Hello Blog,
Looking back, I remember reading the Spring English 112 syllabus: I noticed an unusual assignment, which involved creating a blog: an assignment that would last the entire semester. My first reaction—what the hell is a blog? I knew my professor had a unique and modern way of instructing because she was also my professor for Eng111; I am living proof of her successful instruction methods. But this was new and different assignment. I put my game face on and said, “Time to get your feet wet! “

I chose a topic of controversy that was connected to something I really enjoyed. The topic I chose: “Performance enhancing drugs in sports”. After creating a blog design through a provided link, I was ready to blog. My first post had to be my sales pitch that would sell my blog to the public. I decided to use a celebrity—the poster guy for steroids, Barry Bonds to sell my blog. Even if people are not sports fans, chances are they’ve heard of Bonds. To the non sports fan, he’s recognized as a famous baseball player who got caught using performance enhancing drugs, making his great baseball achievements irrelevant. To the average fan, he was the great baseball player who broke records and broke the rules by cheating. If you recall, steroids are growth hormones making an athlete stronger and faster, having an edge and not playing on an equal playing field.

I began to write with ease as the words flew on to the paper. I submitted my draft to the honorable Professor Bev for approval. The draft also included a humorous cartoon of Bonds pumped up, as a visual---I was ready to publish! To my surprise, the introduction blog looked amazing, with the appearance of a professional magazine article. I became an official blogger. To me, creating a blog was like writing an essay with no major structural restrictions, where you can still present arguments and opinions. Putting your thoughts on paper is not always an easy task, so writing a blog is an ideal way to develop writing skills.

My blog title, “Performance Enhancing Drugs”, was the primary issue, but each posting was a different story that connected to the main issue. Some of the connected stories discussed performance enhancing drugs, famous sports figures using steroids, side effects of steroids, testing for steroids, and finally supplements. I enjoyed researching information about this issue, while learning more with every blog posting. Learning about the dangerous side effects from using steroids and young athletes endangering their health to get the competitive edge is what impressed and disturbed me the most.

We live in a world where the benefits from technology and science are not always shared by the good guys. In fact, as tests are developed to detect steroids, new drugs and methods are developed to beat drug testing. I read an article where scientists are making paper anabolic steroids. The steroids are made in liquid form then melted into rice paper, making it easy to conceal. No injections are needed, just cut off a piece of paper and swallow (Steroiddoneright.com. 2008).
http://steroidsdoneright.com/steroid-blog/the-future-of-anabolic-steroids
As long as there’s big money to be made, continuous use of performance enhancing drugs in sports is inevitable.

I hope you enjoyed my blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. It has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience. So stay clean and lay off the juice because “Cheaters never win”.



Cartoon of Barry Bonds: Baseball's "Homerun Champion" and "Steroid Poster Child", all pumped up exposing the secrets to his success sticking out of his arm.
Cartoon retrieved January 10, 2010 http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=589851

Hello Blog,
In previous postings, I have been discussing performance enhancing drugs (anabolic steroids) and how using them gives athletes and edge in completion and the weight room, but I neglected to include supplements in the discussion. This must be included because supplements are taken with the hope of obtaining a similar effect as steroids. Athletes are not the only ones taking supplements; everybody has access to supplements and can use them. If you're a competitive athlete or a fitness buff, or Jim the plumber, supplements are available and advertised to make you stronger, get better workouts, and for the average person…make you look better. I am sure you have seen the many humorous “before and after” pictures displayed in many magazines. The (before) picture sometimes shows an overweight or malnourished male, unshaven, pale, and a bad haircut. The (after) picture then shows the head of the before person photo shopped over a bodybuilder or a completely different person (see the picture to the left “I got shredded in 6 weeks”). The manufacturers know their target market; usually young male and will name their product with some kind of explosive, violent catchy name like Shotgun or Nitric Oxide Explode. Many people are taking sports supplements thinking it could offer fast and effective results without so much hard work. But do sports supplements really work. Let’s take look at supplements, shall we!

