Definition Rewrite-FatJoe

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Matt Loesche

Doping in Sports

Performance enhancement drugs, oxycodone, codeine, Vicodin, painkillers, all drugs that athletes have and can become addicted to. Many athletes are often under tremendous pressure to perform at the highest level, and this pressure can lead to the use of PED’s and prescription drugs. While sports promote physical fitness, mental toughness and competition, and while all these things are good, it does not mean that they can always have good outcomes. The consequences of drug addiction can be devastating for athletes, including damage to their health, both mentally and physically, suspension from competition and even legal repercussions. The lure of instant gratification, and to meet the expectations to be able to achieve success will cause athletes to do whatever they feel is needed to achieve these things, no matter what the costs will be.

When it comes to drugs that athletes will turn to, PED’s, or performance-enhancement drugs, are the most common. The most common type of PED that athletes will use is steroids. There are many variations of steroids that athletes can get their hands on. The two main types are corticosteroids and anabolic steroids. The main difference between the two is corticosteroids are more of a type of medicine, that help asthma, allergies and hay fever. While Ana anabolic steroids are the ones that build muscle mass. Anabolic Steroids are the ones most commonly used in athletes and they have always been frowned upon in the sports world because it is seen as cheating, which of course it is. When an athlete, who already trains every day to try to become the best at their sport, uses anabolics, which strengthen muscles and reduces body fat, it impacts your image to the public and other players heavily. Now, there are different types of anabolic steroids and there are different type of ways to use these steroids. Some of the most common versions of anabolic steroids are topterone, oxymetholone and trenbolone, as stated in “Drug Fact Sheet,” which was released by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). This article also states the various ways steroids can be used, “Tablets and capsules, sublingual-tablets, liquid drops, gels, creams, transdermal patches, subdermal implant pellets, and water-based and oil based injectable solutions.”

An example of this is former MLB superstar Barry Bonds. Before he started using steroids, Bonds was already the best player in the MLB, he won two MVPs, which are awarded to the best player in all of the sport, and three Gold Glove awards, which go to the best fielder in all of baseball. Bonds stapled himself as one of the best to do it, but once it was revealed that he was using steroids it prohibited him from making it into the hall of fame. This shows that steroids, or just PED’s in general, can extremely hurt someone’s image. Being in the hall of fame is a massive achievement for athletes of all sports, and even though Bonds was already having a hall of fame career before the steroids, he has still not been able to have the achievement of getting into the hall of fame.

Moving on from PED’s, athletes can also turn to prescribed drugs. The use of prescribed drugs often comes after an injury, a very popular prescribed drug that athletes can become addicted to are painkillers, specifically Vicodin and OxyContin. Athletes will turn to these drugs as a way to help deal with the high level of competitiveness and the levels of intensity that they face. In the article Substance Abuse Concerns for Athletes After Injury, by “Michael’s House”, it states, “Erik Ainge, former backup quarterback for the New York Jets, sat out the entire 2010 football season as he recovered from a pain killer addiction that started after an injury.” Although Ainge was just a backup quarterback, he still fell victim to substance abuse. So it does not matter if you are a star athlete or just a backup, you can still become addicted to a substance all the same.

Athletes that are currently playing aren’t the only ones that can become addicted to prescribed drugs. “Michael’s House” states “In 2009, Sam Rayburn, former defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, was taken into police custody for committing fraud or forgery to illegally obtain a controlled substance. The arrest revealed that he had a painkiller addiction that at its height reached 100 Percocets per day.” Retired athletes can become addicted just as much as athletes currently playing, and in this case, even more. Sam Rayburn admitting that he had taken 100 percocets per day shows how heavily athletes can become addicted.

On the whole, the pressure to perform at the highest level can push athletes towards the misuse and abuse of performance-enhancement drugs and prescribed drugs, which can lead to addiction and severe consequences. While sports promote positive qualities like mental toughness and competition, it is important to recognize that these qualities must be balanced with a focus on health and safety. Also, injuries in both current and retired athletes can lead to substance abuse like painkillers. Overall addiction can have devastating effects on athletes, whether it’s physical damage, mental damage or both.

References

Carreathers, Brandon. Commons.emich.edu, 2020, “Athletes’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health”

House , Michael’s. Michael’s House Treatment Centers, 17 Nov. 2021, Subsrance Abuse Concerns for Athletes After Injury

Administration , D. E. (2020, April). Drug fact sheet: Steroids. Retrieved April 27, 2023,

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3 Responses to Definition Rewrite-FatJoe

  1. davidbdale's avatar davidbdale says:
    April 3, 2023 at 9:12 am

    Fatjoe, you asked me in a Reply to your Causal Rewrite, whether it “sounds too similar to my definition paper, and if so what I should do to differentiate the two.” I’ll provide a partial answer here.

