The NFL and the Steroid Ban of 1987 - 608 Words

My research question is â€Å"Why did the steroid ban of 1987 have no affect on the growing size and performance of linemen in the NFL?† The use of steroids in the NFL began in the 1960’s and came with a lot of controversy. As time progressed, more rumors and players came out about linemen using steroids to enhance their size. There have been a few linemen who have come out about their use of steroids such as Lyle Alzado, Tony Mandarich, and Steve Courson. The ineffectiveness of the steroid ban has resulted in the perpetual use of steroids in the NFL. The evaluation of the ineffectiveness of the steroid ban provides changes for the NFL to make in their rule and it provides health consequences for players using the substance. The NFL needs to make a rule change or make the rules stricter in order for players to stop using the substance. Body The Growing Size of NFL Linemen While it may seem as though the linemen in the NFL are just as big as they were thirty years ago, they’re not, they’re bigger. In 1970, only one N.F.L. player weighed as much as 300 pounds, according to a survey conducted by The Associated Press. That number has expanded from three 300-pounders in 1980 to 94 in 1990, 301 in 2000, 394 in 2009 and 532 as training camps began in 2010. The major change in size have caused the people in the sports society to question why the players have increased so much in size. A popular American football analyst, Mel Kiper Jr., has been studying the size and performance ofShow MoreRelatedEssay Athletes And Drug Use1690 Words   |  7 Pagescompetitive edge can lead to substantial increase in performance and endorsement fees. Many athletes have concluded that the quickest way to reach these goals is through performance-enhancing drugs. (Athletes and Drugs) Sprinter Ben Johnsons ban from the Olympic games, in 1988 set off a flurry of bureaucratic activity and official hand-wringing, but a decade later it is clear that Johnsons fall from grace was no turning point, merely part of a continuum and, in some insidious way, inspiringRead MoreAthletes Using Enhancement Drugs2599 Words   |  10 Pagesdoping can be the administering of a substance to an athlete (103). The most common type of doping people refer to is the use of a banned substance or method. Banned substances are either exogenous, meaning the body does not produce it, such as steroids, or endogenous, which means the body produces it in some form, such as growth hormone. Nikolopoulos, Spiliopoulou, and Theocharis point out endogenous substances are harder for the WADA to come up with detection methods for because the substanceRead MoreA Research On Scandals Of Baseball3731 Words   |  15 Pagessports and especially baseball has become submersed with steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, these players should be recognized for their achievements. Literature Review Pros: Using steroids, and cheating in baseball, is surely not right but that does not mean that it is not ubiquitously done. Source B utilizes ethos to make a point to say that people who draw the line and say that baseball has no room for cheaters and alleged steroid-users are turning a blind eye to the fact that although