What Are Supplements?
A standard dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, or amino acids that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet (Doberstein, 2005). So if you’re a person who’s on the go with a poor diet you may benefit from food supplements. Sports supplements (also called ergogenic aids) are products used to enhance energy and athletic performance that may include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, or botanicals (plants) — or any concentration, extract, or combination of these(Doberstein,2005). Sports supplement are also considered dietary supplements. Many of these products contain high levels of caffeine and simply give a person more energy and endurance to workout harder and achieve better results.

What are some of popular the supplements used by athletes and people in the gym?
Creatine is well-liked and usually taken to improve strength. Creatine increases muscle volume by retaining water in the muscle and by doing this it can increase your performance in the gym in terms of recovery time between reps(a repeated exercise). In other words; some people find that creatine allows them to do a rep or two more without fatiguing, which over time can increase muscle mass. Research in adults found that creatine is most effective for athletes doing intermittent high-intensity exercise with short recovery intervals, such as sprinting and power lifting. Creatine is already manufactured by the body in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas (Doberstein, 2005). Natural foods such as meat and fish are another source of creatine. Protein is very popular supplement of bodybuilders and athletes, who spend a lot of time working out because their protein levels become depleted quickly. Protein helps muscle tissue repair and recover muscle after strenuous workouts. Protein shakes, usually consumed following a workout, may also contain multiple vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Fat burning supplements are also very popular because their manufacturers claim it can eliminate body fat and leaves you with lean muscle. Athletes also use fat burners use to lose weight or to increase energy. What about all those famous sports and energy drinks, such as Gatorade or Red Bull? Sports drinks contain electrolytes such as chloride, sodium, and potassium to help replenish what was lost through sweat. But the ingredients that give the energy are caffeine and sugar.

Dietary supplements do not require U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval before they come on the market. Supplement manufacturers do have to follow the FDA's current good manufacturing practices to ensure quality and safety of their product, though (Doberstein, 2005). And the FDA is responsible for taking action if a product is found to be unsafe after it has gone on the market. Critics of the supplement industry point out those manufacturers haven't done a good job of following standards. They also mention instances where the FDA hasn't enforced regulations (Doberstein, 2005). This could mean that some supplements may contain variable amounts of ingredients that are not even listed on the label. Many of these products contain vitamins that exceed the daily requirement. Your body will only use what’s needed and discard the rest. So most of that expensive supplement purchased will end up flushed away.

I have only scratched the surface regarding supplements, but you probably get the idea. Visit a vitamin or health food store and see the array of products offered and you will see what I mean. In today’s society, we want to feel and look healthy, perform better, get fast results and the manufacturers of these health products are well aware of this pot of gold. Should supplements be considered performance enhancers? Well… yes, they are, but you can’t put dietary supplements in the same category as anabolic steroids, which raises testosterone levels and contain human growth hormones. If you recall, earlier I used a key word describing the effect of sport supplements, (energy) and the key ingredients— high doses of caffeine and sugar. Energy allows people to do more and perform better whether it’s in sports or everyday tasks. So would you consider coffee a performance enhancer? I think you know the answer.




Doberstein, K. (2005), Do bodybuilding supplements really work, ezilon.com, retrieved March 26,2010, from http://www.ezilon.com/information/article_10658.shtml

Hello again blog!

In my previous postings, I discussed how anabolic steroids are commonly used by athletes to help gain an unfair advantage over their competition and can also help increase healing times. In almost every sport using these drugs are illegal. To prevent athletes from having an unfair advantage many sports organizations want athletes tested for performance enhancing drugs before they compete and sometimes immediately after.

Are athletes trying to beat anabolic steroid tests?

The main motivation for an athlete to train so hard is to be the best in their sport. Following the desire to be best, greed and financial success is the other motivation pushing the athlete. Success could transform into a professional contract or even endorsements and profitable rewards. For those reasons, it is not a surprise that some athletes “juice” to get the edge over the competition. In addition to taking performance enhancing drugs, athletes will also try to beat steroid testing and not get caught cheating. Some common methods used are these: blocking agents such as Probenecid to slow the secretion of anabolic steroids, diuretics are used to dilute urine and increase the excretion of water, substituting non-user (clean) urine, and injecting epitestosterone to lower testosterone level at the time of testing. Athletes on the juice will continue to seek and find a ways to counter the detection of steroids. I always wonder if sporting organizations are only concerned when the media is exposing their guilty athlete and normally turn a blind eye. http://drug-test-answers.com/can-you-beat-anabolic-steroid-tests/

Do all sports test for steroids?

