Has the development of anti-doping policy been a ‘moral panic’ response to scandals? This essay will examine whether the creation of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) was formed due to the moral panic caused by the media. To further examine this, the following points will be investigated: what is the definition of moral panic and what is its role in sport. Additionally, has the creation of WADA achieved addressed the issues it was set-up to tackle. The starting point for this essay is firstly to examine the term moral panic. This concept was introduced by Stanley Cohen and he defines moral panic as “A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests” (Cohen, 1972: p1). This definition of moral panic still rings true in modern day society. Moral panic can be broken down in 5 stages, 1. Something or someone is defined as a threat to values or interests 2. This threat is depicted in an easily recognisable form by the media 3. There is a rapid build-up of public concern 4. There is a response from authorities or opinion makers 5. The panic recedes or results in social changes. (Thompson, 1998: …show more content…
Walsh writes that he strongly suspected Irishman Sean Kelly in the mid-1980s; he rationalised that he was not really cheating given the wider context of the demands of professional cycling, and in fact it was not until the rumours about Lance Armstrong and small pieces of evidence against him emerged that Walsh took doping seriously as a public interest story. The testing system was so lax that cyclists felt confident of beating it. There was little by way of out-of-competition testing, and a lack of stringent application of regulations. With the support of professional team managers and unscrupulous doctors, cyclists could use new substances and techniques and stay ahead of the
“Moral panic has been defined as a situation in which public fears and state interventions greatly exceed the objective threat posed
In the article, “Moral Panics: Culture, Politics, and Social Construction” the authors Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda discuss two different perspectives of moral panics. Each perspective give a different way of looking at how moral panics are portrayed to come about in society. The Objectivist perspective and the Constructionist perspective show how people view moral panics. However, the Constructionist perspective is more important and valuable to society than the Objectivist perspective.
Wilson, Stephen. “Doping Incidents Shake Sports from Swimming to Track & Field.” Seattle Post- Intelligencer, Seattle, Wash.,.1 Aug. 1998: E6.
Ever since the introduction of steroids to professional sports in the 1970s (Assael), they have greatly undermined the core American beliefs that sports held dear for so long. Values like honesty, hard work, and dedication h...
Mark Sisson argues that the use of banned substances isn’t a problem because these substances keep the athletes healthy and at the top of their game. This is a topic that is popular in today’s world of competition and professional sports. The claim to allow performance enhancing drugs is difficult to make people agree with you because the media always displays them as bad and they never say the positive benefits of these drugs. Since it is difficult to get people to believe and agree with your claim by pitching a well-constructed argument. Sisson presents a good argument by using strategies of persuasion such as ethos, pathos, and logos developed by Aristotle.
In her study, she argues that environments that are set up for athletes to be successful with strict enforcements are more likely to create a better well-rounded athlete who performs better based on his moral being higher. Morale being the deciding factor of here argument on how successful players are and their ability to flourish in such media moments. In her argument, she also looks into most outburst and unacceptable behaviors are a result of the social formalities built within the school and programs of which the student-athlete attends. She also states intakes repetition of consequences in order to change a program 's culture from the rare media outburst we
A moral panic can be defined as a phenomenon, frequently initiated by disquieting media and reinforced by responsive laws and public policies, of embellished public concern, angst or anger over a perceived danger to societal order (Krinsky, 2013). The media plays a crucial role in emphasizing a current moral panic. In Jock Young’s chapter Images of Deviance (1971), he comments on the phenomenon of deviance magnification, he deems dramatic media coverage of deviant behaviours to be ironic, owing to the fact that it unintentionally increases rather than restrains the apparent deviance. In hind sight the media create social problems, owing to the fact that they can present them dramatically and are able to do it swiftly (Young & Cohen, 1971: 37).
This sports study will define the negative effects of “gamesmanship” that has been encouraging unethical and immoral behavior in modern sporting culture. The difference between gamesmanship and sportsmanship will define the defense in the ethical values that are utilized in sports. Gamesmanship offers the philosophy that “winning at any cost” is the goals of sporting events, which include, cheating, bending the rules, use performance-enhancing drugs, etc/ A lack of ethical and mortal behaviors in “sportsmanship” defines the traditional focus on following rules, developing talent and skills, and moral conduct on and of the field. In modern day sports, the increasing dominance of gamesmanship defines the negative trend of performance enhancing
Lance Armstrong is one of the best examples if we are talking about doping masters, he won seven Tours of France and in none of them he was caught. The reason why he was never caught is that he was ahead of the system and he knew that blood doping is simply about being clever and about timing. In one of his declarations he stated “Winning The Tour de France without doping is impossible”, which clearly confirms that the other competitors surely were doping too. Before Armstrong declared all he did he had lots of fans who looked up to him, but after he confirmed all of his actions people felt hate for him, they felt betrayed by their biggest inspiration. This shows how doping is also affecting the public which is a very important part of the
..., Kjetil K. "Why We Shouldn’t Allow Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport." Academia.edu. Academia.edu, 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .
Sport is never far from controversy. Whether it be alcohol-fuelled misbehaviour, allegations of drug abuse or inappropriate public musings on a thorny political issue, the national press is filled to the brim with sports stars dragging the image of their employers — and the sports they represent — through the proverbial mud.
“We can understand corruption to mean that the values internal to sport, such as those of fair competition, sportsmanship, and perhaps the mutual quest for excellence, are being or already have been undermined by the growing commercialization of sport.”
...thlete under twenty-four hour surveillance is neither feasible nor lawful. Only when there are more accurate tests can the enforcement of drug rules and regulations be possible. As more sophisticated tests come to market, fewer drugs will escape detection. With the limited ability of current techniques to catch athletes red-handed, pressure must be put on the athletic community to reject doping. Until the athletic community refuses doping as a means to an end, little can be done to stop it from happening.
Sports are governed by sets of rules or customs and often, competition. Sports have always been a way to connect us to our past and to build optimism about the future. Sport’s a way to bond the people despite differences in race, age and gender. However, today the game that is supposed to teach character, discipline and team work is teaching cheating. And in today’s world, with fame, endorsement, drugs and so much to gain, it is not surprising that athletes are cheating in sports. Cheating in sports is not new thing; it started the day when humans first discovered athletic competitions. According to the Los Angeles Times (August 20, 2006) “More than 2,000 years before Mike Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear and was disqualified in the boxing ring, Eupolus of Thessaly, a boxer in the Olympics of 388 BC, bribed three of his opponents to take dives. Historians consider Eupolus' crime the first recorded act of cheating in sports” (Pugmire 7). We have been seeking an easier way to win. Cheating in sports, which recently has manifested in diverse forms, is more a result of increasing pressure to win from the sponsors and team management, especially in the context of sport becoming a career rather than an act of recreation. What actually constitutes cheating? When does gamesmanship stop and cheating start? And should we try to stop cheating in sports? The use of illegal drugs, huge amount of money and betting is ruining the fame of sports. Hence, cheating in sports is caused by drugs and the desire for endorsement and fame which are getting more effective in recent.
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. Doping rids the true athletes of what they truly deserve and is wrong; because why should those who put in a hundred per cent of their effort, be outshone by individuals who are choosing to use substances to enhance their physical and mental abilities? Doping damages the sports industry as a whole because it has a serious physical and mental effects on the athletes, as well as damaging the idea of sportsmanship and it also breaks the trust of the fans, as they realise their idols are hypocrites.