Should Athletic Doping to Be the Best Become Legal?
By Blake N. Carlock
differences in both size and strength of your
muscles. Now, imagine you have been
taking this PED for a few months and have
been enjoying your newly gained abilities,
however you start to experience strong
mood swings, high blood pressure, and even
[Link]
depression and notice you dont feel as good
Imagine joining an athletic league or
as you did when you originally started using
competitive sports team and quickly
the drug. Next, you try a different PED and
realizing you arent as fast, as strong, or as
begin to feel like your old self again,
naturally gifted as your fellow teammates.
performing remarkably in your sport, and
Next, think about how you would feel about
this continues for another couple months.
the thoughts racing through your mind if
Eventually, these PEDs take a negative toll
you heard about the ability to become faster,
on your physical health, such as strong
bigger, and stronger in only a short amount
mood swings, high blood pressure, and even
of time. All youll have to do is start
depression, all for the gain of temporary
injecting a performance-enhancing drug
strength and speed.
(PED) (pictured above) everyday and
The health risks associated with
workout as hard, or harder than you
performance-enhancing drugs clearly
normally do, and in a very short timeframe
outweigh the gains acquired from their use,
you will begin to experience major physical
although currently more and more people of
and reviewing hundreds of medical patient
all ages are using these substances to get an
files regarding the illegal prescription of
edge over their competition no matter the
performance-enhancing drugs, like human
physical cost to themselves. With current
growth hormone and steroids to athletes by
widespread consumption on the rise, should
medical doctors, Despite the fact that these
performance-enhancing drug use by athletes
drugs were taken under medical
remain banned, or should it be legalized
supervision, there were a large number of
under medical supervision? Although PED
serious adverse reactions. The adverse
use leads to quick results, due to the
health effects associated with the use of
negative side effects that remain
PEDs while under medical supervision
permanently after discontinuing the use of
seem to have the same results as
PEDs, and the blatant fact that using
unsupervised PED use, leading to question
anything to gain an inequitable advantage is
whether legalizing their use is the right path
considered cheating, PEDs should remain
for the future of sports.
banned in athletics.
The side effects are numerous and
Health Effects of PED Use
the information is readily available online
Currently, the facts show that its no
concerning PED use. For example,
safer for an athlete taking PEDs without
according to Mayo Clinic Staff at
medical supervision, than with the medical
[Link], PEDs adverse health
supervision. Dr. Gary A. Green, a clinical
effects affect both men and women and
professor of Sport Medicine at UCLA, says
include: growth of body hair, elongated
that after working with the Drug
clitoris, and abnormal or infrequent
Enforcement Agency (DEA) for many years
menstruation in women, shrinking of testes,
growth of breasts and impotency in men,
Hippocratic Oaths morals that doctors
and deepening of voice, high blood pressure,
swear to uphold. According to
liver damage, body acne, severe mood
[Link], the oath has been rewritten
swings, balding, high cholesterol,
many times, although nowadays various
depression, and infertility/sterility in both
modernized versions are often used; the
genders.
message delivered is still the same, Do no
Harm.
Dr. Urban Weising, a professor at the
Clinical and Sports Medicine
University of Tuebingen, Germany, has
Professors Sarah Grogan, Sarah Shepherd,
appealed to and has advised the International
Ruth Evans, Sam Wright, and Geoff Hunter,
Olympic Committee (IOC) on more than
conclude the findings of their study of both
one account about the ethical issues
men and women and their personal use of
associated with health risks of PED use
PEDs discovering, It emerged that serious
stating, That [not being concerned with an
side-effects were de-emphasized [by PED
athletes negative health decision] would
users] relative to short-term gains. No
certainly be unacceptable, even if the athlete
matter the risks, athletes had continued and
were willing to accept the risks and
still continue to use PEDs for the glory of
damaging effects, because it is inconsistent
the short-term strength and speed gains. This
with the favorable health requirements of
problem has been a pain in the side of
sport. He continues by explaining that
multiple anti-doping agencies and multiple
certain health problems cannot be detected
sports such as baseball and football for
by close medical inspection, because the
many years. For example, [Link]
problems manifest themselves over long
shows between May 7, 2007 and June 16,
term PED use. This correlates with the
2016, forty-five Major League Baseball
States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and
(MLB) players were caught and penalized
the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA),
with multi-game suspensions for their illegal
are to protect the health of athletes and to
use of PEDs. The MLB is a highly regarded
prevent unfair competition, and the use of
professional sports organization that is well
PESs [Performance-Enhancing Substances]
known for their recent and ongoing
is identified in a survey of adults as the most
crackdown of athletes PED use.
serious issue facing sports today. Many
people in athletics, including coaches and
Cheating and Competitive Fairness
other athletes, feel that an athlete who can
Fairness in sports is a required ethic
morally cheat and accept unfair competition
that should be followed by all athletes and
coaches. A clinical
should be penalized severely because they
Cheating is the deliberate, knowing,
report published in the
American Academy of
Pediatrics titled Use of
and voluntary violation of certain
truly represent
unsportsman-like
behavior. Donald
constitutive rules in order to gain a
Hooton, a father and
Performance-Enhancing
competitive advantage. Since the
coach says, Players
Substances, by Michele
violation is knowing, the attempt to
that are guilty of
LaBotz, MD, FAAP,
gain an advantage is illegitimate
taking steroids are
Bernard A. Greisemer,
and unethical, and the advantage
MD, FAAP, from the
Council on Sports
sought is thus unfair.
not only cheaters,
you are cowards.
