What would you buy with $250 million? Apparently New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez allegedly spent part of his earnings on something not-so-stellar: steroids. Recent reports say that America’s highest paid athlete spent three years of his life regularly injecting himself with banned substances. His intention, like other big-name athletes who have been recently exposed, was to gain a competitive edge – to become faster, stronger, better and bigger. But at what cost?
Here in Boston, the sports media has enjoyed ripping at Rodriguez, if for nothing else, because he plays for the Evil Empire. But the reality of the situation is not so simple. While much of the focus on “steroid scandals” centers on how athletes have cheated, or whether or not they should be eligible to enter the Hall of Fame, it’s important not to lose sight of why steroid bans even exist in the first place. Certainly professional sports leagues have a vested interest in keeping the game “fair,” but the basic reasoning behind steroid rules is about safety.
Anabolic steroids, the drugs of choice for athletes looking to “build” muscle, have been empirically shown to have drastic and dangerous consequences. The National Institute of Drug Abuse notes, “Steroid abuse can lead to serious, even irreversible health problems. Some of the most dangerous among them include liver damage, jaundice, fluid retention, high blood pressure,” and more.
And beyond the visible physical side effects of steroids, some of the more detrimental consequences are psychological, including mood swings, aggression (‘roid rage), depression, impaired judgment and delusions. Constant media coverage on steroid abuse may have reduced the stigma attached to steroids, but steroid abuse is serious business.
Almost any high school student, myself included, could recite to you the warnings against substance abuse that have become a cornerstone to high school health curriculums. It’s about time that steroid abuse is added to the sacred list of alcohol, marijuana and cocaine.
The simple fact is, there is not enough awareness of the adverse effects of steroids by teens. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports that over 479,000 students have used anabolic steroids by grade 12, representing almost 3 percent of all students. Yet at the same time, according to the same report, almost 40 percent of students did not believe that steroids had significant health impacts. Such trends are unhealthy for the well-being of students, which is even more surprising given all of the negative attention placed on media icons and steroids.
The clear indication is that in order to curb use of such drugs amidst youth, and adults, stars like A-Rod need to do more than issue their stock apologies to media press conferences. So Alex, why don’t you go and try to figure out a better way to use that $250 million?
Steroid abuse in teens can cause severe acne, hair loss, liver abnormalities, blood clots, high blood pressure and even death.
