Annotated Bibliography

1) Katz, Jeffrey. "Should We Accept Steroid Use in Sports?" National Public Radio. January 23rd, 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18299098

In this article we learn that steroids have become a legal problem in all forms of sports here in the United States. WIth that, Katz takes the liberty of stating a few of the general ideas that involve the debate of legalizing steroids in sports. He states that even until today people are skeptical, and are unsure what to believe. Experts are brought in the article, some in favor and others opposed to the motion of legalizing steroids in professional sports. Big names such a Norman Fost, Richard Pound, Julian Savulescu, amongst others.

2) Schmidt, Michael. "Inside a Tempting World of Easy Steroids." The New York Times. April 11th, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/sports/baseball/12steroids.html?_r=1&ref=steroids

In this article there is a main focus on steroids being used in the Major League Baseball, which has become a scandal, especially within 2000-2004. The article starts by stating the uses that a baseball player might have for steroids (based on injuries as well as seeking to perform better). Schmidt moves on to talking about how steroids have been banned since 1991 in the MLB, but players continued use (admittedly) even after the ban. Regulations (testing for steroids) in the MLB was only made possible starting in 2003. Basically, the article comes around the topic of whether or not steroids should be used in professional baseball, and if so, to what extent. In other words, the article discusses the use of steroids to recover from serious injuries. The case at hand in this article is whether or not steroids should be allowed in baseball, even if it is only for recovering players.

Thesis Questions

1) Should steroids be allowed for athletes who compete at a professional level?

Sports play a big role in how many jobs are available in society, as well as a form of entertainment for the rest. With this in mind, why are steroids banned completely when athletes take them to better perform at their craft/job?

2) What types of performance enhancers exist in the realm of professional sports?

3) Should there be a strict drug test on Olympic athletes?

Some countries hide the true results of the tests their athletes have, just so that they can compete without penalty (which is usually disqualification).