PED's Anyone?

Steroids and performance-enhancing drugs were all over the news this past month when Alex Rodriguez was called out for using them...again, as well as some Alabama football players and Ray Lewis (who definitely used something considering he recovered from an injury that usually takes 6 months to come back from and he did it in only 10 weeks).  However, I have a question for you, dear reader - would you use performance-enhancing drugs?

Let's look at a hypothetical.  You're a talented but not great baseball player and have been stuck in the minor leagues for years with no real hope of ever making the big leagues and you now have two options.  Option 1)  Continue as you do now and never make it to the highest level of baseball, continue traveling on buses, sleeping in crappy hotels with four guys to a room, using shitty training equipment, and getting paid peanuts for your play.  Option 2)  Take some steroids, make the big leagues, travel on team charter flights, sleep in nice hotels, get to use the best equipment, sign endorsement deals, get free stuff like meals and cars, and possibly sign a multi-year multi-million dollar contract that will set you and your family up for life.  So, which option would you choose?

If it were me, I honestly would have to lean towards Option B.  It's hard to pass up millions and millions of dollars when the only downside is a couple of health problems and a tarnished legacy if you are caught.  Look at it this way, Alex Rodriguez is still owed over $100 million dollars even though his reputation as a cheater is established.  Do you think that bothers him?  Maybe a little, but he is rich as hell and when you can buy a tropical island, what people think of you shouldn't matter that much.

All I'm trying to say is that if taking performance-enhancing drugs leads to the kind of money that you when you wake up in the morning the biggest decision of your day is picking which car you want to drive to the golf course, I'm taking those drugs and not thinking twice about it.  And if that is the way I think then all of the over-competitive athletes out there are going to take them too just so they can have an edge over their opponent.  That's exactly why the Baseball Hall of Fame did not admit anyone into the hall this year because all of the nominees thought the same way.

"Another upside about taking steroids is that you look like an entirely new person in case you are trying to flee from the police or something."