Steroids in Baseball

The habit of steroid use among professional athletes is not uncommon in sports arena. Over the past decade, athletes have been charged with the use of performance enhancement drug namely the anabolic Steroid. The reputation of these athletes has been tarnished after they openly admitted to the allegations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Steroids in Baseball specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it is common knowledge that the use of performance enhancement drugs in competitive sports has been perceived with a lot of negativity (Frounfelter Brandley 113). Fans and other stakeholders in sports have unanimously agreed that using anabolic steroid, for instance, give users a competitive edge and hence provides uneven playing field for athletes who engage their physical strength during sports such as baseball. The debate on steroids use in baseball gained popularity in 1991 when a ban was put in place. However, t esting among the major league players did not start until in 2003. The results were heartbreaking as many players were confirmed to have used steroids at least once in their sporting activities (Miah 316). Today, MLB is at crossroads of whether to carry out medical test on steroid use among baseball players due to the increase in franchises value derived from promotion of high performing players. This essay explores the use of this enhancement drug as well as the actual and perceived economic results of steroid use. In addition, the economic cost of steroids to players is also analyzed. Mass entertainment sports The use of performance enhancing drugs can be viewed on the board of the rise and fall of mass-entertainment sports. According to Yesalis (112), the use of performance enhancement drugs can be traced back to ancient Roman and Olympic times. Players would use herbs and mushrooms for performance improvement.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if w e can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This gave them a competitive edge in the game. The trend has not been consistent since the use of this drug diminished during the post-Roman and pre-Modern era only to be revived during the nineteenth century (Del Cid 180). The rejuvenated use can be traced back to the role of the media in promoting sports as a form of entertainment. Media has promoted the use of performance enhancement drugs as successful players are glorified through numerous sponsorships which translates to appearance in highly paid adverts (Del Cid 182). The media has also increased attendance to the matches which translates to higher income for the franchisee, players and their coaches (Del Cid 184). Economic motivation The perceived economic value of steroid use has led the players to ignore the harmful effects of their actions. According to health experts, prolonged use of steroids can pose adverse effects to the user. Therefore, its usage should be prohibited at all costs. Miah (318) observes that the harmful effects of steroid use can be analyzed both empirically and theoretically. From the empirical point of view, regular use of steroid is unhealthy but there is lack of clear explanation on whether these harmful effects occur when one participates in sports (Dec Cid 175). If the use of steroids is permissible during recovery, why does the issue of harm arise when the same drug is used during sports participation? The claim based on harmful effects might be less supportive especially when we consider the harm that faces the baseball players in terms of injuries (Dec Cid 176). Steroid use and the affected victims Perhaps, it is vital to investigate who will be hurt when steroid is used to boost performance of an athlete, say in baseball. From the theoretical perspective, paternalism assumes that the steroid user is an adult capable of understanding the risks involved (Frounfelter Brandley 125).Advertising We wi ll write a custom essay sample on Steroids in Baseball specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the same note, it is also worthy to consider an individual hit by a fastball when in a baseball pitch. The latter can be equally fatal although the fatality may not have a long term impact on the victim. Furthermore, the use of steroids has been opposed due to the indirect harm on non-users. For instance, non-users may start using the harmful drug to keep up with the veteran users. The argument might seem plausible from a face value but not when we consider the risks involved in training so as to ‘keep up’ with the rest of the team. All players have to undergo the rigorous physical training rest they fail to ‘keep up’. Sometimes, training sessions are risky but are not prohibited just like the use of steroids (Yesalis 23). Test for steroids by MLB Apart from the moral and ethical issues on steroids use, the questions on whether a player should use steroids or not can be analyzed in economic terms. Miah (308) explains that baseball players used steroids in hope of achieving utility. This can be actual or perceived. The economic motivation behind steroids use is to build the body muscles and gain strength in order to increase productivity. In baseball sports, fans are always attracted to the player whose offensive is above average. The fans might not care whether the prowess is enhanced by use of steroids (Miah 309). Offensive prowess derives positive economic benefit which translates to increased salary for the player. By extension, the economic benefit can be translated to the increase in league franchise finances which has dramatically rose post-steroids era. MLB value has risen post-steroids era which poses the dilemma of whether to test for steroid use or not.