| Every time you turn on the T.V., pick up the | | | | me wrong, I'm not saying that all high school coaches |
| newspaper, or read the sports news on ESPN, you | | | | cheat but the ones that do make it look bad for all the |
| hear about some athletes cheating using steroids or | | | | other coaches who do right. Winning is the reason for |
| some other drug. These days you can't tell the good | | | | cheating in the small minds of high school coaches |
| guys from the bad guys anymore. | | | | who do cheat. |
| How and why has sports gotten this way and why | | | | Yes, everyone loves a winner. Your name is in the |
| are players doing this? I think the answer is money | | | | paper all the time, you're talked about in ways that |
| when we are talking about the pro athletes. Think | | | | make you greater in people's minds, and everyone |
| about this: the better you are as a pro the bigger your | | | | wants to be with a winner. Winning can bring bigger |
| contract will be. The longer you can play in the pros | | | | paychecks and better coaching jobs. But in the weak |
| the more big money you're going to make. The players | | | | minds of some of these coaches who feel the need |
| do it because they don't think they will get caught but | | | | to break the rules they often don't see the big picture |
| how many times have we all seen that most of these | | | | and, like most cheaters, they feel that they will never |
| players in fact do get caught. These pro athletes who | | | | get caught. |
| feel they need to cheat can't hide their wrongdoings, | | | | The coaches and student athletes who do play by the |
| the truth always comes out. To me, it hurts sports | | | | rules keep doing so because in the end, the cheaters |
| overall and sets a real bad example for the kids who | | | | will get caught and winners who don't cheat great |
| look up to these pro athletes. | | | | things will always find them. |
| There is always some kind of sport on T.V. all the time | | | | The downside of cheating is that the punishment can |
| and kids have their favorite players. It's bad when a | | | | be very hard. Just look at someone like Pete Rose a |
| pro athlete gets caught cheating especially if it is one | | | | great baseball player who bet on baseball games. His |
| of your favorite players. You feel bad and sad in | | | | cheating is why he's out of baseball and will never get |
| some ways because you look to this player for | | | | back in. Pete Rose has paid a heavy price for all of his |
| inspiration of some kind and sad because it hurts when | | | | wrongdoings and no matter what he says or does he |
| that player lets you down. | | | | will never get back in baseball. |
| Cheating is telling kids that if you're not that good just | | | | Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire are great baseball |
| cheat to get better and you can someday make it to | | | | players who hit big home runs but used steroids just to |
| the pros. The young kids will say, "The pros do it, why | | | | hit those home runs. They cheated and the fans who |
| not me?" | | | | once loved them now hate them. These once great |
| What happened to hard work to be the best and | | | | baseball players looked good breaking all of those |
| developing your talent and skills to make it to the | | | | records but look at the shame they have brought onto |
| highest level that you can? It has now dropped down | | | | themselves. Every day in the media the talk is about |
| to the high school level. There are high school athletes | | | | Barry Bonds and steroids-- was it worth it to use |
| who use steroids. Their reason, of course, is to get | | | | drugs, to get over in baseball, to cheat? The once |
| bigger, faster, and better and to land that all-important | | | | great homerun record now means nothing. It's just a |
| scholarship to a big university and make it to the pros | | | | number now that has no value. Most people could |
| where they can get paid and use more drugs. I hate it | | | | care less about that baseball record now like they |
| when I hear stories of drug use all the time and now | | | | once did when Hank Aaron broke it back in 1974. |
| the high school kids are doing it and that's crazy! | | | | There's talk about Reggie Bush the football player who |
| These are high school student athletes who are 16 | | | | plays for the New Orleans Saints and cheating and |
| and 17 year olds who are made to feel that, by taking | | | | taking big money and houses and cars while being at |
| steroids, in some way will make them into a super | | | | USC. If found out to be true then USC would have to |
| athlete! | | | | forfeit their national championship and Reggie Bush |
| Why is there so much pressure on high school kids | | | | would have to give back his Heisman Trophy. Was it |
| anyway? The reason there is pressure on high school | | | | worth all of that Reggie? |
| kids is because winning games is about scholarships, | | | | The list of cheaters goes on and on for great athletes |
| money, and fame, attention from the bloggers and | | | | but when caught the penalty is harsh and their names |
| from the message boards, from radio, newspapers, | | | | are dragged through the mud like a dead horse. |
| from T.V. Think about it; no one is talking about the | | | | At the high school level of steroids use, the price has |
| players who are sitting on the bench. | | | | been known to be deadly. There are stories out there |
| There are things that go on every day in young | | | | of young men dying because of this stuff. What about |
| people's lives that we will never understand. Pressure, | | | | the professional athletes who used steroids for a long |
| in the minds of some high school student athletes, must | | | | period of time? What's going to happen to them when |
| be at times overwhelming. You hear stories of high | | | | they're in their late 40's and into their 50's? I'm sure |
| school coaches breaking rules all the time from having | | | | they will develop some kind of health problems. When |
| grades changed or fixed to recruiting players to their | | | | you think about it, it is drugs that they are putting into |
| schools. My question is why? Why do some high | | | | their bodies. |
| school coaches feel the need to cheat? Aren't they | | | | In the end, cheaters never win but winners always do. |
| supposed to be the leaders out there? Now don't get | | | | |
