Media-Driven Moral Panic & Anti-Doping Policies

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:

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