Dear Mr. President

The use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) in professional sport is something that happens frequently and goes without punishment. Honestly it should be frowned upon and punished because it could have negative long term effects on athletes, negative effect on those who look up to them and is just unfair to other athletes. Research has been done to show that the long term, PEDs can cause impotence, worsening acne, balding and “steroid rage.” PEDs can also stunt growth in adolescents. More serious effects include heart and liver damage, and an increased risk of blood clots.

Athletes on PED are likely to perform better than those without, even if it is just for a burst of time. However proponents argue that steroids are no different from training regimen, no different from scientifically based special diet, training programs, or other forms of intervention even if it ensure an athlete has an edge over his competition. 

There are lots of high school athletes that look up too pro athletes. They are the role models. They emulate their training regimens, style of play and choose number by these special athletes. But when a professional athlete admits to using steroids, the message young athletes is not what it should be. 20% of high school students said that their decision to use anabolic steroids was influenced by professional athletes. (Did you know?). This makes young athletes believe that steroid use by their role models gives them permission to use, thinking that it is simply part of what one must do to become an elite athlete.

It's true performance enhancing drugs can have some upsides, for instance making the starting line up, because of improvement in strength, speed, and agility by the use of these drugs or signing a contract, these drugs might make an average athlete a super athlete but in the end you must consider the upsides and downsides but also the chances of getting caught.

This subject pertains to me because because as an athlete, I look up to many of the great athletes, and I think that all sports should be played with “the spirit of sport”, which is the celebration of the human spirit, body and mind, and is characterized by the values like fair play, honest, courage and more. But when athletes use P.E.D it just diminishes the whole purpose of the game because of individual with unfair advantages, sweeping up the completions. There's just no point, considering the risk and rewards.

Jim sensenbrenner once said “ several professional athletes have wrongly taught many young Americans by example that the only way to succeed in sports is to take steroids”. This idea is wrong and should be frowned upon, Mr.President do u want to live in a world, where your children look up to those who think cheating is the only way to succeed.

Sincerely, 

Armel