by Ashley Wood/south news editor
Doping in sports has been an ongoing fight since the early 20th century while human growth hormones have become a recent battle.
Since those early years, the fight against performance-enhancing drugs has brought stricter punishments including fines and suspensions.
If HGH is such a problem, then why is Major League Baseball the only American sports association testing for it? National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell is adamant that HGH is the biggest problem for players, but he has not yet taken testing for it to collective bargaining.
Steroids have been tested for and outlawed in sports for years for their negative effects on players and also the unfair advantage the extra testosterone gives users. HGH is a highly untested drug that has been thrown in with the same definition as steroids.
At this point, HGH is seemingly less toxic than steroids. HGH makes new cells in the muscles while steroids make those muscle cells bigger with faster results. Initial testing has shown no major negative effects for the HGH drug compared to steroids. The downfall is that players use HGH in conjunction with steroids or other enhancement drugs, and this is where it becomes a murky situation.
Seemingly every month, players get caught possessing what some call an abuse drug, which includes marijuana. The players unions in many sports agree that it should not count as a hard drug, which means no real punishment.
Drugs considered stimulants, such as cocaine and appetite suppressants, have a less harsh punishment than steroids and HGH.
The rules for sports should be universal. If players do drugs, be it hard, abuse or enhancement, there should be consequences, and they should be even across the board. Who is to say that a player high on a drug during a game isn’t more dangerous than someone on steroids?
Players who decide to use drugs of any kind are knowingly putting themselves, their teams and other people at risk with their actions. Yes, the drug tests are the league’s way of controlling players, but the owners of those teams should be subject to the tests as well. It should be mandatory for all of the team from the top to the bottom.
Testing has made huge improvements over the years, and the results are almost zero percent for a false positive.
It is time to make a big change and make it fair for everyone that is playing. The punishments or lack thereof should be upheld. And at this point, they are not consistent.
Consistency is instrumental in keeping athletes from partaking, or at least reconsidering their choice, to take drugs. If the players continue to adhere and the associations keep up with testing and implementing new regulations, every athlete could finally have a fair chance.
