Steroids and performance enhancement drugs have become a problem in sports today. The usage of these illegal substances have ruined careers, tarnished legacies and brought to the surface many questions and doubts about the players and the games that they play.
Yet according to local coaches, this controversial trend isn’t prevalent at the high school and collegiate level.
In professional sports such as Major League Baseball, players like Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, and most recently Alex Rodriguez have been involved with steroids. These players were and still are favorites among their fans but have taken on an enormous amount of criticism due to their choice to use illegal substances.
Some believe that these athletes are under so much pressure to perform that they feel as if they need to constantly find a way to better their bodies and their abilities. Most of these professional athletes are under huge, million-dollar contracts by their respective teams. Some players have blamed it on the pressure to perform better than the next guy. Some have blamed it on the media and the pressure that they seem to put on the players.
Student athletes are under a tremendous amount of pressure as well, if not more, according to Highland High School varsity baseball coach Steve Holloway.
“The college thing is more of a job. It’s really tough to balance athletics with academics. That’s the pressure.”
As a young individual trying to make it to the next level, there are many decisions that have to be made. According to Holloway, grades are more of an issue than performance enhancement drugs.
“Steroids aren’t going to make you smarter. College recruiters care about your grades and your attitude,” said Holloway.
Bakersfield College coaches share the same opinion as Holloway.
BC football head coach Jeff Chudy has never encountered a problem with steroids, and most of that is due to the price of these drugs.
“I think the steroid issue in this day and age comes down to a cost thing in the community college system.”
After seeing so many athletes ruin their health and even die (such as pro wrestler Chris Benoit), the only people that even entertain the idea of using steroids are those professional athletes trying to keep their job, according to Chudy.
“It was probably more prevalent five or ten years ago,” said Chudy. “Everyone is testing now. There’s more knowledge out there now.”
BC baseball head coach Tim Painton has been involved in college baseball for 27 years, 14 of which have been with BC.
“Baseball has become a target for supplements and steroids,” said Painton.
“Now they are testing at the Major League level. It’s obviously cost-prohibitive for us to test it at our level of play.”
Painton said that they do occasionally run across players on other teams where you know exactly what they’re doing. In baseball, it’s tougher to hide muscles that have been gained through scientific help. You don’t have huge shoulder pads like you do in football. Still, he doesn’t feel it is a major problem at the community college level. “I think the problem is minor if there is one at the community college level,” said Painton.
The coaches all share the same opinion that hard work is still the best way to achieve greatness.
Coach Painton is optimistic about the future of banning steroids throughout every level of play.
“They are cleaning up the game at the Major League level and hopefully that filters down.”
These coaches also share the same opinion when it comes to pressure and how these particular student athletes handle that pressure.
“Players who really believe that they have what it takes don’t do steroids” said Holloway. While steroids seem to be a big stain on the world of sports, local student athletes are still doing it the old-fashioned way, the safe way, and, in many people’s opinion, the right way, said Holloway who has faith in those athletes.