Question: Do you think that steroids should be allowed in professional sports under any circumstances? Would they change it a lot?

Jack Heal answered on 15 Mar 2013:

This is an excellent question, and a difficult one to answer!

I think they shouldn’t be allowed, for two main reasons. One is that the long-term effects are either not well known or thought to be damaging to the athletes involved. If anyone didn’t wish to take them, or couldn’t for some reason then they wouldn’t be able to compete at all. I think it would be damaging to sport because it would be even less fair than it is now. Lots of athletes wouldn’t be able to afford such drugs and it would make it even more difficult for athletes from poorer countries to succeed.
The second reason is that athletes are role models to so many people, especially young people and I think it would result in lots of people taking steroids where before they would not have wanted to do so. The long term effects on health could be really bad and this would cost lots of money to put right, and could damage lots of lives.

Having said that, part of me thinks it would be fun to keep pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved even humans, even with the use of steroids and the like. Perhaps there could be two sections for competition in sports: with steroids and without steroids. Athletes have to choose which one to compete in. I think this is a fun idea but that it would not work in “real life”. There still would be drug cheats in the “clean” section, and it would be damaging to the sports to divide the competitors in that way.

Brilliant question, sorry for the long rambling answer.

Shorter answer: no.