Time and time again professional and collegiate athletes are caught cheating across the board in all types of sports. The main motive for athletes to dope and think they’ll get away with it is money. If one wins more competitions, one will in turn get more sponsorships or get paid more. For collegiate athletes they are the ones striving to make money, and they think that in order to do that they have no other choice than to dope. Athletes seem to get caught up in the idea of competition, specifically winning, and they lose track of the real reason they compete. They realize that if they continue to win, they will also continue to make more money, and that becomes the driving force behind it all. It is easy for sport franchises, television stations, …show more content…
Without winning, they will not make any money. That’s when they tend to take matters into their own hands. The hegemony theory supports this idea of money driven sports and athletes. In Sociology of the American sport, Eitzen and Sage describe the hegemony theory as sports being a means by which we teach values and cultural ideas of what is right and wrong (Eitzen & Sage, 2016). The major franchises such as NFL and MLB pay their players and coaches thousands, often millions, of dollars to play and coach. In result, the players and coaches are going to live very comfortable lives and be fairly wealthy. This is teaching the athletes that aspire to be like the professionals and the main benefits of being a professional athlete is the money. So, as a result, some athletes realize that the only way they will get to that status is if they …show more content…
According to an article out of Eastern Michigan University, “in the last decade, a total of twenty-five institutions have committed major NCAA violations involving academic fraud anything from university employee 's writing papers to taking tests for athletes to pass courses without actually having gone to class” (Wagner, 2013). Some athletes are being taught to cheat and that it is okay for them to cheat so that they are eligible to play. This might not seem like a correlation between academic fraud and doping, but they are essentially the same thing. Academic fraud is allowing a student to cheat to that they are able to play, and doping is cheating so that they play better or are allowed to play. This again is fostering a culture where it is okay for the athletes to cheat so that they are able to play. This is related to money in that universities are going to get more money if they win, so if there best player is eligible to play then they will have a better chance of winning and therefore making more
In American high schools across the country, many people buy, sell, and use drugs. In addition, these people influence everyone around them. On these campuses, some of the people influenced by this illegal activity are sports players. One of the sports most affected is baseball. Doping in baseball is wrong because it ruins baseball's reputation, it negatively influences the athlete's health, and the drugs are bad for young people who hold up athletes as role models.
When looking into the history of our culture, there are many subtopics that fall under the word, “history.” Topics such as arts and literature, food, and media fall into place. Among these topics reside sports. Since the beginning of time, sports have persisted as an activity intertwined with the daily life of people. Whether it is a pick-up game of football in the backyard, or catching an evening game at the local stadium, sports have become the national pastime. According to Marcus Jansen of the Sign Post, more specifically, baseball is America’s national pastime, competing with other sports (Jansen 1). Providing the entertainment that Americans pay top dollar for, live the role models, superstars, and celebrities that put on a jersey as their job. As said in an article by Lucas Reilly, Americans spend close to $25.4 billion dollars on professional sports (Reilly 4). The people that many children want to be when they grow up are not the firefighters or astronauts told about in bed time stories. These dream jobs or fantasies have become swinging a bat or tossing a football in front of millions of screaming fans. When asked why so many dream of having such job, the majority will respond with a salary related answer. In today’s day and age, the average athlete is paid more than our own president. The cold hard facts show that in professional sports, the circulation of money is endless. Certain teams in professional baseball and football are worth over millions of dollars. Consequently, the teams who are worth more are able to spend more. The issue that arises with this philosophy is virtually how much more? League managers, team owners and other sports officials have sought out a solution to the surfacing problem. Is it fair to let...
The use of illegal substances in sports is a trendy topic in today’s society. In the last few years a copious amount of players have been under the spotlight of substance abuse, which led to a punishment for their actions. Andrew Sullivan wrote an article in the year 2004 called “In a Drugged-up Nation, the Steroid Sports Star is King”, in which he illustrates how these “pharmaceuticals” have revolutionized sports around the world but mostly in America. These drugs have had a large influence in the overall performance of the players, even if it the use of drugs is “often denied or simply overlooked”(Sullivan 1), it will lead to a lack of judgment in what is right and what is wrong.
College athletes are manipulated every day. Student athletes are working day in and day out to meet academic standards and to keep their level of play competitive. These athletes need to be rewarded and credited for their achievements. Not only are these athletes not being rewarded but they are also living with no money. Because the athletes are living off of no money they are very vulnerable to taking money from boosters and others that are willing to help them out. The problem with this is that the athletes are not only getting themselves in trouble but their athletic departments as well.
In Forbes Magazine, David DiSalvo’s article “College football steroid use is rampant and little is done about it” talks about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in college football and its rising use in football today. Everybody always bashes baseball and other sports for steroid use but nobody really cares if it’s used in football and many people are starting to question why. Another question that needs to be answered is how are these football players not getting caught by the many drug tests they are forced to take. In most cases it’s blatantly obvious that most of these players are on something. David’s article has opened many of the football fans eyes and people seek the truth behind all of this.