Some sports have a very stringent policy on testing while others are very lax and a complete joke. The top 4 sports having the most stringent policy are in this order: US Boxing/IBF has the strictest policy as it tests every boxer after every championship and elimination bout for controlled substances, painkillers, barbiturates, steroids, amphetamines and marijuana. I found it amusing that boxing is the strictest. You would think boxing would be at the end of the list with its history corruption. The Olympics is also at the top and uses the World Anti-Doping Agency Code. All athletes who establish a world record or an Olympic record are tested; precompetition testing at any time and finally the top five finishers in individual events plus two other athletes are also tested. Next on the list is Tennis, followed by Track and Field and both using the WADA Code for testing. In case you’re wondering, the WADA Code is a document in place with strict rules and regulations regarding anti-doping in sports, so there may be a level playing field for athletes in all counties. WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) is an international independent organization monitoring doping in sports, but used mostly in international sports such as the Olympics for example. Finally, listed at the bottom, is the Canadian football League and the ESPN X games (extreme sports), both having the most slack and really nonexistent testing policy. I will include “entertainment sports” even though they are not really considered sports, where anything goes and “juicing” is probably encouraged, such as Pro Wrestling and Strongman completions.

How are athletes tested for performance enhancing drugs?

Standard testing usually begins with the athletes collected urine specimen. The sample submitted should be at least 30ml. To ensure the urine sample is real and from the actual athlete the collection requires an embarrassing visual confirmation, during the giving process. In some cases, even the temperature of the sample will indicate whether the sample is real or not. The sample is then sealed in a tamper proof container; the sample bag is signed by both the person administering the test, as well as the person taking the test, to ensure that it has not been tampered with. Once the sample has reached the lab, it is opened and placed in a gas chromatograph for thermionic specific detection and flame ionization detection. Through this process, a medical technologist can determine whether or not anabolic steroids are currently in the system, or by-products created by anabolic steroids are in the system. The test detects both testosterone and a related steroid called epitestosterone, which is not performance-enhancing. Both are produced by the body and are also made in synthetic. “The usual ratio for both substances is about 1:1 or 2:1”, said Dr. Gary Wadler, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency and a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine (Tanner, 2006). Wadler also said, “Suspicions for improper steroid use arise when the ratio climbs above 4 parts testosterone over 1 part epitestosterone” (Tanner, 2006). Athletes who use performance-enhancing steroids often take synthetic epitestosterone to equalize the ratio, said Charles Yesalis, who is a retired Pennsylvania State University professor and doping expert (Tanner, 2006). There is no medical use for synthetic epitestosterone; it is only really is used to cheat drug tests. Although these effective methods exist for detecting the presence of illegal steroids in urine, they are time consuming and involve burdensome preparation steps. The worse part about testing is embarrassment and inconvenience honest athletes have to endure. A marathon runner after accomplishing a fantastic race and impressive finishing time is rushed off to a small designated area where he or she has to submit a sample for testing. What a way to deflate a moment of celebration!

I will be discussing the future of performance enhancing drugs and testing in my next blog posting… so stay tuned!

Tanner, L. (2006), Testing procedures can detect athletes' steroid use, Steroid.Com, retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.steroid.com/sitenews/Adolescents-Steroids/Testing-procedures-can-detect-athletes-steroid-use.php

Hello Blog,

In one of my earlier blog postings, I described performance enhancing drugs (steroids) as any substances taken to increase strength and improve athletic skills. Even everyday people are experimenting with steroids in the effort to look better by achieving a better workout at the gym. They’re popping pills and taking supplements to get muscular quick, with less workout time.

OK, we get the point why people take them, but what exactly are steroids, how do they work, and what are their side effects?
Drugs commonly referred to as "steroids" are classified as anabolic (or anabolic-androgenic) and corticosteroids. Although both are called steroids, there is a huge difference between anabolic steroids and corticosteroids. For readers, who are unaware, I will explain the difference.

Corticosteroids, such as cortisone, are drugs that doctors typically prescribe to help control inflammation in the body. They're often used to help control conditions like asthma and lupus. In fact, I have personally taken corticosteroids drugs for back injuries and bronchitis. They are completely different from anabolic steroids, which receive so much media attention for their use by some athletes and bodybuilders.

Anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids) are synthetic versions of the male hormone testosterone. These drugs are legally available only by prescription and are prescribed to treat a variety of conditions that cause a loss of lean muscle mass or low testosterone levels. They help the increase in the buildup of cellular tissue in the muscles. This includes the development of masculine traits like deepness of the vocal chords and hair growth on the body. Anabolic steroids boost the body's ability to produce muscle and prevent muscle breakdown. Some athletes take steroids in the hopes that they will improve their ability to run faster, hit farther, lift heavier weights, jump higher, or have more endurance. This may sound complicated but think of steroids as providing muscle cells with enough protein so that they can grow, doubling and tripling their size after adequate workouts.

How are steroids taken?
Steroids are taken in either pill form or injections. The most common dosing is done in cycles of weeks or months, with a short break between. This is called "cycling." "Stacking" refers to the use of several different types of steroids at the same time. "Pyramiding," involves slowly increasing the number, the amount or the frequency of steroids to reach a peak and then gradually tapering the amount and frequency of the drug. Doses taken by steroid abusers are often 10 to 100 times higher than what would be medically prescribed for legitimate use.
Anabolic steroids can be taken in the following ways: Injection directly into the bloodstream, swallowed as tablets or capsules, ointments or patches (through the skin), or preparations that are placed between the cheek and gum of mouth.

Commonly Used Steroids

Androstenedione (Andro) is a designer steroid often mentioned in relation with athletes, although there is little scientific evidence to support its effectiveness in improving sports performance. Andro is a supplement made from a naturally occurring steroid hormone. In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of Andro due to increasing evidence that showed serious health risks to those using the substance.

Primobolan (Methenolone) -This banned steroid has been linked to several Major League Baseball players. It can be injected or taken in a tablet form. Primobolan has been a popular steroid among athletes because it builds strength without muscle bulk, and without many of the negative side effects of other steroids.

Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) is another designer steroid that is similar to other banned steroids. THG was specifically manufactured so it would not be detected in doping tests. The FDA banned the sale of THG in 2003, saying it was not a supplement but an unapproved drug, which makes any sale or use of it illegal.

Clenbuterol (Clen) is prescribed for obstructive pulmonary disease. Like anabolic steroids it can increase lean muscle mass, but it also has potentially serious side effects.

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural steroid that's produced by the adrenal glands. The body then converts DHEA to male and female sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone). DHEA as a nutritional supplement is considered a banned substance by many sports organizations and athletes are cautioned about its use.

Short-term side effects

Effects vary by individual, but general short-term negative effects for both sexes include hostility, aggression, and acne. Steroids can have a magnified effect on teens since their bodies are still growing and can physically alter a body before adulthood, by stunting height growth. Males may experience shrunken testicles, difficulty or pain in urinating, become infertile or impotent, development of breasts, hair loss, and increased risk for prostate cancer. Girls can experience an excessive growth of body and facial hair, male-pattern baldness, decreased body fat and breast size, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, and a deepened voice.

Long-term side effects

The long-term effects for both males and females are similar. These long term side effects may include high blood pressure, increased risk of blood clotting, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), decreases in HDL (good cholesterol), jaundice (yellowish skin color, tissues, and body fluids), liver cysts and cancer, kidney cancer, fluid retention and severe acne.

Mental effects

Steroids are not usually taken as mood-altering drugs; they could have negative psychological effects when abused. Studies have shown that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but can have extreme mood swings which include hyperactivity or agitation, and uncontrolled aggression (known as "roid rage"), which can lead to violence.

Anabolic Steroids and Withdrawal

Athletes or anyone who use steroids can experience withdrawal symptoms when they quit. The symptoms include mood swings, depression, fatigue and irritability, loss of appetite, insomnia, and aggression. Depression can even lead to suicide attempts, if untreated.

I hope all the information I researched and supplied will help you understand what steroids are and the health risks associated them. My next posting, I will discuss the testing involved for steroids in sports and compare the leniency and strictness of different sports.

