Dunks, Doubles, Doping: How Steroids Are Killing America’s Athletes
Mark McGwire. Barry Bonds. Marion Jones. How many professional athletes have put their careers on the line by using a substance officially banned from their sport? And why do they do it?
Despite the headlines, steroid use continues to be popular among professional athletes, and is now attracting a younger user base. Nearly 20 percent of male college students have used some
form of the drug, often just to make themselves more physically attractive. For professional athletes, however, stronger could mean a bigger paycheck, faster could translate to twice the
signing bonus, and tougher could be the difference between the minor leagues and the pro ranks.
The one thing that is safe to assume, author Nathan Jendrick contends, is that as long as money is fueling attendance, paychecks, and fame, athletes will continue to look for a secret edge. This poses a dilemma for many athletes and the people who pay them. Is a steroid user a cheater, or simply gaining an advantage from recent advances in science? Does a baseball fan care more about whether his favorite player is "doping," or does he just want to see the home run hit deeper into the stands? To answer these questions, Jendrick talks with Olympic athletes, professional bodybuilders, and doctors to examine the mindset behind steroid use, the mental and physical side effects, and how sport federations essentially allow doping to occur. He takes a look at famous athletes who have been caught, and what happened to their careers after the truth came out.
DUNKS, DOUBLES, DOPING is a timely and objective look at steroids and their use in American sports. It is a cautionary tale about how the desire for superhuman performance on the playing fields can be as good as putting a syringe in a player's hand.
The one thing that is safe to assume, author Nathan Jendrick contends, is that as long as money is fueling attendance, paychecks, and fame, athletes will continue to look for a secret edge. This poses a dilemma for many athletes and the people who pay them. Is a steroid user a cheater, or simply gaining an advantage from recent advances in science? Does a baseball fan care more about whether his favorite player is "doping," or does he just want to see the home run hit deeper into the stands? To answer these questions, Jendrick talks with Olympic athletes, professional bodybuilders, and doctors to examine the mindset behind steroid use, the mental and physical side effects, and how sport federations essentially allow doping to occur. He takes a look at famous athletes who have been caught, and what happened to their careers after the truth came out.
DUNKS, DOUBLES, DOPING is a timely and objective look at steroids and their use in American sports. It is a cautionary tale about how the desire for superhuman performance on the playing fields can be as good as putting a syringe in a player's hand.
