Anti Enhancement Drug Use In Sports

Karah Cleveland
American Government
Mon./Wed./Fri. 8:30 a.m. class
Due: Friday April 19, 2013









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Enhancement drug use in sports has been dated as far back as ancient times.
Although it is human nature to want to be the best competition, there are many
negative outcomes that many athletes do not take into consideration when making
the choice to take enhancement drugs. Enhancement drug use in sports is a pathetic
source for gaining strength and takes the pride away from many athletes that
deserve to be acknowledged for their actual work and training and not for taking
drugs that do that for them.
The legalization of enhancement drug use would not only be a detrimental
outcome of our future athletes health, but also take away the glory and pride from
the athletes and sports that is such a big part of our country. According to Gary
Becker, PhD and professor in the Departments of Economics, Sociology, and the
Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago, All kinds of performance
enhancers, like steroids and other forms of doping, have a negative effect on long-term
health. The athletes that are choosing to dope are not looking at the long-term affects
that these drugs have on their bodies. Many of the destructive side effects of doping
include, severe acne, tendon ruptures, high blood pressure, heart issues, Aggressive
behaviors, depression, inhibited growth and development, and even infectional diseases if
used by injection. You would think that those risks alone would be enough for athletes to
not want to dope; however, the importance of winning and being the best in sports for
many athletes takes over the common sense of what is obviously right and wrong.
Adding to the idea of right vs. wrong is the image that athletes portray to kids all across
the country. Many athletes are role models to kids everywhere. What image would you
want your children following? Using drugs to gain an advantage, or putting forth the
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hard work and determination to actually earn the benefits that come with winning? The
right answer should be obvious; the fact that although the right answer is very clear on
this controversy and is simply just being ignored is a shame to the sports themselves.
The lack of sportsmanship and morals that is shown through cheating to gain their own
self-righteousness is pathetic.
The opposing aggressors to this controversy back their point of view mainly with
the idea that it should be the athletes choice whether or not to use enhancement drugs.
According to Robert Simon, PhD, and professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College,
states that if people are free to make their own decision throughout their daily lives and
take their own risks, that athletes should be entitled to that same freedom. Also Norman
Fost, MD, MPH, professor and Director of the Medical Ethics Program at the University
of Wisconsin addresses his opinion that there is not a valid argument stating that using
enhancement drugs is unfair; for in his opinion, if the use of enhancement drugs was
unfair then in turn having trainers and coaching would need to be considered cheating
as well. Many pro drug enhancement believers view the legalization of doping as
leveling the playing field and thinking of doping as more of an advanced technology that
athletes should use to their advantage.
Through all of the research that I have done and observations of the opposing
sides beliefs, I have not found one valid answer to why enhancement drugs should be
necessary to play a sport to the best of your ability. No athlete should need to take drugs
to make him or her stronger, or to increase their agility. If so, they shouldnt be an
athlete, and do not deserve to be thought of as having actual talent. As for the
explanation that it should be the athletes choice whether they want to partake in taking
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enhancement drugs or not is an arrogant point of view to not see all of the fatal outcomes
that will come from that decision. In addition to the idea of athletes being able to choose
if they wanted to dope or not; legalizing enhancement drugs would influence many young
teens that aspire to be good athletes to take them as well. As it is already occurring while
many enhancement drugs are illegal, athletes would feel pressured to take drugs just to
keep up with all of the other dopers who are getting the recognition that they do not
deserve. The response that everyone should have to the idea that enhancement drugs are
a new technology for todays athletes and should be used fully to their advantage is to ask
whether or not that same technology is found when looking at all of the risks and side
effects these drugs will cause. The answer to that question is no, you have one body and
one life; the point of athletics is to be fit and healthy, not to put drugs into your body that
will impair you. The need to win has gotten to a shameful point and it is up to you to
make the right choice to keep sports safe. To ensure that the morality of America and the
heart of all of the sports stay true, it is essential to preserve the true meaning of winning.
To do so, it is important to not only keep the usage of drug enhancement in sports illegal;
but to also ensure this by increasing the amount of drug testing throughout the year.
Although increasing the amount of drug tests would be expensive, no one can put a price
on the health of the athletes or the morality of the games.
The conclusion to this controversy is obvious- there shouldnt be one. No matter
what the athletes reasoning is for using enhancement drugs, its wrong. The health risks
as well as the changing of sports as we know them would not only have negative effects
on the games but with sports being such a big part of our economy, that would be a
negative side effect for the country as well. Many of the people that believe in the usage
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of enhancement drugs do not feel that legalizing them would have any affect on our
economy or the interests that sporting games acquire. Though that might be true for
some people, I have faith in America that there are more people who hold their standards
for this country much higher than just their own entertainment. To not view the negative
effects of doping that have already been occurring to so many athletes today as a warning
to our future athletes is a mistake. If athletes really wanted to win in the long run, they
should be smart enough to take the warnings of negative side effects of enhancement
drugs and stay away from them. No matter the pressure put on them by society and the
competition of the pathetic athletes that do not have the strength that is really needed to
be a true athlete, which is the initiative to work for what they want and not take drugs to
cheat themselves and the sport itself.












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Bibliography

Markoff, C. S., (March 2, 2013). Sports and Drugs.
http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002352#Health