...Illegal Drug Use in Sports Drug testing in professional sports should be at random times and professional sports leagues should have stricter policies on drug testing. Performance enhancing drugs give professional athletes unfair advantages that are unfair to the athletes who do not use performance enhancing drugs. When athletes use performance enhancing drugs it affects their health and if they are caught when drug tested the athlete can face severe punishments. Consequently, if an athlete is caught using performance enhancing drugs it sends a negative message to young people that often look up to professional athletes. If drug testing was not required in professional sports, some athletes would gain an unfair advantage. Performance enhancing drugs have been used from all the way back to the Greek Olympics through present day. The first drug tests began in February 1968 at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France. "The IOC instituted its first compulsory doping controls at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France in 1968 and again at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City in the same year. At that time the list of banned substances issued in 1967 included narcotic analgesics and stimulants, which comprised sympathomimetic amines, psychomotor stimulants and miscellaneous central nervous system stimulants [including alcohol]. Although it was suspected that androgenic anabolic steroids were being used at this time, testing methods were insufficiently developed to...
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...Darius Crane Dr. Byron Stay Mount Writing Seminar March 6, 2012 Should There be Stricter Regulations for Drug Use In Professional Sports? Major sports leagues have a serious problem, which are performance enhancing drugs. Performance enhancing drugs seem to find their way into just about any major sporting event or organization. Even though there are penalties for those caught using performance enhancing drugs, they still seem to be prevalent among some of the biggest names in sports competition. A big reason for this is that the punishment given to those caught cheating does not have the punitive ramifications for possession or using a controlled substance that society expects. Even as advanced as the testing is for these substances, the guilty athletes are given the chance to prove that the test result was a mistake on the part of the laboratory conducting the testing, the fault of their trainer, or an over the counter supplement from a local health food store. Performance enhancing drugs are having a negative impact on all sports, and because of this, it will effect how future athletes conduct themselves. Most athletes will say that the drive to win is the reason that they use performance enhancing drugs. They feel that they are leveling an uneven playing field because no athlete today makes it on talent alone. They have to be on something. With the window of opportunity being so small and several trying to get through it, many athletes...
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...Drug use has reached an all-time high in the sports arena. The need to succeed, be among the elite, financial gain, and the pressure to win are some of the many reasons that drugs are found in sports today. Drugs in sports range from therapeutic drugs, performance enhancement drugs, and recreational drugs. Drugs in sports are found on various levels of competition such as: high school, college, and professional sports. High school athletes' are using enhancement drugs so that they may receive a college scholarship, collegiate athletes' are using drugs so that they make it to the professional level, and professional athletes' are using drugs to make sure that they stay among the elite. Drug use in athletics have led to suspensions of players, athletes being banned from that particular sport, and ultimately death. There are many reasons for using drugs in sports, with performance enhancement being one of the top reasons, but no one will ever understand why athletes risk their career and lives. A concern for the public is the fact that athletes assume these risks just to be among the top competitors of sports. Drugs are a danger to the health of athletes. Drug use to enhance performance is unethical, and using drugs is illegal in today's society. Drugs in sports is unethical because the focus of winning and succeeding overshadows the real reasons for playing sports such as the love for a sport, natural talent and ability, and hard work to be among the elite. Athletes are thinking...
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...Running Header: At What Cause Will Athlete Stop Using Performance Enhancer At What Cause Will Athlete Stop Using Performance Enhancer Kha’Lashia Ketchum Axia College of University of Phoenix COM/120 Sandy Lacer Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports A performance-enhancing drug in sports is a big thing these days. Athletes are using them to increase their ability to win. Ethically speaking at what cost do we say enough. Think about their lives, by continuing to take these form of enhancement what effect will they have in the long run. Maybe if we understand the types of drugs, the side effects, health risk, and consequence of taking drugs. Athletes would stop using these forms of performance-enhancer. The type of Drugs Athletes Take Athletes use many different types of performance-enhancer in professional sports today from pills to steroids; they will even go as far as self-injecting their own blood as a dope. Blood Doping is where the athletes take there own blood and injected in their bodies to produce more oxygen in their blood in order to increase their chances of win. The positive thing about doing this is that it makes it easy for the athletes to breathe a longer time, which give them a better chance for winning. “Athletes have always been aware of the possible benefit of improving oxygen carrying capacity in endurance sport, hence many train at altitude. More recently athletes have used blood doping – in which blood is taken off...
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...Definitions A drug is considered to be any chemical substance which when taken into the body, alters the body's function either physically and/or psychologically. Drugs may be legal (alcohol, caffeine and tobacco) or illegal (ecstasy, cocaine and heroin) (Hemphill, 2009). One such class of drug is known as performance-enchancing drugs. Hemphill defines a performance enhancer as any drug or treatment that improves an athletes level of achievement through physical and/or mental means (2009, p.315). Though others see a performance-enhancer as more then just a drug or treatment, but as ways of training/ recovery technologies and innovations which improve performance (Savulescu et. al, 2004). Innovations is quite a broad term, but in terms of competitive sports it is referred to as the development of new or altered training and recovery techniques which are introduced into competitive sports to gain any athletic advantage possible, this being mainly of new technological advances (Loland, 2009). Affirmative Performance-enhacning drugs are ethically different from innovations and technologies in sport as performance enhancing drugs can potentially damage the health of those taking them, while anyone using them is gaining an unfair advantage and how the morals and the spirit of sport is affected by the use perfromance-enhancing drugs as compared to innovations in sports. The health of athletes in sport has always been a number one priority by sporting governments, while drugs do improve...
