Drugs: Hurt Players And Sports Essay -- essays research papers fc

Drugs: Hurt Players and Sports Brett Favre, Diego Maradona, and Darryl Strawberry are all big name sport stars. They all play different sports, but all have the same problem: they tested positive for using illegal drugs. Cocaine, anabolic steroids, and painkillers are just a sample of drugs found in sports. Cocaine is described this way, â€Å"It makes you feel like you can do anything, and for athletes who long to be in control all the time, that's a strong temptation† (Coffey 1). Anabolic-androgenic steroids are synthetic forms of hormones that produce muscle faster (Rozin 176). Over fifty percent of the players in the National Football League are weekend or recreational users of cocaine (Burwell 1) . Forty-four Olympians have been caught with steroid use since 1972 (Corelli 28). Through Favre's painkillers, Strawberry's and Maradona's cocaine, one can see that drugs hurt the athletes as well as the sport. First Brett Favre, who was the Most Valuable Player in the National Football League last season, entered a drug abuse center for his addiction to Vicodin, a very strong painkiller (Plummer 129 ). Favre had problems because of Vicodin. Favre suffered a seizure in February while in surgery to repair a broken bone. The seizure resulted from the abuse of the painkiller (Howard 1). Favre states, â€Å"I went to Topeka, because the pills had gotten the best of me† ( qtd. in Plummer 129). Favre's daughter Brittany asked his wife Deanna, â€Å"Is he going to die?† (qtd. in Plummer 129). He not only scared himself but his family as well. Favre not has to submit up to ten urine tests a month. His losses were internal as well. â€Å"It is kind of embarrassing,† says Favre; â€Å"I will do whatever it takes† (qtd. in Plummer 133). He spent several weeks in rehabilitation but was not be fined or suspended. If caught again his charge will be a four game suspension with loss of pay. Another famous athlete, Diego Maradona, was once considered the most skilled soccer player in the world. Now he is considered a loser. Maradona was banned from international soccer play for testing positive for cocaine. Shortly after that, he was arrested for cocaine possession (Longman 1). The fifteen month suspension ended in time for Maradona to play in the 1994 World Cup. He was then caught with five illegal drugs in his system. One doctor cal... ...re greater than ever and fines are outrageous. The chance to play and perform must outweigh the desire to experiment with drugs and suffer the painful consequences of drug abuse. Works Cited Burwell, Bryan. "The NFL Confronts the Burgeoning Drug Crisis." Social Issues Resources Series August 21, 1983, Article #54 Volume 2. Coffey, Wayne. â€Å"Cocaine Back in Sports News, and Many Ask About Bias' Death.† New York Daily News. May 20, 1996. "Cornered Kicker." Sports Illustrated. July 11, 1994. Volume 81. Corelli, Rae. "The Drug Detectives." Maclean's . July 22, 1996, Volume 109. Longman, Jere. "Maradona's Suspension Disappoints U.S. Team" New York Times. July 1, 1994. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. â€Å"Packers QB Favre Enters Substance Abuse Program.† May 15, 1996. Plummer, William. "Beating the Blitz." People. October 28, 1996. Rozin, Skip. "Steroids and Sports: What Price Glory?" Business Week. October 17, 1994. Sports Illustrated. "Cornered Kicker." July 11, 1994. Volume 81. Verducci, Tom. "The Hard Price of Hard Living." Sports Illustrated.. February 27, 1995. Volume 82.