Dan Hooton is not new the in the world of anabolic steroid use especially when it comes to the youth using these drugs. He is not a steroid user himself but someone whom he dearly loved once was– Taylor Hooton. Does the name ring a bell? For most, maybe not. That is because news of steroid use in professional athletes stays around longer than news of normal citizens suffering from the side effects of the drugs. Taylor Hooton was Dan’s 17 year old son. Taylor was pitcher in his high school baseball team. In order to make a cut, he began using anabolic steroids to increase in size and strength. Seven months later, the effect was not what everyone expected. Taylor was found dead in his room and the reason was due to the side effects of the steroid he used. Dan grieved for a while then turned his sadness into an advocacy to spread the word against steroid use. He formed the Taylor Hooton Foundation and has been active in different anti-steroid events since then. Just recently, Dan had contacted Alex Rodriguez to be part of this advocacy. A-Rod had gladly accepted the challenge.

From Kansascity.com:

Drugs have cost Rodriguez credibility and fans, maybe even a spot in the Hall of Fame. But it didn’t cost Rodriguez what it cost Taylor Hooton, and that’s why Rodriguez called Don Hooton last week and said he wanted to shake Don’s hand, sign up and spread the word.

Don told him to join the train; these days they need as many voices as they can get. And in some ways, Hooton said Friday, it’s good for the foundation’s target demographic — high school athletes — that Rodriguez messed up, got caught and came clean.

“It’s good for us when this is in the headlines,” Hooton said, nursing a cup of water and living the last week out of his leather briefcase. “When it’s in the headlines, we get to talk to people. As long as it’s on the front pages, the public has some appetite for talking about this. As soon as it’s not on the front pages, nobody wants to talk about it anymore.

“It’s painful for the public, but this is reality.”

Dan really doesn’t care if the professional athletes use steroids. He does mind, however, that the youth looks up to these athletes as their models. When their idols start using steroids, the youth think that it’s okay to do so. Dan’s main concern is making kids everywhere realize the negative effects of anabolic steroid use and he does this by sharing his story as well as the stories of those like him.