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...There have been, in recent times, calls to legalise drugs in sport. Despite the difficulties, drugs should still be kept out of sport. The arguments for legalizing drugs in sport which are put forward by various different sources include that spectators want to see the best performance possible, the use of drugs is viewed as necessary by some commentators because they suggest that top athletes can not improve further without performance enhancing drugs. Further, it is sometimes argued that if athletes are told they can’t take performance enhancing drugs, then this is being paternalistic. If members of the general population are able to make the choice about taking drugs, after considering the health risks, then athletes should have this right too. Drug testing is thought to be ineffective and costly. If drugs were to be legalised in sport, this would save the money used on drugs testing. It is also...
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...Drugs. Performance-enhancing drugs, something world-class athletes use to get better at something they are already amazing at. How one would define the term “doping” is the use of substances and any other available methods of artificially enhancing performance in a sporting event. Steroids initially began in weight-lifting, continuing on the major pro sports. As of today, one in a pro sport uses these to either keep up with daily physical challenges and commands, or gain an advantage over an opposing team or player. Steroids in all athletics should be banned because of it sets a bad example, ruins sportsmanship, has harsh physical effects, and because steroids are a form of cheating. Doping can be used anywhere, not just in sports. But when...
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...“An alarming number of sports—baseball, football, track and field, and especially cycling—have been shaken by doping scandals in recent years,” reports Scientific American (Schermer, 2008). The performance enhancing drugs are becoming needed good for some athletes in order to succeed. There is a tremendous clash of ideas, what path we should take in according to these types of drugs. The million-dollar question is to legalize them or not. In “Good sport, bad sport” published in The Age, Julian Savalescu and Bennett Foddy (2004) argue that the use of performance enhancing drugs should be legalized in sports because it is not “against the spirit of sport.” First of all, the authors introduce the issue of using drugs in sports as something that has been around for a long period of time, even in the Ancient Olympics. Savalescu and Foddy then explain that the elimination of drug use in sports is failing. They say the athletes’ desire to win is a lot of times stronger than staying clean. In addition, Savalescu and Foddy argue that performance enhancing drugs do not doubt the spirit of sport. In their view, making human biology more effective symbolizes the human spirit. They say that sports are about striving to be better, and drugs allow athletes to do that. Savalescu and Foddy also claim that sports today are aimed against people without genetic predispositions to be the best, and so taking drugs would equalize people with different genetic predispositions. In their opinion, the...
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...Performance enhancing drugs (also known as PED) are legal and illegal substances used by professional athletes to enhance their performance. Performance enhancing drug use by professional athletes is a topic of medical, ethical, and social debate. PED usage by professional athletes has advocates arguing that the negative health consequences reported are grossly exaggerated and they contend that it’s an athlete’s personal decision to accept any potential harmful health hazards. They believe that performance enhancing drug usage is just part of a sport’s natural progression and nothing more than the incorporation of enhanced training approaches and new sport technologies. Additionally, they believe that the use of PED by professional athletes helps them to achieve the highest levels of athletic performance and puts a better product before the public. Opponents of performance enhancing drug use by professional athletes argue that their usage is extremely harmful, and possibly lethal to an athlete’s well-being. Such use makes a professional athlete a fraud, gaining an unfair competitive advantage, violating the competitive spirit of athleticism, and sending an immoral message to youngsters. Opponents further argue that the use of performance enhancing drugs by professional athletes is unethical behavior. PED use is one of the most controversial and talked-about issues in professional sports. The professional sports most impacted are baseball, basketball, and football, which...
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...the weight room and has earned a starting position on his team. The team has recently been winning more, and many of the players are using a new performance enhancing drug. Paul’s teammates are always reminding him that it is not a banned substance, and the coach has turned a blind eye to the whole issue. Paul told me that his coach is making some changes, and he may lose his starting position. He is starting to think about actually taking this drug so he does not lose his spot. The dilemma is that Paul could just take the drug, and get to keep his position as a starter. Since the drug is not listed as banned, and the coach ignores its use, it should a good choice. No one will ever know. There are a few things that could be done to resolve this dilemma: * I could tell Paul to stand his ground, and not take the drug. He could let his talent stand on its own. I would tell him that taking the drugs could be dangerous, and its simply wrong. * Paul could go to the athletic director to let them know what is going on. This may not be a suitable decision because of his loyalty to his teammates. This is a delicate situation, and it is to be taken seriously. Core Beliefs As a Christian, the issue is clear. Regardless of what sport you play, performance enhancing drugs should never be used. They are illegal. Congress has banned...
