NAME: ILYAS BAKSH
NAME OF SCHOOL: ASJA BOYS’ COLLEGE SAN FERNANDO
CENTRE NUMBER:160001
CANDIDATE NUMBER:1600010102
GROUP THEME: SPORTS
INDIVIDUAL TOPIC: DRUGS IN SPORTS
TEACHER: MS N. NEERANJAN
TERRITORY: TRINIDAD
YEAR OF EXAMINATION: 2022
Table of Contents
PLAN OF INVESTIGATION 1
STIMULI
PIECE 1 3
PIECE 2 5
PIECE 3 9
REFLECTIONS
REFLECTION 1: CHANGE IN THOUGHT 11
REFLECTION 2: LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES 12
REFLECTION 3: BENEFITS OF S.B.A. 13
ORAL PRESENTATION OUTLINE 14
GROUP WRITTEN REPORT 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY 17
APPENDIX 18
PLAN OF INVESTIGATION
1
PLAN OF INVESTIGATION
As a group, we chose to explore the theme, ‘Sports’. Subsequently my subtopic is ‘Drugs in Sports’
as I know an athlete who died in an overdose. As an English student, my expectation is to improve
my vocabulary, ability to decipher main ideas, paraphrasing, research and listening skills, whilst
augmenting my analysis of literary devices, contrast and imagery. Using books, magazines,
newspaper articles, and the internet, I will select a poem, video and an online article. Ultimately, I
intend to use literary devices, figurative language, statistics, and point of view to analyse the data
retrieved on drugs in sports.
2
STIMULUS #1
3
STIMULUS 1
POEM: I’m In Love With Drugs by Elizabeth Squires
I'm In Love With Drugs (Sports Poem)
I'm in love with drugs
I'm in love with drugs
they lift me into the stratosphere
with their aid and bolstering qualities
I can sprint faster than a frightened deer
I'm in love with drugs
I'm in love with drugs
they enhance my every muscle
they've got the effectiveness
of an express train in full bustle
I'm in love with drugs
I'm in love with drugs
I'm the new breed
of sports star
and my daily dose
of illegals helps me well beyond par
I'm in love with drugs
I'm in love with drugs
Retrieved from: I'm In Love With Drugs (Sports Poem) by Elizabeth Squires - Hello Poetry
4
STIMULUS #2
5
STIMULUS 2
EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE: “WHY STEROIDS HAVE NO PLACE IN SPORTS”
By: April Ashby
Ask anyone with a decent knowledge of sports and current events, and they will tell you: doping
in sport is a problem. Nearly every week, another high-profile doping story makes its way to the
headlines of newspapers around the world. A quick Google News search for “doping” revealed
over 7,500 results from the past week alone. The stories ranged from the lesser known 2 Youth
Olympic Games Wrestlers who were recently suspended to the more famous 2010 Tour de
France winner Alberto Contador’s positive test.
Earlier this month, Brent Musburger (an ABC/ESPN sports commentator) told a group of
students at University of Montana that steroids work. Musburger blamed “journalism
youngsters” who “got too deeply involved in something they didn’t know too much about” for
the negative image steroids and doping now have. He went on to say that steroids had no place in
high school, but “under the proper care and doctor’s advice, they could be used at the
professional level.” (Quotes take from the Missoulian article.)
If you know me (or have been in a class with me), you know how I feel about doping in sports.
In fact, anti-doping was one of the reasons I came to law school, and more specifically to
Marquette. My view is that doping has no place in sport. The story of how I came to become so
staunchly against doping is for another day (and perhaps a different venue), but basically
involves my love for the sport of cycling and the systematic doping that plagues that sport.
Suffice it to say that I take a firm stance against doping in all sports in all forms.
It probably goes without saying that I could not disagree with Musburger more. Doping, least of
all in the form of anabolic steroids, has no place in sports – amateur or professional. I think all
anti-doping arguments come down to two basic principles, only one of which Musburger
addresses in his blanket approval of steroid use in professional athletes.
