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William Jordan

Dr. Guenzel

ENC 1102

12 April 2020

Achieving Notoriety: The Marketing Pressure and Use of Steroids for Athletes

Doping, or using PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) are something that is not widely

talked about in common conversation when professional athletics are considered. Whether they

are being used by athletes, fitness models, or just the common gym goer, these drugs are a taboo

across common conversation. Personally, my experience with seeing how people interact with

these drugs is almost as if they are trying to catch-up with the world around them, a world that is

bigger than them, a world they are trying to fit into. My motivation for researching this topic was

to find out what drew people, athlete specifically, to the lengths of taking these substances, as

well as to provide information so that younger athletes don’t fall into the patterns that is plaguing

modern professional sports. I believe it’s important to inform the general public on something

that is veiled from the public eye of the media. Friends of mine that I grew up working out with

have taken steroids and I have been able to draw some first-hand research just based on my

experience of seeing how it effects the specific people. One thing I noticed is that steroids are

very addictive, which I didn’t know before. Guys who have only taken a real cycle or two, as in

stayed on their diet and took everything seriously, know that steroids are very addictive and hard

to kick at the end of a cycle when you start losing some size.

The Athletic Argument

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The use of anabolic steroids in sports is something that is often kept underground by

professional teams. This doesn’t not mean that they aren’t heavily marketed within these teams

and in the media. Why wouldn’t a professional athlete be tempted to take this offer? The boost in

strength and performance would make any professional athlete a household name. All they must

do is pass occasional drug tests and buy these drugs, which shouldn’t be a problem as they are

already being paid a fortune. Some may claim that it the risk is greater than the reward, and the

gain from the drugs is marginal from their already incredible talent. This is relevant in the case of

Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida or Manny Ramírez, as commonly known among baseball

fans. Ramírez, since he has stopped using PEDs has since been playing in the Taiwanese

Baseball league, a significant downgrade from the American Major Leagues. A sports illustrated

articles written by Jon Tayler states that “Ramirez, who will be 42 on May 30, last played in the

majors in 2011 with Tampa Bay, when he retired in order to avoid a 100-game suspension for a

positive drug test. He spent 17 games with Oakland's Triple-A team in 2012 and 30 games with

the Rangers' Triple-A squad in 2013 but posted an OPS under .700 both years and didn't get a

major league at-bat.” (Tayler 1)

The use of anabolic steroids in professional sports was most popularized by Arnold

Schwarzenegger during his professional bodybuilding careers throughout the 1970s. His success

of being named Mr. Olympia- the highest prestige at the most popular show throughout

bodybuilding history- 7 times from the decade of the 70s, an accomplishment that has only been

matched by three other people in the history of the sport. Arnold states in an interview in 1977

that “Steroids are taken 8 to 9 to 10 weeks before competition… it was something that everyone

had to do to get an even chance to compete” (Schwarzenegger)

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This idea is perpetuated into modern bodybuilding also. A lot of my own personal

childhood friends are pursuing bodybuilding as a career path. They have experimented with and

are currently using some forms of Performance Enhancing Drugs. As they have chosen to stay

anonymous for obvious reasons, they have allowed me to interview for my research. I referred to

them as pseudonyms throughout my research. My first interview started off with a simple

question: How has the popularization of steroids affected your view on the sport you compete in?

My first response was from Joe S, one that personally interested me the most. “Steroids are the

only thing that will keep you talked about in this sport. Everyone wants to see freaky physiques

that don’t look real, and you’re not getting that in drug tested federations. Nobody cares to pay

attention to natural body building because their physiques can’t compare to ours. I’m not pro yet

but them (PEDs) are a huge part of deciding how my career plays out.” (Joe S) I was particularly

interested the using of this language because it proves that it becomes something these athletes

depend on when they compete in bodybuilding. The second question I forced from these athletes

was thus: How have they (PEDs) affected your achievement in your sport? While the first three

athletes I asked this question to decline to answer, I was given one satisfying answer from Jack J

who was surprisingly open about his use. “Let’s put it this way- I won the first show I ever

competed in and am in prep for my first national pro-qualifier, all the guys who compete at my

level locally and claim they are natty (slang for natural/ never used steroids) know they don’t

have a shot when they are next to me on stage, and the judge realize the same thing.” (Jack J)