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Economic punishment and benefits of steroids use On the other hand, the positive economic benefit will also attract negative benefit because of the high price of steroids and the resultant cost of health related problems associated with steroids use (Rosen 706). In addition, steroids lower a players’ life expectancy which is considered to be a negative economic cost (Rosen 708). The shortened lifespan will economically cost a player of his or her pension’s benefit which would have been earned in future (Rosen 709). Finally, the expected economic punishment will be perceived when the player is caught up with in terms of legal fees and loss of glory (Rosen 701). This may also translate to economic loss incurred through hefty court fines and the tedious, time-consuming criminal justice process. In summing up, the argument for and against the use of steroids in baseball sport depends on an individual’s point of view in regard to moral issues associated with using pe rformance enhancement drugs. The debate raises issues based on the harmful effects associated with steroid. It is upon a player to decide whether the actual or perceived benefits outweigh the associated economic cost. Medical scholars agree that steroid use medically harmful and should be prohibited to protect athletes. However, the paternalism theory assumes an adult should be left alone to make decisions about his /her own life. Works Cited Del Cid, Hector. â€Å"Winning at all costs: Can major league Baseball’s New Drug Policy Deter Kids from steroids and maintain integrity of the Game?† Sports Law journal 14.169. (2007): 170-193. Frounfelter, Gregory Brandley, Greg. â€Å"Ethical considerations regarding Anabolic- Androgenic Steroid Use: Emphasis on the Exercise Professional.† An international journal for exercise physiologists 3.12 (2000): 112-136. Miah, Andy. â€Å"Rethinking Enhancement in Sport.† Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1093 ( 2006): 301–320. Rosen, Sherwin. â€Å"Prizes and Incentives in Elimination Tournaments.† American  Economic Review 76 (4), Sept. 1986, 701-715. Yesalis, Charles. Anabolic steroids in sport and exercise: New York: CIP, 2000. This essay on Steroids in Baseball was written and submitted by user The Anarchist to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Impost and the Abacus in Architecture

The Impost and the Abacus in Architecture An impost is that part of an arch from which the arc swings upward. If a capital is the top part of a column, an impost is the bottom part of an arch. An impost is NOT a capital but is often on top of a capital that has no entablature. An impost needs an arch. An abacus is a projecting block atop a columns capital that does not hold up an arch. The next time youre in Washington, D.C., look up at the columns of the Lincoln Memorial to see an abacus or two. The Impost Block Builders of what is now known as Byzantine architecture created decorative stone blocks to transition between columns and arches. Columns were smaller than the thick arches, so impost blocks were tapered, the small end fitting on the column capital and the larger end fitting onto the arch. Other names for impost blocks include dosseret, pulvino, supercapital, chaptrel, and sometimes abacus. The Look of Imposts The architectural term impost may date back to Medieval times. The interior of the Byzantine-era Basilica of SantApollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy is often cited to illustrate the use of imposts. Built in the early 6th century (c. 500 AD) by the Ostrogoth King Theodoric the Great, this UNESCO Heritage site is a fine example of both mosaics and arches in Early Christian architecture. Note the impost blocks above the capitals of the columns. The arches spring upward from those blocks, which are traditionally highly decorated. Todays American homes reminiscent of Mediterranean or Spanish architecture will exhibit architectural features of the past. As was typical of imposts hundreds of years ago, the imposts often are painted a decorative color that contrasts with the color of the house itself. Taken together, these images show the transition of the column (3) to the arch (1) by way of the impost (2). Origin of the Word Impost has several meanings, many of which may be more familiar than the architectural definition. In horse racing, impost is the weight assigned to a horse in a handicap race. In the world of taxation, an impost is a duty imposed on imported goods   -    the word is even in the U.S. Constitution as a power given to Congress (see Article I, Section 8). In all of these senses, the word comes from a Latin word  impositus meaning to impose a burden onto something. In architecture, the burden is on a part of the arch that holds it up, denying gravitys attempt to bring the weight of the arch to earth. Additional Definitions of Impost The springing point or block of an arch. - G. E. Kidder Smith A masonry unit or course, often distinctively profiled, which receives and distributes the thrust of each end of an arch. - Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, The Impost and Arch in Architectural History Nobody knows where arches began. They arent really needed, because the Primitive Hut post and lintel construction works just fine. But theres something beautiful about an arch. Perhaps its mans imitation of creating a horizon, creating a sun and a moon. Professor Talbot Hamlin, FAIA, writes that brick arches date back to 4th millennium BC (4000 to 3000 BC) in the region known today as the Middle East. The ancient land called Mesopotamia was partially enveloped by the Eastern Roman Empire during the long period we sometimes call the Byzantine civilization of the Middle Ages. It was a time when traditional building techniques and designs already developed in the Middle East combined with the Classical (Greek and Roman) ideas of the West. Byzantine architects experimented with creating higher and higher domes using pendentives, and they also invented impost blocks to build arches grand enough for the great cathedrals of Early Christian architecture. Ravenna, south of Venice on the Adriatic Sea, was the center of Byzantine architecture in 6th century Italy.   