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...Cole Cunningham, Thomas Glenn, and Michael Vasquez 11/17/13 Jeanette Laredo English 1320.017 Risk-Enhancing Drugs – Is Winning the Only Thing? How far would you go to win? The culture of sports revolves around the goal of winning, this mindset forces athlete to take risk; however, does this ideology cause athletes to make bad decisions. One of the biggest issues in sports today is the use of performance-enhancing drugs as a way of “cheating” in order to get an edge on opponents. From the high school level all the way up to the professional level, men and women have been caught using these drugs, which are banned. It is easy to see the positive effects of using these performance-enhancing drugs with athletes becoming faster, bigger, and stronger; however, these athletes and there spectators don’t realize why these performance enhancing drugs are actually illegal, especially college students who are the major risk takers. Attached to the natural benefits of these drugs that make athletes feel closer to achieving their dream of winning are health risk, reputation risk, and loads of other negative effects of using PEDs. Enrolled in the University of North Texas, the authors of this paper have created a blog in order to appeal to the athletes here at UNT in order to help educate them on the exact reasons why these performance-enhancing drugs are illegal and to help persuade them against using them. In addition to reading and learning about the negative effects of PEDs, we have...
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...Kori Bogard Dr. Karin Mendoza Intermediate English Composition (ENGL-2989-076) 29 March 2013 Word Count: 1,766 Steroids should be legalized Abstract The use of steroids and illegal performance-enhancing drugs appears to be growing in professional athletics. More and more high profile athletes are being busted for their use and consequently ostracized by fans and those in the athletic community. Beyond that, there are thousands of other professional and amateur athletes who have resorted to these drugs as well. As someone who has found a passion for all things fitness, and aspires to open up my own gym and train athletes someday, this issue is of high importance to me. Although many have accepted steroids as illegal and a type of cheating, these drugs should be legalized in sports. While it is widely accepted that performance-enhancing drugs pose health risks, I think it is the athletes’ own choice whether or not these risks are worth the benefit. In this research, I will argue why it makes sense to lift the current ban on steroids in professional sports. The effects of steroids are well known. They will help increase athletic performance and they also come with negative side effects. In a study done by clinical biochemists, it was found that use of anabolic steroids combined with exercise was highly effective. This research took 43 volunteers and divided them into four groups. One group of people took a placebo pill and exercised, one group took a placebo with no exercise...
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...Ethical issues regarding the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports In the history of 20th century sports, specifically in the post World War 2 era, there has been an ever increasing use of performance enhancing drugs in all avenues of sport. Sports have become money making machine for both athletes and big business and the “win at all costs” attitude which has permeated itself into all aspects of professional and college level athletics. Winners make money, losers don’t. The temptation of fame, notoriety and million dollar contracts in all venues of sport is a lure for many athletes. Elite professional athletes are worshiped in today’s society. This paper will elaborate on the use of performance enhancing drugs in the sporting world and the associated sports ethical issues. It is a majority belief in all sporting circles that the “true” spirit of sportsmanship does not allow any aspect of performance enhancing drugs. There are several arguments both in favor and against the use of performance enhancing drugs which will be presented and discussed in this paper. While addressing this ethical issue, we need to define the term ethics. Ethics can be defined as the socially accepted norms and values. These norms and values are varied from society to society and are based on culture and tradition. Ethics also could be defined as the unsaid, un-written and understood laws that prevail in a society. Ethics also cover what is right and what is wrong in society and teaches...
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...negative to his home run record. The expressions from them are very different from wild enthusiasms and cheers when he broke Mark McGwire’s single season home run record because Bonds is under suspicion for steroid use. Beside in these cases, major leaguers’ performance enhancing drugs stories rise out many different way such as Jose Canseco autobiography, Mark McGwire admits he uses the steroids and goes on to hit a then record 70 homers. According to the MLB official site, the investigation of MLB organization found that 5 percent to 7 percent of 1438 tests were positive about performance enhancing drugs during the 2003 season. The Major League player were used performance enhancing drug and even existence of the drug policy keep under suspicion about it nowadays . So, I think MLB need to improve current performance enhancing drugs policy. According to the MLB official site, Major League Baseball’s drug policy joint drug prevention and treatment program is established by agreement after the 2004 season between the MLB Players Association and the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball in order to ban baseball players’ performance enhancing drugs including anabolic steroids and other illegal drugs. There was one unannounced mandatory test for each player and random tests to selected players with no maximum number from the start of spring training through the end of the regular season.(Findlaw, 2005) Moreover, there was random testing during the off-season...
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...How are performance enhancing drugs (PEDS) affecting the future of sports? Although many PEDS are banned by the USADA, there is a reason why some should be allowed. The war between sports and drugs has been going on for a long time and is affecting all sports. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), is the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American sports in the United States. They try to preserve the integrity of competition , inspire true sport, and protect the rights of athletes. Drugs not allowed by the USADA include erythropoietin, anabolic steroids, stimulants, human growth hormone, and diuretics. The USADA collects urine and blood samples to test for drugs. They inform athletes of the results of their drug tests and also manage any potential anti-doping rule violations....
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