First, doping threatens the health of athletes. Musburger argues that with proper medical
supervision, steroids can be healthy. While this might be true in some (and I would suggest
limited) cases, it would certainly not be true in all cases. The use of steroids can have serious
health repercussions, including affected liver, endocrine, and reproductive function, tumors of
the liver and kidneys, heart conditions, and psychiatric symptoms. Additionally, the article just
linked goes on to mention the increased probability of side effects when 1) steroids are used
more than the recommended dose, 2) steroids are used in conjunction with other performance
enhancing substances, and 3) counterfeit or tainted steroids are used.
Legalizing steroid use would not solve these problems. The side effects listed in the National
Center for Biotechnology Information (a part of the National Institute of Health) article are not
6
restricted to improper use of steroids. I will not detail out the side effects of not only steroids, but
also the use of hGH and EPO (often used in cycling), the NCBI does a nice job of listing those
and providing citations to studies. Furthermore, the drive to win will always encourage athletes
to take “just one more.” Sure, proper medical supervision would ensure that an athlete receives
the proper dose from that doctor, but when that athlete fails to win the next race, game, or match,
he or she is more likely to increase the dose or combine other methods of doping.
Second, and unaddressed by Musburger, doping affects the integrity of sport. Sport is not about
simply winning. The saying “It’s not about whether you win or lose, it’s how you played the
game,” although cliché, is absolutely correct. The Olympic Movement identifies the Olympic
spirit – mutual understanding, spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play – as fundamental to
sport. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was founded on the principle that integrity of
sport is fundamental to the spirit of sport, and that integrity is threatened by doping. The United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) division on anti-
doping believes that “doping jeopardizes the moral and ethical basis of sport and the health of
those involved in it.” The National Football League itself created its own steroid
policy because steroid use threatens “the fairness and integrity of athletic competition” and
“sends the wrong message to young people who may be tempted to use them.” Sports are about
competition on equal footing, with respect for the opponent, and with respect for the rules of the
game.
Permitting the use of steroids under proper medical supervision would threaten the fairness and
integrity of the game. First, athletes who choose not to use steroids are at an unfair advantage –
most will be unable to compete at the same level as athletes who are using steroids. Second, the
integrity of the game is compromised because it is no longer about which athlete has the best
skills or talent, it’s instead about which athlete has the best steroid cocktail or the money to buy
the best steroids. Thus, steroid use is contrary to the spirit of sport – fairness, respect, and
solidarity. The concept of mutual respect between competitors is thwarted when one (or both)
athletes would rather use steroids to improve his or her performance than compete based on
individual strength, skill, or talent.
However, if health and integrity concerns aren’t enough to convince you, consider this final
point. Law students, and indeed lawyers, are fond of the slippery slope argument. I think it finds
a comfortable place in this debate. It’s a slippery slope between allowing steroid use with proper
medical supervision and eliminating anti-doping regulations. Where is the line to be drawn? Will
it now be illegal to use steroids only if taken without proper medical supervision? How can
proper medical supervision be proven? How does an athlete prove that the steroids in his or her
body were as a result of proper medical supervision and not other means? What about athletes
who use more than the recommended dose? What about other forms of doping (hGh or EPO)?
Are those next to be permitted under proper medical supervision? It’s difficult to see how
regulating the use of steroids in sport is workable.
The only way to preserve integrity in sport and protect the health of athletes is through a serious
anti-doping approach. Anti-doping efforts are most successful when the “law” (anti-doping
7
policy) sets forth clear, bright-line rules about when and what substances are prohibited.
Although a long way from perfect, WADA has created the most comprehensive anti-doping
program in the world (indeed the only anti-doping program most of the world outside of the US
models and implements). American professional sports leagues should be looking at ways to
model the WADA code in its own anti-doping policies (like the United States Anti-Doping
Agency is doing), not seeking ways to excuse steroid use or compromise anti-doping efforts.
Steroids have no place in sports.
