Play fair
Sean Hecker
Should steroid users be allowed to hold records and be inducted into the Hall of Fame
Athletes who have taken steroids should not be allowed i the Hall of Fame because they broke the rules and they took them to get an unfair advantage
Background on PEDs
PEDs have been around since the 1860's. They were originally used in swimming to help speed people up and get the fastest time possible. PEDs were then used in the 30's to enhance performance on the battlefield. The steroid being used was testosterone. Steroid use continued until the 90's and are still being used today despite the heavy watch on them
Counterclaim
The main counterclaim against not allowing athletes who used PEDs into the HoF is that most of the players used it before it was banned. The problem with this argument is that the PEDs were banned for a reason, so athletes who used them before were they were banned were still getting an unfair advantage over clean athletes
This graph shows that when Alex Rodriguez started to take PEDs his stats went up significantly from his prior seasons
Text Evidence 1
The author says, "The drug works by shifting cells' metabolism from fatty acids to carbohydrates for energy, a process that requires less oxygen." This gives an advantage to athletes because the drug makes the body require less oxygen, which helps someone maintain a quality of performance for a longer duration
Text evidence 2
Patrick Revell highlights the advantage athletes gain from steroids by saying, "Meldonium helps increase blood flow and therefore increases the amount of oxygen taken into the body, which would allow athletes to recover faster while training." This quote highlights how the athletes can have faster recovery time which leads to more training due to steroids. The more training time can help athletes who use PEDs prepare more than a clean athlete
Text evidence 3
PEDs affect the sports outcome and this is realized by Rebecca Ruiz who writes, "'It's not just a bunch of people sitting at a table passing money to each other,' said Richard W. Pound, a lead author of the report.'This actually affects the outcome of competition."' This shows that people realize steroids affect outcomes of games. This gives even more of a reason to make sure steroid users don't make it in the HoF
Text Evidence 4
PEDs are banned for numerous reasons, but there is a protocol it must meet to be banned. This is shown in the article by Rachel Axon,'"If you have a substance that has a purported mechanism that is capable of enhancing performance, you have evidence it is being used by large numbers of athletes and you have evidence that it is used by a large number of athletes concealed, then I think you come to the conclusion that this is a substance that should be placed on the prohibited list," said Pipe." This is saying how people determine if a substance should be banned. If it gives you any sort of advantage over other athletes and is being massively used then it will be banned
Text evidence 5
A substance can be banned if it gives an unfair advantage. This is highlighted in this quote from an article by Rachel Axon,"To be considered for WADA's prohibited list, a substance must meet two of three criteria: It enhances or has the potential to enhance performance, it presents an actual or potential health risk or it violates the spirit of sport." This shows that drugs are banned for a reason, to keep the game fair.