This didn’t come as a shock to me, as I knew what this athlete was referring to and had seen the

local show, they weren’t lying. If this wasn’t enough to prove that marketing of these drugs was

something very real in this sport, my second question allowed for me to dig deeper into what

happens behind the curtains- Were you marketed steroids on your level of your sports. Again I
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was fascinated by one of the answers I was given, “Hell yeah it is- every time I open my

Instagram all I see is muscle that I know ain’t achievable without ‘em (PEDs) The way I started

was (Mike B, his coach) telling me what to take and how to take ‘em. He told me I wasn’t gonna

make a name for myself unless I was really lookin’ for a next level edge-something that would

make the crowd gasp when they looked at me.” (Miles Q) I had already considered the direct

marketing through coaches as I myself had stared down syringes while being told it’s “giving

them that edge” (Bob W) What I hadn’t considered was the subliminal marketing through social

media. This type of marketing is much more subtle- something that you would only notice if you

were familiar with the sport and how heavily anabolic steroids are used at the top level. To

young competitors with a grasp of this concept, wanting to look superhuman like a lot of these

top level athletes taunts you when you see it on your social media feeds because you know there

is only one way you’ll get there.

Subtle marketing on social media isn’t the only type of marketing that shows its face.

Twitter is a dark place. With a few keyword searches including “steroids” I was able to pull up

all kinds of links to websites in which athletes could purchase PEDs and have them shipped

wherever they want. This tweet from @bigupshop2 states “#Steroid courses on relief https://big-

up.shop/stati/steroidcourses-on-relief.html... Any body-builder wants to not only gain muscle but

also look beautiful. They call bodybuilding as ‘the sport of smart people’ and it’s hard to

disagree.” This type of marketing is significantly more dangerous to young impressionable

minds.

The Ethical Argument

The use of PEDs so early on and at such a massive scale helped guide my research while

opening my mind to the idea of just how immense the history of this drug use is. It made me
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question how these drugs effect you. These drugs have since been popularized and made their

way into more underground scenes. Nicholas Wade details in “Science” published by America

Association for the Advancement of Science states that “Anabolic steroids feature heavily in a

drug subculture that includes bodybuilders, professional footballers, and strength athletes such as

weight lifters, shot-putters, and hammer and discus throwers.”(Wade 1399) Having this

background information about steroid use in professional sports helped me be able to build upon

my research and dive deeper into each “sub-culture” of steroid use.

While doing my research I realized something that the sports my prior source mentioned

were mainly Olympic. The Olympics, being the place where all the top athletes in the world

represent their country for the soul purpose for bringing fame and glory to their people. I figured

American pro-athletes were using anabolic, but I never considered how they would play into the

world stage. I considered the use of these drugs on such a huge scale to be hard to pass by, due to

the comprehensive drug testing to keep these competitions fair. Thomas H. Murray considers this

in his article in The Hasting Center Report, “The Coercive Power of Drugs in Sports”. He

outlines a Gold Medalist’s confession from 1973 to the open drug use in the Olympics. “’It was

not unusual in 1968 to see athletes with their own medical kits, practically a doctor’s in which

they would have syringes an all their various drugs… I know any number of athletes on the 1968

Olympic team who has so much scar tissue and so many puncture holes in their backsides that it

was difficult to find a fresh spot to give them a new shot.’”(Murray 25)

Terry Black makes a point when mentioning that “But the point is that, if the tests are less

than foolproof, some cheating, and therefore unfairness, can result. So, rather than making

sporting contests fairer, the drug ban in fact has turned sporting events into unfair contests

between users and non-users of drugs.”(Black 102) Black makes a fair point, but with faulty
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logic. I’d liken her argument to the selling crack. Selling crack is illegal, but some people do it

and never get caught. So, according to Black’s logic, everyone should be able to sell crack

because the law system isn’t 100% reliable. Black uses this-elevate the playing field rather than

constricting it-logic without thinking about how it affects the athletes themselves or the game

being played.

