Books Works Cited

 

Works Cited Books

 

Egendorf,Laura,Performance Enhancing Drugs. San Diego Ca, Reference Point Press, 2007. Print.

 

Lead in: Laura Egendorf, a young adult book writer who writes about adolescents issues states how athletes are the apex of the social pyramid.

 

“ Few people are more admired in today’s society than successful athletes. Adolescents view them as role models, adults clamor for their autographs and companies seek them out to endorse products (Egendorf 8).

 

Commentary: Egendorf states that athletes are the pinnacle of the social pyramid. Adolescents wish to be them, adults wish they were them and companies want to use them. With all this commotion over this group of people athletes must sustain an elite status. In order for some athletes to be at this status all the time they turn to PED’s.  

 

 

Egendorf,Laura,Steroids.Detroit,Greenhaven press,2006.Print.

 

Lead In: Laura Egendorf a writer to young adults and children reports how society has create an image that athletes are perfect. However, this is untrue. 

“Athletes have enough trouble taking care of themselves. It would be great if they led perfect lives that we could hold up as shining examples for our kid, but that’s not the way it works for anyone in the real world” (Egendorf 41).

 

Commentary: Egendorf’s statement informs readers that athletes are only human. They make mistakes even though the public thinks they do not and are shocked when they do. Kids hope to be like their favorite athletes and parents influence their kid to be like athletes. This adds pressure to athletes to not only perform well in their sport but also be exemplary citizens. Athletes are expected to be above the general population in every aspect of excellence. This pressure on athletes is unfair to them and the scrutinizing of athletes by the media is blasphemy.     

 

Egendorf,Laura,Steroids.Detroit,Greenhaven press,2006.Print.

 

“One important consideration should guide our condemnations: Big Time Sport is Big Time Business. The Olympics is the biggest of the big, and the pressures to succeed are nearly overwhelming. Athletes are always seeking some edge over their competitors, and truth of the matter is that the use of steroids, if only they were legal, would be a legitimate reason for performance enhancing as any other” (Egendor 83-84).

 

Commentary: Egendorf states that the use of performance enhancing drugs is a legitimate reason to gain an edge. A sport is a business and if the use of PED’s helps the business than athletes should be able to use them. Egandorf explains that athletes already use substances that enhance performance that are legal however the use of PED’s has been banned. The use of PED’s are used to create business and athletes buy into using the drugs to please the public.  

 

Egendorf,Laura,Steroids.Detroit,Greenhaven press,2006.Print.

 

Lead in: Laura Egendorf, a young adult writer who writes about teen problem informs the public of what athletes really are.

“Athletes are, in the end, entertainers; nothing more and nothing less. Because we buy tickets that pay their salaries, they owe us their best effort” (Egendorf 41).

 

Commentary: Egendorf gives readers and understanding of what athletes really are. Athletes are simply entertainers. When athletes do not perform well like any other art they are scrutinized by the public. In order for athletes to cope with this criticism they either ignore it or improve. The publics standard for athletes is extremely high. Egendorf says they should give the public their best. However their fans who pay their salaries do not want their best they want wins. With this standard of an athletes best is not good enough if they do not win leads to steroid abuse. The caliber of talent is so hig in order to get an edge an athlete must turn to PED’s.

 

Landis Floyd,Loren Mooney Positivley False,Simon Spotlight Entertainment, New York,2007.Print.

 

Lead In:  Former cyclist Floyd Landis and young adult writer Loren Mooney show the mindset of athletes.

 

“I don’t want to get eleventh, I told him. I want to win. And if I don’t, I don’t care if I am eighteenth” (Landis and Mooney vii).

 

Commentary Landis and Money illustrate how cyclists always wanted to be first. If cyclists got anything less than that that would be like getting last place. With that much expectation on oneself this may lead to thoughts of cheating. If cyclists want an edge every time the use of PED’s can be an easy fix.   

 

Monroe,Judy.Steroids,Sports,and Body Image. Berkley Heights New Jersey: Enslow         Publishers,Inc.,2004. Print.