Retrieved from: Why Steroids Have No Place in Sports – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog
8
STIMULUS #3
9
STIMULUS 3
Doping in sport: Drug use 'fast becoming a crisis' - Nicole Sapstead - BBC Sport [Video]
Doping in Amateur Sport: Key Stats from a ComRes/BBC Doping in Amateur Sport Poll
Retrieved from: Doping in sport: Drug use 'fast becoming a crisis' - Nicole Sapstead - BBC Sport
[Link]
10
REFLECTIONS
11
REFLECTION 1
Initially I believed that drugs were used in sports to assist athletes in recovering from injury and
coping with pain. Upon research, I learnt that drugs such as steroids are used to enhance
performance and such drugs are illegal. From the poem I learnt that ‘they enhance… every
muscle’ and make the user into a ‘new breed of sports star’. Additionally, the article improved
my knowledge of steroids which I did not realize could affect ‘liver, endocrine, and reproductive
function’ and cause tumors, heart conditions and psychiatric symptoms. Finally, from the video
I learnt that prescribed medications, recreational drugs and anabolic steroids are all taken by
athletes, especially those who are in contact sports. These are taken not just for pain relief but
for reasons such as “improved looks” and to “follow elite sports people”. These reasons were
quite surprising to me.
12
REFLECTION 2
Language Techniques
Language techniques such as point of view, repetition, rhetorical questions and categorical
sequence aided in bettering my understanding of my pieces. The poem utilizes the athlete’s
perspective and repetition such as “I am in love with drugs” along with the tone of the poem to
reflect both the abuser’s goals and inability to halt his drug use. The article is argumentative and
informal in tone, utilizing rhetorical questions (What about athletes who use more than the
recommended dose?), logos (…[athletes] will be unable to compete at the same level of those
using steroids), and ethos (‘contrary to …fairness’) which make it easier to grasp the true impact
of steroid use. Categorical sequencing and chunking of statistics in the video effectively convey
the extent of drug use by athletes and the reasons cited for drug use. Variety in font sizes and
graphics create foci for the reader and successfully communicate all statistics.
13
REFLECTION 3
Although this SBA as challenging and time-consuming, it proved to be useful in many ways. On
completing this SBA on “Drugs in Sports”, my vocabulary was enhanced and I learnt how to
analyze information and locate literary devices in different writing genres. Summarizing
artefacts into concise paragraphs greatly improved my skill. Furthermore, my improved
vocabulary assisted in paraphrasing and enhanced my writing ability. Additionally, I learnt how
to respectively voice my ideas whilst taking into consideration other’s opinions. Lastly, with
consistent submission of weekly tasks I was able to meet all my individual and group deadlines,
through responsible time management, an attribute I look forward to keeping. While other skills
have been improved, those mentioned substantially impacted me and aided me in completing my
SBA.
14
ORAL PRESENTATION OUTLINE
● Firstly, I will begin with a universal greeting of peace and a self-introduction which will
be, “My name is Ilyas Baksh and I am from 5B, ASJA Boys’ College San Fernando.”
● My group chose the broad theme of ‘Sports’ and the sub topic I will be exploring is
‘Drugs in Sports’.
● My oral presentation will be in the form of a speech.
● I chose to do a speech as it will allow me to freely express my thoughts and effectively
convey the knowledge and information obtained from my research.
● My interest in Sports, as well as the school environment in which I found myself, fueled
my desire to research this topic.
● The artefacts (article, poem, video) aided me in understanding my topic and therefore
will allow me to present an accurate overview through my presentation.
● My speech will be expressed in a formal tone in order to highlight to the audience to the
gravity of my topic while also allowing me to properly inform them.
● My oral presentation will be about the facts, my feelings, and my thoughts based on my
research on the topic of ‘Drugs in Sports’.
● After presenting, I will close with a salutation and thanks.
15
GROUP WRITTEN REPORT
The members of my group and I studied and researched the theme of Sports. Each individual in
the group chose a different sub-topic which they focused on. The various aspects explored by us
were Dangerous sports, Drugs in sports, and Team-Based sports. Artifacts about sports were
easily obtained and available due to the use of the internet and since it is such a wide topic.
Everyone’s artifacts were all various genres like articles, poems, and videos. Each individual in
the group chose three (3) artifacts making a complete number of 18 in total. All our artifacts
were retrieved from the internet.