The Logical Argument

The topic of ethics when steroids are in the conversation is something that can’t be

denied. Ethically, wanting to be at the top of your game is something that wants to be achieved

by all. But the way people go about it is debatable. This is elaborated in Richard Posner’s “In

Defense of Prometheus: Some Ethical, Economic, and Regulatory Issues of Sports Doping”

where he states an interesting metaphor. “Suppose an otherwise naturally gifted baseball player

has below-average eyesight. Should he be permitted to wear glasses? Or to have surgery to

correct nearsightedness? How about surgery that would give him 20/10 vision rather than

20/20?”(Posner 1728) This is an interesting thought that’s very controversial. To compare the

use of anabolic steroids to having glasses isn’t a fair comparison. Being put at a disadvantage is

something that is uncontrollable, such as having a disability. Likening having a genetic eyesight

problem to taking anabolic steroids to better your game and put you above the competition can’t

be fair. Leveling the playing field and putting yourself above it is two different things.

I think an important thing for people to understand is that these athletes are under an

immense pressure and doing whatever it takes to be the best is something these individuals take

very seriously. Thomas Murray makes a powerful analogy when he says, "If we had a drug that

steadied a surgeons hand's and improved her concentration so that surgical errors were reduced at

little or no personal risk, I would not fault it's use."(Murray 30) This analogy holds weight
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because it likens a profession that others see as important to that of a professional athletes career,

that the athletes themselves see as a life-or-death scenario. I also believe it’s important to keep in

mind that professional sports and overall notoriety cannot reasonably compared to the

importance of surgery, and at the end of the day the players personal choice of giving in to the

pressures around them should not effect how these sports are regulated.

Conclusion

Regardless, after reviewing research and the dangers of PEDs, I conclude that the use of

anabolic steroids in professional sports should remain prohibited. Alternatives to steroids should

be staying natural and incorporating a proper training spilt with consistent and high intensity

workouts. Those workouts paired with a diet high in protein, carbohydrates, and calories will

allow for these athletes to have natural longevity in their field of play.
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Works Cited
“#Steroid courses on relief https://big-up.shop/stati/steroid-courses-on-relief.html...Any

body-builder wants to not only gain muscle mass but also look beautiful. They call Bodybuilding

“the sport os smart people” and its hard to disagree. @BUGUPSSHOP@ 10 Feb 2020

https://twitter.com/bigupshop2/status/1226825538293112838

Alegre, Sara Martín. “ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, MISTER UNIVERSE?

HOLLYWOOD MASCULINITY AND THE SEARCH OF THE NEW MAN.” Atlantis, vol. 20,
no. 1, 1998, pp. 85–94. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41055492. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Black, Terry. “Repeal the Ban on Drugs in Sport for Fairer Contests and Reduced Health
Risks.” Agenda: A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform, vol. 4, no. 1, 1997, pp. 101–
106. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43199409. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Interview Miles Q, Jack J, Johns S, Bob W, by William Jordan, 2/19/20

Murray, Thomas H. “The Coercive Power of Drugs in Sports.” The Hastings Center Report, vol.
13, no. 4, 1983, pp. 24–30. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3561718. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Posner, Richard A. “In Defense of Prometheus: Some Ethical, Economic, and Regulatory Issues
of Sports Doping.” Duke Law Journal, vol. 57, no. 6, 2008, pp. 1725–1741. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/40040631. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Schmidt, Michael S. “Manny Ramirez Retires After Testing Positive.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 9 Apr. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/sports/baseball/09ramirez.html.

Schwarzenegger, Arnold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiHu6Y6UOdI

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Wade, Nicholas. “Anabolic Steroids: Doctors Denounce Them, but Athletes Aren't
Listening.” Science, vol. 176, no. 4042, 1972, pp. 1399–1403. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/1734568. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.