High School Sports Drug Testing Essay

High School sports to some people are very important to them because it can get them into a good college or they just like playing the sport they like to do. Then some people take High School sports to another level, like take illegal steroids to help them have a better performance. I believe this is wrong in every way, this is why I believe every high school team for every sport should be drug tested at least one during there season. This is fair to the team and to every school that they play against. Just knowing that every school has had to go through a drug test would make me feel better playing the sport I like to play. We all know that every sport doesn’t need steroids for you to be good at such as golf, ping pong, or skiing. There are some people in the United States that I'm sure are taking steroids. Not just at the high school level, even at college level and professional lever to.

According to the Chicago Tribune the Illinois High School Association may pass new legislation that would force anywhere from 700 to 1,000 student-athletes to submit to random drug testing at any time during their playing season and off-season.  The drug-testing program began last fall in Illinois and has since tested some 400 students would extend to postseason testing for 25 percent of Illinois high schools under the new law. While the notion of testing for anabolic steroids and stimulants isn’t an altogether new proposal for the IHSA, this new legislation would allow more frequent testing to more students and would also receive state funding.  this new legislation would allow more frequent testing to more students and would also receive state funding.

That it is mandatory to drug test of high school students not just for health but for their own health. While mandatory testing of high school athletes may be challenging and costly, the price of ignoring the problem could be even higher. In Robert Lipsyte article he introduces to a kid named David who has been using enhancement drugs. David has been taking steroids and his parents, his football coaches, and his high school team wants him to keep taking them, so he could be taking down other football players, and making his team a successful one to victory (para. 2). There are many side effects when it comes to taking steroids. Such as for David his face became bloated and his arms and neck became splotched with acne, signs that he was taking steroids. There is anecdotal evidence of teens committing suicide after quitting steroids.

There are only two sides to high school sports drug testing. One of the two sides of high school sports drug testing is being against drug testing. Many people belief that it is wrong to drug test because one of our cherished civil rights the right to privacy. Another was that a police officer came into a school without a warrant to search people’s backpacks, and sniffing dogs came and they found drugs (”Drug Testing"). Some of the people though that that was unjustified because the police officer didn’t have a warrant to search them. Also the other side of high school sports drug testing is being for it. High school athletes in New Jersey, Texas, and Illinois are tested for steroids and other illegal performance enhancing drugs.  So it would be better if teens didn’t know when they would be drug tested. Another season why people are for drug testing is because they think if people are cheating there way to make them self better, they should also get punished for their actions.

In all I still believe there should be drug testing in high school sports. It’s just not the way how sports should be by taking enhancement drugs and killing the sport you play in. Plus I know for a fact if you knew that you would be playing against people that are taking enhancement drugs you would be mad if you lost or would want to rat them out because you know that what they are doing is wrong. This is why there should be drug testing in high school sports to set boundaries on what they can do and what they can’t do.