In the world of sports and especially the game of baseball, there has become a dimming light that is entering and blemishing the look of all athletics. It is easy to pin the blame on Major League Baseball, but looking deeper, it could be the media to blame for the situation. The problem is the use of steroids in the game. The bigger problem is the media’s coverage of the topic. While it is well known that steroid use ultimately leads to health problems, the media makes it well known that they do also significantly improve the performance of athletes. Not to mention make an individual more attractive and they can make a person recover better from injury. Sounds good, right? Especially to a young mind! This is the issue, they are made out to have a huge upside and young individuals want to start seeing the results of the huge upside. The rewards are far outweighing the risks in these children’s minds. With a nation that has become totally engulfed in the sports world, and parents pushing their children more than ever to be successful in athletics, it is becoming inevitable that coupled with the maybe unintentional media praise, young adolescents are experimenting with the performance enhancing substances. There is scientific evidence that steroids increase the speed on a ball that is pitched and that they help to power home runs in the game, but do these stats need to be pushed into our faces everyday by the media? No, but they are. The media needs to focus more on the negative side effects of the drugs and quit pushing the positives into the face of Americans, and more importantly the face of our youth. The fact of the matter is that they are not only being used by athletes, but by non athletes alike. Not surprising considering the praise that we see every night on Sportscenter…coincidence…you decide!
I feel that this exercise really helped and will contribute a lot to my essay. I feel like it gave me a chance to vent and speak my mind and just let the world know how I feel about the situation. With this, I feel like I have made a lot of valid points, and I feel as if some of this piece could be considered for an introductory paragraph!