Sports players are starting to resort to different ways to help them play better or to get stronger. And one of the big ways right now is the use of PEDs. They use them because they are weaker then there opponents. But even though they make you stronger and gives you an edge over on everyone else that is not using them they ruin lives and make people think of you differently as a person. Elite athletes use them to help them win and or play better, example Lance Armstrong who is a seven time Tour de France winner, who was caught “doping” so that he was stronger and had more stamina then his other opponents. Then Alex Rodriguez claimed that he used steroids to help recover from his hip surgery. But when really it was helping him continue to smash the ball even when he was trying to recover from his injury, but he continued to use them after he was better. And the clinic he and twenty seven other professional baseball players were getting them from. When he and Lance were caught they still denied it. They lost a lot of respect in the community because there great performances weren’t really there raw skills and years of training. "A potent cocktail of sophisticated PEDs stacked together to delive...
Professional athletes using performance enhancing drugs, are influencing adolescent athletes to do the same. Studies done by psychologist in the past have shown that twenty percent of high school athletes who use performance enhancing drugs, do so because their favorite player does. Young athletes are starting to believe that to be the best, they have to use the best. They believe that if they use the same enhancers as professional athletes than they will be able to make it to the next
This research paper will examine professional athletes who participated in the major leagues and Olympic Games who used steroids to defraud the Major Leagues Business and Olympic Associations to gain fame and fortune. The paper will examine the BALCO scandal (CNN.com, 2014), where many professional athletes admitted to taking steroids to improve physical sports performance. The BALCO scandal "outs" players from the American National sports leagues to Olympic competitive sports. A cover up of drug use led to not just a few but many players who chose to use steroids to improve their game. The case went to the courts and left many players to tell the ugly truth about other professional players. In some cases, the players denied responsibility and ...
Drugs bring out the flaws in people. The worst decisions can ruin a life. Everyday drug users had the potential to become more. Sports increase the need for faster players allowing more opportunities in the drug world. Usage of steroids is a sickness and not acceptable on or off the field. By cheating your way to the top you crush people who equally worked hard as well. Athletes should be tested to prevent the unfair circumstances many find themselves in. Players should not be permitted to take any illegal drugs that could improve their status on the team. Sports is being born with drive and talent not taking a pill to make you unnaturally a great athlete.
One issue that these high salaries cause is that having all this money spoils the athletes. Athletes buy so much unnecessary stuff after they get their money. For example, Michael Jordan has about 28 cars. Who needs all these cars? He didn’t buy all of these, but there is a certain limit on how many cars a person needs. Athletes spend their money on cars, entertainment, clothes, and their big mansions. Another instance of athletes spoiling themselves is the use of illegal drugs (“Pro Salaries”). Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys has been involved in many of these altercations. He has been through all the punishments there possibly is and still makes his money (“Pro Salaries”). Athletes think they are at a higher level and that they can do whatever they want. An issue that everyone hears about everyday that a pro athlete has committed a murder/crime. Ray Lewis, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, is being tried for two accounts of murder. He is an excellent athlete. He is on the pro-bowl team for the 1999 season and led the league in tackles. He has just ruined his career by even being involved in a situation like this. Another player is Robert Lewis, a 20 year-old basketball player from the Dallas Mavericks. He was convicted of beating his girlfriend almost to death. A 20-year-old basketball star doesn’t need to feel that he is a king to be a leader. What kind of role model is he setting to other youngsters that want to follow in the same footsteps?
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?
"Money makes the world go 'round." Sports could not exist without the presence of money. You have high paid athletes asking for multi-million dollar contacts, while at the same time you have doctors not even making close to that amount. There are corporations buying out sports teams, buying stadiums, and buying everything that has to do with sports. Someone may ask why they do this. Sports are one of the most profitable industries in the world. Everyone wants to get their hand on a piece of the action. Those individuals and industries that spend hundreds of millions of dollars on these sports teams are hoping to make a profit, but it may be an indirect profit. It could be a profit for the sports club, or it could be a promotion for another organization (i.e. Rupert Murdoch, FOX). The economics involved with sports has drastically changed over the last ten years. In the United States, we spend about 13% of all money on sports and entertainment. Sports has obviously done its job; entertained and drained money out of our pockets.
...Though there have been various laws and rules in the sports, athletes didn’t hesitate breaking those rules. Using drugs in the sports a favorable outcome (to win) and gambling have speeded to the maximum. Athletes are cheating in sports through drugs and gambling leads to cheat to get the name, fame, money and rewards and instead of using their own effort and ability to work. They cheat when they don’t have to and when they get caught it ruin their career. In addition, gambling itself is addictive and the athlete who begins losing the money can be dangerously vulnerable to different destructive behaviors. Drug use and gambling are harmful for the career. Finally, all cheating in sports has to eliminate to save the spirit of sports.
How Does Doping in sport damage the sporting industry as a whole? The usage of performance-enhancing drugs in sports is commonly known as Doping. Doping is banned worldwide in every sports administration and competitions and doping gives an unfair advantage to those using illegal substances, such as steroids to boost their performance. It also puts at stake the integrity of those athletes who do not use performance-enhancing drugs also known as “clean” athletes. In fact it seems that we’re now entering the era of performance-enhancing drugs within professional sports.