Later still, it came gradually to replace the capital, and instead of being square at the bottom was made circular, so that the new capital had a continuously changing surface, from the circular bottom on top of the shaft up to a square of much larger size above, which supported the arches directly. This shape could then be carved with surface ornament of leaves or interlacing of any desired intricacy; and, to give this carving greater brilliance, often the stone beneath the surface was deeply cut away, so that sometimes the entire outside face of the capital was quite separate from the solid block behind, and the result had a sparkle and a vividness which was extraordinary. - Talbot Hamlin In our own homes today we continue the tradition begun thousands of years ago. We often decorate the impost area of an arch if and when it protrudes or is pronounced. The impost and impost block, like many architectural details found on todays homes, are less functional and more ornamental, reminding homeowners of past architectural beauty. Sources G. E. Kidder Smith, Source Book of American Architecture, Princeton Architectural Press, 1996, p. 645Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, Cyril M. Harris, ed., McGraw-Hill, 1975, p. 261Talbot Hamlin, Architecture through the Ages, Putnam, Revised 1953, pp. 13-14, 230-231Photo of Lincoln Memorial by Hisham Ibrahim/Getty Images (cropped); Photo of Spanish-style home by David Kozlowski/Moment Mobile Collection/Getty Images (cropped); Photo of colonnade and arches inside the Basilica of SantApollinare Nuovo by CM Dixon Print Collector/Getty Images (cropped); Illustration of an impost by Pearson Scott Foresman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Racism in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Racism in America - Essay Example The quote from one of the characters named Hilly Holbrook in the book or movie ‘The Help’. His words show racism that is in Mississippi. In America, racism was once prominent but it is going down with time (Cozic and Dudley). After her return, Skeeter became uncomfortable with the way the house bits of help were treated by her friends. Her friend Hilly had a separate bathroom for the blacks her reason being that her family may get infected with the black’s diseases. Because of this, Skeeter decided to publish a book by the name ‘The Help’. At first, the maids were reluctant to share their problems with her, but they later felt that their problems could be solved. One of the maids named Aibileen shared with Skeeter after finding out that her friend had been fired because she used her bosses’ bathroom. Minny, the maid, who was sent away, also shared her story. She later finds a job in Celia’s mansion who is Johnny’s wife where she i s treated well compared to the other boss. One of the themes that are both in the book and the movie is racial injustice. This theme is more evident in the book than the movie because in the movie Skeeter takes a seat to talk to Aibileen about her idea of publishing a book. This could not have occurred in the book as there was an apparent difference between the whites and the blacks. This is manifested in the way that most blacks are the ones who are employed by the whites and they are being mistreated because of their color. Aibileen who was a dedicated house help has spent almost her life taking care of white children. Minny also is a maid and because of her outspokenness, she always gets fired. This shows that blacks are not allowed to give their views because their views are considered to be of no importance. Racism is also seen when Hilly, Minny’s boss fires her after finding out that she used their bathroom during a thunderstorm instead of using hers which is outside th e house. Hilly believes that blacks have diseases and therefore they have to use their own bathrooms. This is evident when he says, â€Å"All these houses they are building without maid’s quarters? It’s just plain dangerous. Everybody knows they carry different diseases than we do† (Stockett 8). Hilly spoils Minny’s reputation, making it difficult for her to find a job. Minny’s daughter, therefore, has to stop schooling and look for an occupation as a maid. Aibileen finds a job for Minny where she is treated better than where she was before. Skeeter later finds out that their maid Constantine was sent away because her mother did not want Constantine to be seen by other guests during a celebration. Her mother was guilty about it but they found out that Constantine died just after leaving Jackson. Aibileen was sent away after Hilly insisted that she had stolen silver from her boss Elizabeth. The second theme both in the movie and the book is class an d gender. However, it is more evident in the book than the movie because, in the book, the difference between the social classes is more intense. The whites do not share the bathroom with the blacks than in the movie where we see the maids sharing bathrooms with their bosses. This theme is prominent when we see that most ladies in the area went to the university to look for husbands.