Justin Gatlin, Alain Baxter and Lance Armstrong are just 3 of thousands of athletes to be accused of doping. Taking drugs to enhance your performance in sport is completely forbidden. The dictionary definition of the word ‘cheat’ is ‘to act dishonestly or unfairly to gain an advantage’ and this is exactly what drug cheat’s do. When athletes make the decision to take performance-enhancing drugs (PED), they might as well be making the decision to end their career and destroy their reputation. Millions of children in every sport around the world look up to someone and to think that athletes who are aware of this knowingly abuse their success by taking PED is disgusting. For athletes now, with the technology available, to expect to slip under the …show more content…
At just 20, Gatlin made the decision to cheat and was of course caught and banned. Since his first ban of 2 years, later shortened to 1, he was naïve enough to believe that maybe next time he’d get away with it? No chance. He was caught for a second time in 2006 for testosterone and was banned for a further 8 years, shockingly he found himself, for a second time, with a reduced ban of just 4 years. Although Gatlin’s sportsmanship is entirely non-existent and his reputation as an inspirational athlete is demolished, he continues to compete in …show more content…
Baxter won a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The celebrations didn’t last long for the Scot. Just days after returning home he was accused of doping and stripped of his medal and title. However Baxter remained adequent that he was, and always had been a clean athlete. Further investigation proved that methamphetamine was found in his sample. Methamphetamine is more commonly known as ‘speed’, and is a banned substance. The investigation showed that the substance had come from a Vicks inhaler. As Alain had become ill while training a few days prior to his race he had purchased this inhaler. What he was later to discover was that the ingredients used in the US Vicks inhaler differed from that of the UK version. Completely unexpectedly Baxter had inhaled a miniscule dose of methamphetamine. Although only a tiny amount of this substance was found in his system, his bronze medal was snatched from him. This tiny amount being just 20 millionths of a gram. Baxter has since been cleared of all charges, and the IOC also admitted that the volume of methamphetamine would not have affected his performance. Although Baxter has the memories of an incredible achievement he is also haunted by the shadow of being accused
In “The Real Scandal,” Sharon Begley and Martha Brant develop an argument against the tacit allowance of the use of “banned” performance-enhancing drugs among Olympic athletes. The 1999 Newsweek cover story details incidents involving individual athletes caught using banned substances, the continuous race between the discovery and detection of new performance-enhancing drugs, and examples of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) complacency. In particular, the authors question the validity of the IOC’s current drug testing policies and protocols within the context of their self-defined role to “lead the fight against doping in sport” and “encourage and support measures protecting the health of athletes” (Organization). In order to better argue against doping in sport and advocate for more efficient and rigorous drug testing, Begley and Brant employ emotional appeals, logic, and a kairotic stance within their writing to persuade their audience of the necessity of firm action by the IOC and the worldwide community on the subject of performance-enhancing drug abuse.
“It 's important that athletes can compete on a level playing field. And youngsters coming into the sport can know that if they are working hard and training hard, they 'll see a true reflection of where they stand and what they can achieve worldwide and not be swayed by people who are cheating.” This was said by Paula Jane Radcliffe, a long-distance runner and Olympian. Cheating in sports is considered to be immoral. In sports there are many different forms of cheating. Whether it is illegal taping, bribes, or foul play, it is never the way to go. Undoubtedly the most extreme and controversial form of cheating is through the use of PEDs, better known as Performance Enhancing Drugs. There are many different types of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The two most popular being anabolic steroids and
Steroids are ruining sports in the United States, and they are also going to ruin future athletes if the United States does not put a stop to it. Many young athletes in the United States are taking performance enhancing drugs because they see that professional athletes are doing it and getting results. These teenagers are using steroids because they want to look muscular and fit, but they are not aware of the negative effects steroids have on their bodies. Young athletes do not know that they are not only risking their careers but also their bodies. Steroids may make a person look muscular and fit, but at the same time, it is ruining their heart. Steroids also cause people to act differently and do foolish things like using other drugs. Parents can prevent steroid use by teaching their children about it at a young age and staying involved in their children’s sport lives. Steroids have ruined professional careers. They ruined Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, and Barry Bonds’ careers and almost ruined Alex Rodriguez’s career. Professional athletes use steroids to improve their performance which is cheating. The game is not fair if someone is performing better by using drugs, and everybody should be performing with what they got. There are many different ways to achieve what they want in fair and healthier way. Many high school athletes are using steroids in the United States. They are not doing it under a doctor’s supervision; therefore, they are ruining their bodies without them knowing. Many of these athletes are looking at the outcome only and not what there are doing to their bodies in addition to getting stronger, muscular, and fit. All governing sport bodies in the United States need to take steroid testing seriously and give at...
The question of drug use among athletes in what was previously considered by the unknowing public to be a rather pristine sport, cycling, is important in that it will affect all future Tours and will place them and the athletes under scrutiny. To begin with, in Europe until the 1998 scandal occurred, despite a few exceptions, cycling was considered a drug free sport. The 1998 drug scandal tarnished the Tour de France and the reputation and image of other sports. The media response to the scandal took differing positions on what should be done next to clean up cycling. The scandal also affected advertisements, sales, and without question the 1999 Tour and Lance Armstrong. Since even the most naïve fan no longer trusts the cyclists, drug-testing procedures have been instituted. Also, the question now arises regarding medications used by seriously ill cyclists.
