Why are steroids illegal in most sports?

[BreakfastBurrito]

And what are the characteristics of a banned substance versus a legal performance enhancer?

[Benal]

It kills.

[M2d]

Drugs are bad
mmmkay?

[MoreWineII]

I guess I'm one of the minority who doesn't really care one way or the other. If these guys want to kill themselves getting faster and stronger so they can entertain me better, I've got no problems with that.

What I do hate is all the secrecy and outright lying about steroid use both from the players' and from the owners'/commish's mouths - it's kind of insulting.

[Cry Me A River]

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If these guys want to kill themselves getting faster and stronger so they can entertain me better, I've got no problems with that.

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I think that the point is that most pro atheletes don't want to do this, and really why should anyone have to cut their life expectancy in half in order to make a living? (even if it is a very good living)

It becomes a kind of arms race - There are only a few hundred jobs available at any given pro sport (obviously this varies by sport - There are a lot more NFL jobs available than NBA jobs). For the sake of argument, lets say there are 100 players in a league. Player A is the 100th best player in the world. He just barely makes the cut. Player B is the 101st best player in the league. He doesn't make the cut, doesn't play and doesn't make the big bucks.

Player B roids up.

Now player B is now the 96th best player in the league and Player A has just been bumped down to 101th. He's out of the league and out of a job. So what does he do? He either goes and works at some used car dealership or he has to go on the juice himself. And a domino effect begins as the next guy displaced off the ladder needs to become competitive. Eventually everyone has to be on roids, even though 90% of them don't want to be.

It's one this to have an arms race in nutrition, training, coaching, scouting, &etc. At least that stuff won't kill you. But really, if they just throw up their hands and say "Oh well, everyone's doing it" they might as well just hand them all swords and call them Gladiators...

[BreakfastBurrito]

I'm not sure quite so few of the athletes actually want to take steroids. I read a survey quoted off of one of these studies where several hundred professional athletes were asked if they had the choice of whether or not to take a drug that would allow them to win every competition they entered for the next 5 years, but after those 5 years, they would die, 52% said they would do it.

At a more basic level, I was actually wondering if steroids are illegal because the way they supplement performance is considered unfair, or because of the known side effects. Like for instance, are there any known side effects for blood doping like the cyclists get disqualified for?

Also, is it possible that the known side effects of steroids so bad because there are a bunch of people using them who don't know how to properly administer the dosages?

[SpearsBritney]

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Also, is it possible that the known side effects of steroids so bad because there are a bunch of people using them who don't know how to properly administer the dosages?

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This is the main reason they are illegal. Steroids can be administered relatively safely if you:

a) have the REAL product to begin with. This is not a concern in professional sports, but hardly the case in the real world. It is estimated that 90-95% of black market steroids are fake (most of them are still effective, but are cut with dangerous substances).

b)Have them administered by a trained proffesional, and have bloodwork done on a regular basis (again, not a problem in professional sports).

Steroids are no more "dangerous" than most other pharmaceuticals when taken in moderation. Many people who have even taken "megadoses" have lived long healthy lives with very minimal side effects. The problem with steroids, aside from the fact that most are fake, is that they can be extremely psychologically addictive. "Big" eventually becomes "not big enough", and when you come off of a cycle, you immediately begin to lose muscle mass. This usually results in poor self image and low self-esteem, and in some cases, severe depression, often leading to suicide. This is usually enough to make the user not want to ever come off them, and can lead to serious abuse. If however, the user is able to obtain "clean" steroids, and limits his use to a couple of 8-12week cycles per year (not too many years ofcourse) he can do so relatively safely, and gain and maintain substancial muscle mass. But again, the potential for abuse is great enough to avoid them all together IMO.

As far as professional sports and the Olympics go, steroids are here to stay, but the lie that they are trying to get rid of them will always remain. You are no longer at an advantage if you take them, but at a great disadvantage if you do not. Steroids = $. Period.

[Alobar]

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Like for instance, are there any known side effects for blood doping like the cyclists get disqualified for?

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Depends on the doping. But cycling has had more athletes die in the last couple years that all other sports combined. To many 27 year olds dying from heart attacks for it to be just a coincidence. So yes, doping is killing the athletes

Cycling is a perfect example of Cry Me a Rivers (IMO excellent) post. I know people who have come back from trying to make it as a proffesional cyclist in Europre. When they went over there, they were good. They didnt dope, others did, now they arent good enough to hack it anymore, and instead of a shot at a big contract they are working at a bicycle shop making $7.50 an hour

[anisotropy]

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It kills.

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This is the simplest and most correct answer. Think about it from the professional sports organizations POV. You are a business of putting a sport on the field and in getting fans to come to a game. Why would you want the best athletes in the world taking this much of a risk to enhance their performance? The risk/reward from their perspective is very small. Relatively high risk for a marginal reward.

Additionally, consider your fanbase, made up of a large number of fathers and their teenaged (or younger) sons, most of which want to emulate these athletes in some way. Even if you could guarantee that doctors could safely prescribe the steroids to your athletes, all it will take is one high school football player to OD and his parents to place the blame at the feet of the sports organization.

So, mostly, its a risk/reward and PR move.

[gunt]

when you say " illegal in most sports " that suggest that it is legal in others, i'd like to know which ones where steroids are legal, and please dont say wwe...