Hello again blog!
Roger Maris (born Sept. 10, 1934, - died Dec. 14, 1985) was a professional baseball and a stellar athlete. He was a left hand hitter and outfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians, NY Yankees, and the St.Louis Cardinals. In 1961, while playing for the NY Yankees, Maris hit 61 homeruns breaking Babe Ruth’s long standing record of 60, without a needle in sight, or steroid pills…just natural talent. Roger Maris was always criticized by the media for his simple, quiet ways and because sports writers really had no gossip or anything negative to write about, and considered him boring. Maris was a family man, who was honest and lived a clean life. My brother actually met Roger Maris when he was a boy; delivering newspapers back in Queens NY, where Maris rented an apartment to be close to the stadium for the season games. He gave my brother an autographed picture signed, “To John—thanks for delivering my newspapers”. He was a true natural talent and was admired by young and old.
Records are made to be broken, and the people who break them only deserve full credit if they achieve it by playing on an equal playing field. It’s like taking a test and someone gives you the answers before the test. Does that not make you a cheat?

Roger Maris: real role model, and pure natural talent. http://www.sodahead.com/sports/what-do-you-think-about-baseball/question-361203/?link=obaf.


In 1998, professional baseball player, Mark McGuire broke Roger Maris’ 37 year old record of 61 homeruns in a season by hitting 70 homeruns; also, in that same year Sammy Sosa hit 68 homeruns. In 2001, Barry Bonds broke Mark McGuire’s record by hitting 73 homeruns. Besides baseball, what other famous club was McGuire, Sosa and Bonds a member of? You guessed it… They’re all in the juicer club! Unfortunately, they are not alone. There is a long list of famous athletes accused of taking illegal performance enhancing drugs. These are just a few names from that list:
o Ben Johnson: Track Star and gold medal winner in the 100-meter race at the 1988 Olympic Summer Games. He broke his own world record by running the 100 meter race in 9.79 seconds. Days later, Johnson was stripped of both his medal and the world record because he tested positive for the use of steroids. http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/IntroductionToPoetry/Introduction.
o Marion Jones: Track Star, won five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sidney Australia, but agreed to forfeit all medals and prizes dating back to September 2000 after admitting that she took performance-enhancing drugs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Jones.
o Floyd Landis- Champion bike Racer won the Tour de France racer Floyd Landis won the Tour de France in 2006 and was the leader of the Phonak (Swiss) professional cycling team, but his win was blemished when he tested positive for synthetic testosterone http://www.answers.com/topic/floyd-landis.
o Lyle Alzado- professional NFL football player played 15 seasons, played for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns but most famous playing for the Los Angeles Raiders, where he won a professional cycling team championship in the 1983 Super Bowl. Alzado died from cancer in 1992 at the age of 43. He is most remembered today for being one of the first major U.S. sports figures to admit using steroids. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado.

These athletes were admired for their great skills and athletic abilities. The average sports fan, weekend warrior, and amateur athlete could only dream of being that talented. But their rewarded accomplishments became tainted and the product of performance enhancing drugs, not “natural” talent. Whenever the public hears news like this it leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth.
Young people sometimes idolize sports figures and look upon them as role models. Whether famous celebrity athletes like it or not, being a role model comes with the territory and carries a great deal of responsibility. Many teens want to look like and emulate these athletes (role models). While trying to outperform competition, at the amateur level, they might turn to steroids without fully understanding the consequences of using performance enhancing drugs or not even care.
What side affects comes with the juice? Stay tuned!

Who's on the juice now?

Hello blog, I would like to discuss the controversial issue of performance -enhancing drugs in sports. We hear about it so often in the news that nobody really cares anymore. Records continue to be broken and athletes are getting stronger and faster than ever. How are they achieving greatness? It's no big mystery...they're cheating!

Performance enhancing drugs are any substances taken by athletes to increase and improve their skills, with the goal of outperforming and getting that competitive edge. Professional sports is "Big business"and like any business the better you perform, the more money you could make, and high caliber entertainment sells tickets. What are the side affects from taking these performance enhancing drugs, and what message are we sending our youth and future athletes?

Cartoon of Bary Bonds: Baseball's "Homerun Champion" and "Steroid Poster Child", all pumped up exposing the secrets to his success sticking out of his arm.
Cartoon retrieved January 10, 2010 http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=589851