Athletes put their lives in danger by using performance enhancement drugs. They use these drugs to gain physical advantages for their sporting events. These methods have been around for thousands of years. According to research, “In ancient Greece, Olympic athletes would ingest huge portions of meat that contained testosterone and creatine before they competed. They would also consume large quantities of alcoholic beverages and lamb testicles” (“Steroids”). Today, sportspersons have a drug policy due to health hazards, violence and incapability’s of normal performances. From lamb chops to steroids, many athletes are willing to destroy their bodies to become “popular” legends.
Performance enhancing drugs are not fair in sports. First off, they are a form of cheating. Most athletes work in the weight room and sacrifice their time. They work hard to use their natural talents and abilities, PED’s give the players an undeserved and unfair edge over his or her peers. “It is not fair to those that are naturally talented or work hard to remain in shape for another to come in and take the spotlight because they have decided to take the easy route” says a individual from Debate.Org. Along with giving the player a trump card, so to speak, it gives the whole team an advantage. Therefore, the whole team or organization is now cheating! “Hard workouts can not have the same benefits as PED’s, this makes the users have an advantage.”
Athletes are always searching for ways to enhance their performance. Recently, beginning in the 1950s, that search has included the use of illegal substances like steroids and growth hormones. Illegal substances have been used widely by athletes in hopes of achieving the desired Olympic gold medal or multi-million dollar contract. Some nations, for example the late East Germany in the 1970s and 1980s, have mandated the use of steroids by their athletes. The downside of using those illegal substances is that because they are illegal, getting caught using them can lead to losing that coveted gold medal, a lifetime ban from sports, and a total loss of honor and dignity.
Currently it is an estimated that at least 6.67 percent of high school seniors in the United States have tried steroids, which is 500,000 males between the ages of 17 and 18 (Anabolic Steroids). The pressure of steroids on teenagers is constantly drilled into their heads because they associate increased strength with perfection. Teenagers are under immense pressure to be perfect. Kids are pressured to do well in school, sports, and any other activities that they are participating in. Anything other than the best is unacceptable and failure which strikes and leads to disrespect. Failure has the sole purpose of tearing people from their self confidence and lending them to be insecure, questioning their abilities and themselves. It does not help that kids have role models that choose the easy way to accomplish their goals. It also sends a message to those who admire them that taking certain sacrifices to reach self-goals and standards are very much acceptable. Hard work and determination has become something of the past when it is possible to do the same amount of work and receive results faster if you just take a couple risks. Steroids should not only be banned from sports, but athletes who are found to have used steroids should receive a more distinct and severe punishment. No matter how it is said or defended steroids truly are cheating. Steroids are becoming a substitute for hard work and determination.
Since drugs have become easier to get they have also become more popular with young people and competitors in sports. During the mid-nineteenth new drugs emerged from the laboratories athletes started to be experimented on. The French tried using caffeine to enhance their performances. While other Europeans were mixing cocaine and heroin to give them extra energy they called this drug “speedball”. In 1886 this deadly mix contributed to the first drug related death in sports by taking the life of a cross-country cyclist. Today the drugs have changed dramatically many athletes have done or are on anabolic steroids, amphetamines, depressants or what are known as “ brake drugs”.
It is amazing what athletes will do to achieve higher levels of performance and to sometimes get the extra edge on the competition. Most of the time people do not realize the long-term effects that result from the decisions they make early in life. This resembles the use of steroids in a person’s life.
As the use of PEDs is becoming more common, controversy over the legalization has emerged. Among the many different types of performance enhancing drugs out there, the common ones consist of: steroids, red blood cell doping, and human growth hormone. Lance Armstrong was convicted of red blood cell doping and has been stripped of his title and banned from professional cycling. With the numerous amount of athletes convicted of PED abuse, one can question if it is a problem with the athletes or if it is a problem with the state. In all professional sports in the United States, the use of PEDs is prohibited.
Many people believe that drug use in professional athletics is not a serious problem, however it is more widespread and serious than people think. In professional athletics the use of drugs is looked upon as somewhat of a serious problem, but is also very discrete and low key. Every once in a while one might see a prominent figure in a certain sport being reprimanded for the use of some outlawed drug, however this is just one of the many who happened to get caught. Athletes today seem to find no moral problem with using performance-enhancing drugs, or in other words cheating. Also many of them feel that because they are "stars" there should be no repercussions for their illegal activity.
Turning sports into a way of life instead of a leisure activity has generated fierce competition for athletes to be the best at what they do. Having a "natural ability" no longer is enough. One must work long and hard hours to gain an edge on the competition. However, these days, even good training cannot guarantee a victory. For athletes and coaches the drive to be at the top is so great that they look for shortcuts to their end goal: winning. The one who wins is always the one who is remembered in the end; finishing second is worse than finishing last. When this type of attitude becomes predominant, it is not so surprising that they try any and all methods of cheating the system. In this way, doping has become a common practice for athletes to gain advantage on their competition. Is this a practice that we as the general public should accept, or is there something we can do to change the status quo?
Drug use in sports is considered cheating. Doping has many historical backgrounds, but now it is on a larger scale in order to maximiz...
First, when athletes cheat, they are not pushing themselves to achieve success. Cheating also affects the culprit physically, mentally, and emotionally. Doctor Yesalis, a prominent Professor of Health at Pennsylvania State University, states, "You do not need drugs to have a sense of fulfillment, to feel that you've left it all on the field," Yesalis says. "[Drugs have] taken something that God has given us—love of game and sport—and perverted us" (par. 3). Allowing drugs in sports will not prove who is better at the sport we will just see who is the biggest drug user. This is a great integrity check for the individual because it proves who is true to their profession. This also tests their intestinal fortitude to see if they will be man or women enough to do the correct thing.