 

Lead In: Judy Monroe, a children and young adults writer of multiple biographies illustrates how young athletes hope to stand out to others. Athletes try to stand out by taking drugs to perform at a higher level.

 

“ These drugs may tempt teen athletes at a time when they are looking for a performance edge. Some may want to play well, hoping to earn a sports scholarship for college” (Monroe 9)

 

Commentary: Judy Monroe describes the situation of young athletes who wish to compete at the college level. High school students are pushed by parents, teachers and others to be at an exemplary level in every aspect of life. When it comes to sports in particular athletes have found a way to make achieving their goals easier. Athletes are tempted to take illegal substances to perform at a superstar level. This is a problem in America that athletic associations are hoping to solve.

 

Monroe,Judy,Steroid Drug Dangers,Springfield New Jersey, Enslow Publisher,1999.Print.

 

Lead in: Judy Monroe a children’s and young adults biographies writer states how steroids are from a mentality in society of getting ahead.

 

“The root of steroid use is society’s addiction to bigger, faster, stronger. The win-at-all-costs mentality[way of thinking] leads to cheating and unethical behavior” (Monroe 15)

 

Commentary: Monroe’s observation states how people in society always want the edge on their competitors. The society of today has a win-at-all-costs mentality. This mentality hinders Americans ability to cope with failure. This inability to accept failure leads to cheating and unethical behavior in order to achieve goals.

 

Monroe,Judy,Steroids,Sports and Body Image The Risks of Performance-Enhancing Drugs, New Jersey, Enslow Publishers,2004.Print.

 

Lead in: Judy Monroe a biography writer for young adults and children reports the first use of steroids in sports

“In 1954, reports of steroids used by athletes in a sport hit news. World weight-lifting champions were reported to be using the drug” (Monroe 16).

 

Commentary: Monroe’s statement shows the first involvement of the media’s fascination with the use of steroids. At the time using PED’s was not illegal. However, through the years society has found the dangers of using steroids. This constant documentation of the use of PED’s has frowned on using PED’s. However, these constant reports on PED’s have also advertised and influenced young athletes to use PED’s.  

 

Monroe,Judy,Steroids, Sprinfield New Jersey, Enslow Publishers, 1999,Print.

 

Lead in: Judy Monroe a young adult’s writer articulates how parents pressure their kids to take steroids to be better athletes.

 

“Sometimes parents push their teens into taking steroids. Phillip Halpern, a San Diego lawyer said, I’ve uncovered numerous examples of fathers getting steroids for their kids because they wanted their kids to be better athletes” (Monroe 26).

 

Commentary; Monroe exhibits how parents pressure their kids to take steroids to become good athletes. Parents always hope for the best for their kids and will do anything to help them achieve their goals. However, some parents push too far and pressure their kids into doing things they might have not done if not influenced by their parents. In this case it is using steroids to become a good athlete. Parents hope to see their kid become the next great athlete and when they watch how hard they work and when they fail parents will do anything to help them achieve their goals. Parents have become the greatest influencers of young athletes to use PED’s.  

 

Walker,Ida,Steroids Pumped Up and Dangerous,Bromal Pennsylvania, Mason Crest Publishers,2008.Print.

 

Lead In: Ida Walker a young adult writer who reports the problems in society that interests young adults narrates that PED use in sports is not a new thing.

 

“Although steroids have often been in the news during the past few years, they are not a new discovery, and neither is the desire to perform and look better. Some researchers have suggested that even the athletes of Ancient Greece took a little something to give an added boost to their performance level and to heighten their masculinity” (Walker 15).

 

Commentary: Ida’s quote narrates how steroids have been around since the Ancient Greeks. The media has portrayed steroids as this completely new way of cheating. However this is untrue, steroids have been around since sports themselves and people have been using them for the same reasons of looking and feeling better. This quote emphasizes that even through all the advancements in society we still have the same mentality of thousands of years ago.