    Your Introduction here is almost entirely Causal. Read the ALL CAPS words as clear indicators of Causal Claims:

    Performance enhancement drugs, oxycodone, codeine, Vicodin, painkillers, all drugs that athletes have and can become addicted to. Many athletes are often under tremendous pressure to perform at the highest level, and this pressure CAN LEAD TO the use of PED’s and prescription drugs. While sports promote physical fitness, mental toughness and competition, and while all these things are good, it does not mean that they can always have good OUTCOMES. The CONSEQUENCES of drug addiction can be devastating for athletes, including damage to their health, both mentally and physically, suspension from competition and even legal REPERCUSSIONS. The lure of instant gratification, and to meet the expectations to be able to achieve success will CAUSE athletes to do whatever they feel is needed to achieve these things, no matter what the costs will be.

    Overlap is inevitable. No 1000 words can be purely Categorical or purely Consequential. The purpose of isolating the two spheres into their own spaces is to focus your attention on the need for both types of evidence and argument. That said, your Introduction here would work well to introduce a Causal essay.

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  2. davidbdale's avatar davidbdale says:
    April 3, 2023 at 9:30 am

    Your second paragraph starts out as Definition/Categorical but veers halfway through to a long Causal anecdote.

    —”The most common type” is perfect Categorical language.
    —”Injecting steroids is cheating” is a helpful way to begin a conversation about what’s cheating and what isn’t.
    —”Steroids strengthen muscles and reduce body fat” is a causal way to phrase another set of important categorical claims: Drugs that strengthen. Drugs that reduce fat.

    At this point, most readers (including me), even if they DON’T know about the “three short arguments of different types” nature of our course, will be expecting more categorical detail. We wonder if there are other types of drugs that strengthen muscles (and are they all illegal?). What do you mean by illegal, by the way—against the law, against the rules of baseball, against the rules of all major sports? And is it because they’re so effective? or because they involve injection? or because they’re dangerous? While we’re on the subject, you haven’t specified a sport, so your failure to narrow your focus means you have the responsibility to cover an ENORMOUS range of athletes. Which athletes care most about the muscle strength? which about the body fat? Do both pitchers and batters benefit equally from injectable steroids?

    I hope you see from my questions the sort of ground you should be covering in your Definition Argument. It would be absurd to describe the many drugs available for ALL ATHLETES to use/abuse, which are legal, which not, which banned, which regulated, how they affect the body, what their side effects are, and on and on . . .

    The best Def/Cat essay will NARROW the focus of your argument to a type of athlete who uses a type of drug that has a set of consequences so you can recommend an approach to enhancing/limiting/banning/regulating or permitting the use of that drug.

    Your anecdote about the effect on Barry Bonds’ IMAGE doesn’t meet those goals unless your plan is to argue only about banned injectable steroids used by MLB batters.

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  3. davidbdale's avatar davidbdale says:
    April 3, 2023 at 9:57 am

    The more I read this Definition argument, FatJoe, and the more I compare it to your Causal argument, which focuses not on pro athletes but on student athletes, and not on PEDs but on mental health and alcohol, the more I have to conclude you haven’t focused your attention nearly narrowly enough for 3000 words.

    It seems any source that touches on one of several broad categories could be cited as useful to support your VERY BIG topic:

    ATHLETES respond to PRESSURE with ANXIETY which they alleviate with SUBSTANCES that have CONSEQUENCES.

    SOMETHING has to be narrowed to make a sliver of that massive territory manageable.

    In the time I have to devote to your situation at this moment, I have one recommendation: “Fear of Loss.” I suggest it as an angle, a lens through which to view the vast terrain of your subject matter.

    It occurred to me when you ADDED ANOTHER category of pressure to FURTHER EXPAND your subject: retirement. So, now we’re talking about student athletes, current athletes at every professional level in all sports, and even FORMER athletes suffering every imaginable type of “pressure,” a word you use repeatedly but never explain.

    What pressures are athletes under?
    —Fear that they’ll lose a game
    —Fear that they’ll let down their team
    —Fear that they’ll lose their elite status
    —Fear that they’ll lose the admiration of their peers
    —Fear that they’ll lose the ability to support their families
    —Fear that they’ll lose their spot on the roster
    —Fear that they’ll lose their MVP chances
    —Fear that they’ll lose their position in the lineup
    —Fear that they’ll lose their batting/fielding/scoring average
    —Fear that they’ll lose their ability to play through injury
    —Fear that they’ll lose their competitive edge
    —Fear that they’ll lose their mobility/speed/flexibility

    I could go on. You could, too, FatJoe.

    The “other way” to narrow the focus of your research is to ignore most of the differences among your subjects and concentrate on one CHARACTERISTIC they share. You could spend a strong 1000 words identifying the many things athletes fear that might motivate them to select a substance as a solution.

    You’ve gathered some material that could serve your needs here, FatJoe. You won’t have to start from scratch. But you DO NEED a FRAME to bring a small portion of THE BIG MESS of material into a controlled space.

    Does that help? Every competitive athlete wants more than anything else TO WIN! So the most terrifying prospect would be the threat of LOSING! Right?

    Fear of Loss. Think about it.

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