Pressure to Perform: Steroids and Supplements in Sports

As early as the 1960s, players in the National Football League (NFL) have been using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to boost their game performance. Beginning in the late 1980s and up to the early 2000s, Major League Baseball (MLB) was in its “Steroid Era,” when the majority of players were using PEDs. In his book “Juiced,” a novel about the steroid era, former MLB player Jose Canseco, who played from 1985-2001, said that close to 80% of MLB players were using steroids at the time. Since then, the use of PEDs has been banned, but athletes are still looking for benefits through different protein supplements. Many star athletes promote protein supplements through brand deals or even go as far as creating their own companies to sell protein related products such as Tom Brady with TB12 or LeBron James with Ladder.

The use of supplements, such as protein powder and preworkout have become common among teenagers. A’nai Alvarez ’26, who uses protein powders, said, “[Supplements] give you more energy and help your body recover faster and better after everything you put it through.” Alexander Sukhodolsky ’27 compared it to less controversial options: “I think it is just replacing coffee or eating a bunch of chicken.”

While the use of supplements has become more widespread, there are still lingering concerns when it comes to whether or not teenagers should be allowed to use them. Since the human body is still growing through your late teens and early twenties, there are worries that these supplements affect growth in a negative way. Maeve Phipps ’27 believes that supplement use should be restricted for younger kids: “Some supplements can have negative effects that are not good for growing kids but high school is a good age to start.” Dylan Gerard ’27 agreed, “Age absolutely matters when it comes to using supplements because people should be very cautious using something that could potentially mess up a biological process.” Alvarez disagreed, saying  that people may need to use supplements for other reasons: “Supplements can be used for a number of different reasons so you can not really put an age restriction. I think anyone who needs them should use them.”

Along with age concerns, some people believe that using supplements could be considered cheating. Hopkins students tend to disagree with that agenda, like Annabel O’Malley ’28 who stated, “No, I don’t think it's considered cheating because I don’t think it had that much of a significant effect on game performance.”  Sukhodolsky agreed, “I think it is completely fine as long as they are not taking performance enhancing drugs or anything that an Olympic athlete can not take.” Phipps added how supplements can be a helpful alternative: “Everyone needs protein and it is a quick way to achieve your protein goals without having to cook.” To avoid cheating, Gerard advised that “high-school athletes should be allowed to use supplements, but ideally be held to some sort of standard, like the NCAA anti-doping laws, which would keep everyone on the same playing field.”

Athletes tend to use supplements due to pressures from outside sources. Phipps noted that these pressures normally stem from the media: “College super stars or influencers go to extreme measures to get a certain build.” Alvarez agreed,“I think if you play a certain sport you might feel pressure from coaches to be faster or stronger but never bigger. Runners have times to meet and wrestlers need to be able to fight their opponents." Sukhodolsky spoke to internal pressures as well: “I think it is just the nature of competition, being more physically capable than your competitors. You see the advantage and everybody wants to win so that leads to pressure.” Daven Kaphar ’27 simply stated, “There is definitely pressure to be faster and stronger.”

In the future, the choice to use protein supplements will ultimately be up to the athlete. With proper education and clear standards, athletes can make informed choices about what is right for them when it comes to supplement use.