Today, many children and teenagers look up to professional athletes.  Without knowing they begin to follow their role models actions and they can affect their lives.  They swing the bat the way they do, or imitate the way they celebrate after a touchdown or goal.  When teens athlete role models begin using steroids, could this have an effect on them trying steroids?  This issue of athletes taking steroids gives teenagers the impression steroids are ok.  More teens have been caught using steroids to improve their performance, just like their role models have done.  Being a star athlete means training the healthy way.  Role models for teenagers need to set an example by eating the right foods, practicing, and strength training without the use of drugs.  
         Athletes that use steroids believe it should be legalized because they have the right to put their bodies in danger.  Steroids are very dangerous and give athletes an unfair, unnatural advantage.  Athletes should be people to look up to and set examples for young ones.  Studies show that steroids can cause serious developmental and health problems in teens.  Many steroids that teens take because of their role models are created in unclean and illegal conditions.  Steroid users who inject the drugs with a needle are at risk for infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, if they share needles with others.  People who use dirty needles are also at greater risk for contracting hepatitis, a disease of the liver.  Harming your body or getting disqualified aren't smart ways to try to improve your athletic performance.  Experts have stated that the steroid use among teenagers is increasing rapidly, nearly half a million teens have used steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in recent years. The use of steroids among high school athletes is at an all time high.  The main reasons behind athletes taking steroids are unrealistic expectations they have for themselves.  They believe it is an easy way to stay ahead of the competition.  Nowadays it isn't the professional athletes we are concerned about its they teenagers.  Steroids have more impact on younger users, causing health problems.  Athletes are role models and the use of steroids is not a real role model.  They are not only affecting themselves but the younger generation convincing them the use of steroids is an excepted drug.