are trying to create a drug test that doesn’t just test for things like pot, but also it tests for any type of steroid as well. If the test finds a player used a drug, he/she should be suspended for at least 2 games, especially, if they are found under any type of influence of drugs and steroids. Not only to help themselves, but to help the little people looking up to them and wanting to be just like them.

Without a doubt the concern with drug use in sports should come to a stop because it shows the younger generations how to be a good sport and ethical athlete. When dealing with the issue, I would only prescribe “drugs” that are used to get rid of an illness or an infection. Even though, I know how addicting things are that make you feel better would somewhat show that if you are hurt you can take things to make you feel better. My claim would be to "Tough It Out," if you don’t want to be little and want muscles, put the hard work in and don’t buy your muscles work for them . You will have to fight for the things you want in life and sometimes you will not like the things you have to put in to get what you want.

Drug use in the sports field should be illegal. “Not only, will this change the playing field but also it will make a change in the next generations.” According to "Should Performance Enhancing Drugs (Such as Steroids) Be Accepted in Sports?, “Remember that athletes don't take these drugs to level the playing field, they do it to get an advantage”. This means that we should want to put an end to the drug uses because it is flat out cheating. There are many children that watch sports and want to be just like the players. So my reasoning for change including drugs in the sports field is to not only make it fair but to also give the younger kids a better role model. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read my letter. I wish you luck in the election. Good luck and thank you again.

Sincerely,

Kate Schaible