Androstenodione Essay, Research Paper

This past year a lot of things have happened in the

world. President Clinton could possibly be impeached.

Our government tried to once again take over Sadaam

Hussein. And Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs to break

Roger Maris? record of 61. During this extraordinary

event in the baseball world, one item of skepticism

clouded the entire accomplishment. During an interview

that he was giving next to his locker, a reporter

noticed a bottle on the top shelf. This bottle was

filled with a nutritional pill titled androstenedione, a

legal dietary supplement that is a

testosterone-producing drug that helps the body repair

itself after workouts. This repairment, in turn, helps

the person taking it build muscle faster.

Some sports fans, and some who are not, say that

McGwire?s record should be discounted due to the use of

this pill. I am not one of those people. What he did

this year was a personal accomplishment and while the

?andro? may have helped a little, Mark did this through

years of hard work in the batting cages. As a skinny

rookie in 1987, McGwire managed to knock 49 baseballs

out of the park. I think that 11 more years experience

in the league could provide a player with the experience

to chalk up another 21 dingers.

Now granted, I can see some skeptics points.

Androstenedione is a supplement that has been banned by

a number of sports organizations worlwide: the NFL,

NCAA, and the International Olympic Committee for

example. But Major League Baseball is not one of these

organizations. So why then should his record be nixed

for breaking a rule that does not even apply in his

sport? The answer is he shouldn?t. Mark McGwire is a

superb athlete who bettered his game by following the

rules. He did absolutely nothing wrong in obtaining

this once thought of unobtainable record.

Another aspect to look at is that Sammy Sosa also

had a tremendous year. This Chicago Cub hit 66 home

runs this year and he has never touched androstenedione.

How hard is it for a fellow slugger to hit 4 more? Not

that difficult if you are as high a caliber player as

McGwire.

Muscle building supplements have been used for

years in pro and college athletic programs. Creatine,

probably the most popular, is used by virtually every

major college in the country. Even your average weight

lifter uses it. Androstenedione is just one step higher

on the dietary scale, and only by a fraction. A

statement was issued by the Cardinal?s medical staff

concerning androstenedione when the supposed ?scandal?

surfaced. Now, there is a possibility that it may be a

tad biased but keep in mind that the ladies and

gentlemen that issued this statement are still doctors.

?Androstenedione is a natural substance, which is a

natural precursor product of testosterone. It has

no proven anabolic steroid effect nor significant

side effects. It stimulates slight increase levels

for a short period of time (1 hour). Taken

approximately one hour before workouts, it may make

one?s workout more efficient.

?Due to current research that locks documentary

evidence of any adverse side effects, the

Cardinal?s medical staff cannot object to Mark?s

choice to use this legal and over-the-counter

supplement.?

If doctor after doctor repeatedly defends

androstenedione as harmless and the FDA approves its

use, why all the controversy? Creatine is basically the

same thing and is used on a much more widespread basis,

yet no one questions its use. Why? I think that partly

the reason may be because Mark McGwire is so good and so

powerful. Roger Maris? record was never even threatened

up until this year. Living in the type of country we

do, people needed to find a bad side to everything that

is pure. Even if no rule was broken, the public accuses

anyway. If legal muscle enhancing products were

outlawed and everyone who used them had their records

revoked, the standard by which we measure athletic

greatness would be considerably lower.

Regardless of whether or not Mr. McGwire used a

muscle enhancing product or not, he accomplished a

spectacular feat. Something legal that he did should

not question the validity of that event. It is a sad

fact that a sports hero can break a once thought

untouchable record and now his name will forever be

flawed for no reason at all.