Donald Hootons
Medicine and Fitness,
son, a former baseball player, committed
defines the problem and objective of a
suicide possibly due to the side effect of
couple anti-doping agencies, like the United
depression while using PEDs to become
illegitimate and unethical, and the advantage
better in his sport.
sought is thus unfair. Unfair gameplay has
no place in competitive sports because it
Dishonesty is unfortunately almost
simply goes against the experience of
everywhere and catching the players who
witnessing natural talent and the amazing
cheat in sports is becoming increasingly
feats that athletes who possess those
difficult. Dr. Green further comments on the
natural abilities can exhibit.
National Collegiate Athletic Associations
(NCAA) research, which exposed the truth
Health Is Traded For Superficial Desires
of PED users in athletics showing,
By now, we can see the correlation
approximately 15% of anabolic steroid
between PED use and their negative health
users obtain them [PEDs] from a
effects, and the understanding that an
physician. Whether or not the NCAA sets
unnatural advantage is considered
bans on PED use, some athletes are
cheating, but why do some athletes continue
obviously feeling they can continue cheating
to risk their health? This argument seems to
by circumventing those regulations and
return to one important component, which is
involving a doctor to prescribe them the
the right to choose what you will or wont
PED for medicinal reasons. Professor
put into your own body. According to Dave
David Fairchild, PhD, from Perdue
Anderson, author of 10 Reasons
University declares, Cheating is the
Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be
deliberate, knowing, and voluntary violation
Legal, athletes feel that because their body
of certain constitutive rules in order to gain a
is their personal property that taking drugs
competitive advantage. Since the violation is
for personal use shouldnt be anyone elses
knowing, the attempt to gain an advantage is
business. Despite an athletes freedom of
5
choice to ingest or administer substances to
opinion and help preserve the protective
their body, the negative health effects from
health regulations of current and future
PED use and its link to cheating are two top
athletes, you can visit the USADA, the
reasons they currently remain banned in elite
WADA, and/or the NCAA websites (links
competition where there is an overseeing
on the right), and petition them to continue
anti-doping agency. If you work long and
the ban on PED use in sports. These anti-
hard at what you want, your achievements
doping agencies ensure the well-being and
will last longer than anything you gain
overall health of any athlete who competes
quickly and easily by cheating. If the
in collegiate, national, and international
concern is aesthetics, or looks, just
sports. Please use common sense and good
remember that a natural athlete will
moral judgment by saying No to doping.
maintain their physique longer and easier
than the physique of someone who used
PEDs. According to [Link], a
PED users muscles will shrink faster than
the surrounding skin [causing a] condition of
loose[r] skin than in a non-PED user.
[Link]
Comprehensive and transparent
Links For Anti-Doping Agencies
educational information on the adverse
health effects from the use of PEDs in
USADA [Link]
WADA [Link]
NCAA - [Link]
sports will need to be made widely available
in all sports and athletic programs in the
science-institute/caa-drug-testing-
country. If you would like to voice your
program
6
References
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Fairchild, D., PhD. (2008, December 31). Drug Use in Sports. Retrieved November 02, 2016,
from [Link]
Green, G. A., MD. (2009, September). Performance-Enhancing Drug Use. Retrieved October 30,
2016, from [Link]
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Grogan, S., Shepherd, S., Evans, R., Wright, S., & Hunter, G. (2006). Experiences of Anabolic
Steroid Use. Journal of Health Psychology, 11(6), 845-856.
doi:10.1177/1359105306069080
Hippocratic Oath. (2016, November 22). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from
[Link]
LaBotz, M., & Greisemer, B. A. (2016, July 16). Use of Performance-Enhancing Substances.
Retrieved November 01, 2016, from [Link]
List of Major League Baseball players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs. (2016,
November 13). Retrieved November 28, 2016, from
[Link]
erformance-enhancing_drugs
Notable Quotes: Steroid Hearings. (2013, March 17). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from
[Link]
P. (2016, February). The Dangers of Performance Enhancing Drug Use - HSC PDHPE.
Retrieved November 07, 2016, from [Link]
Staff, M. C. (2015, October 15). Performance-enhancing drugs: Know the risks. Retrieved
October 22, 2016, from [Link]
Weising, U. (2011). Should Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sport be Legalized under Medical
Supervision? Retrieved October 29, 2016, from [Link]
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