The three artifacts which were chosen to be discussed in the report are:
Akram, N (2010) Dangerous sports (2022, February 2nd) Retrieved from Dangerous Sport -
Dangerous Sport Poem by Naveed Akram ([Link]).
Ashby, A. (2010, October 20). Why Steroids have no place in Sports. Retrieved from Marquette
University Faculty Blog.
Blaha, J (2015, June 4th) But Powerlifting Has Risks Also!!! Retrieved from (742) But
Powerlifting Has Risks Also!!! - YouTube.
The decision to use these three artifacts was done by each member sharing their 3 pieces and,
while on a Zoom meeting, we chose the ones that best reflected the diversity or our topic. From
the first artifact, we learned about dangerous sports and the impact that competing in them can
have in your life. We also learned what seems to be ranked the top 10 most dangerous sports
globally. The article also shared a fun fact telling us that boxing is the sport with the highest
injury rate ever. In the second artifact, we learned many interesting facts about the usage of drugs
in sports. We learned how they can enhance our gameplay but also how bad it can be for your
health. They have many risks and side effects when it comes to using steroids to enhance
16
yourself. Lastly from the last article, we learned how Powerlifting is not a safe sport as much as
we thought it was. We learned that Powerlifting is a lot safer than body building and the risks are
at a much lower level but when taken to the extreme Powerlifting can be just as bad to your
health as Body building.
17
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Akram, N. (2010, July 17). Dangerous Sport. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from Poem Hunter:
[Link]
Ashby, A. (2010, October 20). Why Steroids have no place in Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2021,
from Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog:
[Link]
sports/comment-page-1/
BBC Sport. (2017, March 20). Key stats from a ComRes/BBC doping in amateur sport poll.
Retrieved June 1, 2021, from State of Sport: [Link]
But Powerlifting Has Risks Also!!! (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from
[Link]
Squires, E. (n.d.). I'm in Love with Drugs. Retrieved June 1, 2013, from Hello Poetry:
[Link]
18
APPENDIX
Group Piece 1 – Poem entitled “Dangerous Sport” by Naveed Akram
Dangerous Sport
Danger has a twist so large, that you squirm
From it, doing justice harder the next day.
Your queue is again in town when you wait,
Waiting is a game of sportsmanship.
The sport too long carries new weight,
Like the opening of a wand, or some pole
That magically disappears for the good,
The sport of laughter has come upon us.
Dangerous men do not leave the sides,
The sides of a triangle or square,
The real shapes endanger us
And create jeopardy so huge to carry.
Naveed Akram
Saturday, July 17, 2010
19
Group Piece 2 –
Video entitled But Powerlifting Has Risks Also!!! - YouTube Retrieved from
[Link]
20
Group Piece 3 -
EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE: “WHY STEROIDS HAVE NO PLACE IN SPORTS”
By: April Ashby
Ask anyone with a decent knowledge of sports and current events, and they will tell you: doping
in sport is a problem. Nearly every week, another high-profile doping story makes its way to the
headlines of newspapers around the world. A quick Google News search for “doping” revealed
over 7,500 results from the past week alone. The stories ranged from the lesser known 2 Youth
Olympic Games Wrestlers who were recently suspended to the more famous 2010 Tour de
France winner Alberto Contador’s positive test.
Earlier this month, Brent Musburger (an ABC/ESPN sports commentator) told a group of
students at University of Montana that steroids work. Musburger blamed “journalism
youngsters” who “got too deeply involved in something they didn’t know too much about” for
the negative image steroids and doping now have. He went on to say that steroids had no place in
high school, but “under the proper care and doctor’s advice, they could be used at the
professional level.” (Quotes take from the Missoulian article.)
If you know me (or have been in a class with me), you know how I feel about doping in sports.
In fact, anti-doping was one of the reasons I came to law school, and more specifically to
Marquette. My view is that doping has no place in sport. The story of how I came to become so
staunchly against doping is for another day (and perhaps a different venue), but basically
involves my love for the sport of cycling and the systematic doping that plagues that sport.
Suffice it to say that I take a firm stance against doping in all sports in all forms.
It probably goes without saying that I could not disagree with Musburger more. Doping, least of
all in the form of anabolic steroids, has no place in sports – amateur or professional. I think all
anti-doping arguments come down to two basic principles, only one of which Musburger
addresses in his blanket approval of steroid use in professional athletes.
