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Devyani Kohli
Professor Jackie
English 115, M/W 11:00-12:15
12 November 2014
If steroids are illegal, performance enhancements should be illegal as well
Sports is presenting your skills and talent in a game one loves. However, cheating has
played a important role in the game. Many athletes find that practice is not the only way for one
to exceed. They find ways such as steroids to enhance their performance in the game. However,
since it is illegal to use steroids, many athletes have found alternatives, such as performance
enhancement drugs and techniques to improve performance. Performance enhancement
substances can be coedine and techniques can be altitude chambers. However, these substances
still help an athlete outside the context of practicing. It discourages the moral of sports and
ethics in society. Using performance enhancement drugs gives similar results as steroids.
Performance enhancement should be illegal in sport settings as it will not reduce the amount
used by athletes, it will not equal the level of playing field, and it is unethical and holds no
morals in sport settings.
The use of performance enhancement substances, such as blood doping, will not subside
after it is legalized, but only increase cost. In order to legalize performance enhancement
substances, the government would have to enforce which athletes may be eligible for blood
doping. Athletes who are not eligible for intake of performance enhancements will find ways to
receive dosages. Weising states that athletes who were willing to take risks would search for the
most helpful doctor (para 4). Not only would athletes find doctors, but also find illegal sellers to
sell them performance enhancement substances. The government would also have to ensure

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safety of these substances. This would require, internationally coordinated, costly and
complicated regulations that would require considerable effort and result in extensive controls
(Weising, para 5). Performance enhancements come with side effects. However, allowing drugs
to reduce those side effects would have to be permissible, therefore introducing more control
laws. Another reason of how performance enhancement substances would not subside and
increase cost is finding verification of different substances. Different methods of performance
enhancement substances are created rapidly. Weising emphasizes that In most cases, a certain
amount of time elapses before new doping practices can be identified and verified (para 9).
Athletes would be able to find new methods and use these methods until doping control officers
are able to identify it. When athletes would go for drug tests, these substances would not be
identified. Athletes would still be cheating the system if performance enhancement substances
were legalized. Making performance enhancement substances illegal will not only help reduce
the cost and use of substances, but also equal the playing field.
Legalizing performance enhancement substances will not level the playing field. Injustice
in sports is already occurring. Many believe athletes are selected based on genetic lottery. For
example, stereotypes are that many Africans are good runners. Savulescu argues that legalizing
performance enhancement substances would help level the playing field. Many more athletes of
different race would be allowed to perform as well as the runners from Africa (para 17).
Legalizing performance enhancement substances will not reduce the genetic lottery. It will cause
another lottery of different reactions towards performance enhancement substances. Replacing
the genetic lottery with another will only cause more inequality. Weising proves that this will not
level the playing field. He explains how All athletes respond to the approved doping measures
in the same way and their performance improves in the same way (para 18). There would be no

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benefit in having a competition if all athletes give the same result. Athlete would struggle being
number one as all athletes are breaking the same records. It would affect the mindset of athletes.
Knowing that their performance enhancement substances are still giving their end result, will
only have them acquire more of this drug. It will increase the risk of strokes and cardiac arrest,
due to the amount of drugs and pressure being added into their system. Also the athletes who are
not taking performance enhancements substances or are not eligible for these drugs would have
the hardest times achieving to be number one. Generations of record breaking due to practices
would hold no value any more. Records that would be set would not be obtained through practice
and skills, but more due to the amount of performance enhancement an athlete took. Making
performance enhancement substances legal will not justify the inequality in sports. It will only
cause more substances to be taken, and more money the government would pay to control those
issues. Not only would this be an issue, but it is also unethical and holds no morals in sport
settings.
Legalizing performance enhancement substances will make the sport setting unethical.
Weising describes sports as being, an artificial setting, created by human beings, in which the
competitor is required to perform, at least according to current, widely prevalent belief, with a
degree of 'naturalness (para 28). Fans and sport watchers watch sports to see an athletes athletic
performance. The fascination of sports comes from athletes proving their skills through practice,
hard work, discipline, and natural talents. Athletes are shown as role models for children.
Wiesing states that, Sports are a model for most citizens (para 35). If performance
enhancement substances were made legal, many athletes would continue to violate the laws to
find ways seek to this substance. They would not be respecting the standards. The model
standard of working hard and practicing would be abolished with the use of performance

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enhancements being a booster to success. Children and adolescents would increase their intake as
they would view it as the only way to reach the pros. The ethics in sports would diminish if this
was legalized.
Many people and athletes argue that performance enhancement substances should be legal.
Authors such as Savulescu and Foddy believe that cleaning up drug use in sports is unattainable.
People should not waste their time fighting for a cause that will not subside. They believe that
making performance enhancement substances legal will reduce the amount of cheating in sports.
If performance enhancement substances are illegalized, In a few years, there will be many
undetectable drugs (Savulescu para 10). However, making performance enhancement
substances legal will continue the creativity of new drugs. Reducing the drug use to only
medical purposes will increase the productivity of drugs made by illegal sellers. Making
performance enhancement illegal, will help the government focus on the underground production
of performance enhancement and not have to worry about the cheating that will be used in sport
teams and medical facilities. Savulescu also argues that performance enhancements should be
legal as they are not a health risk. Rather than athletes paying a lot to do altitude training in the
mountains, they should be able to use PVC, hyperbaric chambers, and B blockers, under limited
us, to help them perform activities. However, these are substances and techniques that are
associated with cheating. Practicing in a high altitude climate helps a person, but they are
physically performing that exercise to get better. PVC, hyperbaric chambers, and B blockers,
may reduce the cost, however will increase health risks. PVC should be taken up to 0.5; however
Savulescu states that, elite athletes are more likely to exceed 0.5, either because their high
packed cell volume has led them to success in sport or because of their training (para 27). If
PVC gets above 50%, the risk of strokes and cardio myopathy can occur. When an athlete

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exercises, dehydration occurs. This causes blood to thicken, raising pressure and blood
viscosity. The risk for a stroke or heart attack will rise quickly as an athlete is only practicing.
Therefore, eliminating the use of performance enhancement substances will help reduce the risk
of athletes performance and life.
Performance enhancement substances should not be legal. Legalizing performance
enhancement substances will cause many athletes to find other ways to use these drugs. Genetic
lottery is a natural occurrence in sport settings and can not be changed with biological
advancement. It will only cause less competition and increase in health risks. People will see
the lack of skills being shown as performance enhancements only increase a persons
performance in a game. There will be no sport models for children and no excitement in
watching an athletes talent. Performance enhancements should be made illegal as it will reduce
the health risks, inequality, and increase morals and ethics in sports settings.

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Works Cited
Savulescu, J, B Foddy, and M Clayton. "Why We Should Allow Performance Enhancing Drugs
in Sport." British Journal of Sports Medicine, 38.6 (2004): 666-670.
Wiesing, Urban. "Should Performance-enhancing Drugs in Sport Be Legalized Under Medical
Supervision?." Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 41.2 (2011): 167-176.