First, doping threatens the health of athletes. Musburger argues that with proper medical
supervision, steroids can be healthy. While this might be true in some (and I would suggest
limited) cases, it would certainly not be true in all cases. The use of steroids can have serious
health repercussions, including affected liver, endocrine, and reproductive function, tumors of
the liver and kidneys, heart conditions, and psychiatric symptoms. Additionally, the article just
linked goes on to mention the increased probability of side effects when 1) steroids are used
more than the recommended dose, 2) steroids are used in conjunction with other performance
enhancing substances, and 3) counterfeit or tainted steroids are used.
21
Legalizing steroid use would not solve these problems. The side effects listed in the National
Center for Biotechnology Information (a part of the National Institute of Health) article are not
restricted to improper use of steroids. I will not detail out the side effects of not only steroids, but
also the use of hGH and EPO (often used in cycling), the NCBI does a nice job of listing those
and providing citations to studies. Furthermore, the drive to win will always encourage athletes
to take “just one more.” Sure, proper medical supervision would ensure that an athlete receives
the proper dose from that doctor, but when that athlete fails to win the next race, game, or match,
he or she is more likely to increase the dose or combine other methods of doping.
Second, and unaddressed by Musburger, doping affects the integrity of sport. Sport is not about
simply winning. The saying “It’s not about whether you win or lose, it’s how you played the
game,” although cliché, is absolutely correct. The Olympic Movement identifies the Olympic
spirit – mutual understanding, spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play – as fundamental to
sport. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was founded on the principle that integrity of
sport is fundamental to the spirit of sport, and that integrity is threatened by doping. The United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) division on anti-
doping believes that “doping jeopardizes the moral and ethical basis of sport and the health of
those involved in it.” The National Football League itself created its own steroid
policy because steroid use threatens “the fairness and integrity of athletic competition” and
“sends the wrong message to young people who may be tempted to use them.” Sports are about
competition on equal footing, with respect for the opponent, and with respect for the rules of the
game.
Permitting the use of steroids under proper medical supervision would threaten the fairness and
integrity of the game. First, athletes who choose not to use steroids are at an unfair advantage –
most will be unable to compete at the same level as athletes who are using steroids. Second, the
integrity of the game is compromised because it is no longer about which athlete has the best
skills or talent, it’s instead about which athlete has the best steroid cocktail or the money to buy
the best steroids. Thus, steroid use is contrary to the spirit of sport – fairness, respect, and
solidarity. The concept of mutual respect between competitors is thwarted when one (or both)
athletes would rather use steroids to improve his or her performance than compete based on
individual strength, skill, or talent.
However, if health and integrity concerns aren’t enough to convince you, consider this final
point. Law students, and indeed lawyers, are fond of the slippery slope argument. I think it finds
a comfortable place in this debate. It’s a slippery slope between allowing steroid use with proper
medical supervision and eliminating anti-doping regulations. Where is the line to be drawn? Will
it now be illegal to use steroids only if taken without proper medical supervision? How can
proper medical supervision be proven? How does an athlete prove that the steroids in his or her
body were as a result of proper medical supervision and not other means? What about athletes
who use more than the recommended dose? What about other forms of doping (hGh or EPO)?
Are those next to be permitted under proper medical supervision? It’s difficult to see how
regulating the use of steroids in sport is workable.
22
The only way to preserve integrity in sport and protect the health of athletes is through a serious
anti-doping approach. Anti-doping efforts are most successful when the “law” (anti-doping
policy) sets forth clear, bright-line rules about when and what substances are prohibited.
Although a long way from perfect, WADA has created the most comprehensive anti-doping
program in the world (indeed the only anti-doping program most of the world outside of the US
models and implements). American professional sports leagues should be looking at ways to
model the WADA code in its own anti-doping policies (like the United States Anti-Doping
Agency is doing), not seeking ways to excuse steroid use or compromise anti-doping efforts.
Steroids have no place in sports.
Retrieved from: Why Steroids Have No Place in Sports – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog