Earlier this January, one of the largest performance enhancing drug scandals in the history of sports became public. Lance Armstrong, a former 7 time consecutive winner of the Tour de France, admitted in Oprah’s televised interview that he consumed banned substances in competitive cycling races. One of the main reasons Armstrong listed for his illegal drugs use, was the desire to win at any cost; to compete at the highest possible level. The definition of compete, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, means to “strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others who are trying to do the same”. Among the many fundamental values and principles of sports, the act of competition encompasses the majority …show more content…
But after looking closer, many will notice a darker side to competitive sports that warrants the recent controversy. Opposition of competitive sports criticize various points including “violence,…physical disabilities; promotion of poor character development and distorted reasoning skills” (Burton, Raedeke 9). Professional football players, for example, must compete at such a high physical level that it is comparable to war. Where “body shattering” occurs in football, “killing and maiming” occur in war and because of this, “anybody who has ever played football…suffer[s] for it later physically” (McMurtry). Why must the level of roughness nearly approach the physicality of war? Athletes developing in this competitive environment learn to “triumph over others” because “good” is not adequate (Kohn). Competition slowly instills success as “victory” so when an athlete finally wins, competition becomes a “vicious circle” that rarely ends because of the athlete’s constant desire “to feel good about” themselves (Kohn). With this mentality, distorted reasoning skills among today’s athletes becomes quite …show more content…
Competition should not be done away with, but it certainly requires change. An athlete’s simple involvement in competitive sports does not automatically injure or condition the player. For athletes to experience the positive effects of competition, guidelines must be followed to deter them from absorbing the negative effects of competition. According to President Theodore Roosevelt, “Athletic proficiency is a mighty good servant, and like so many other good servants, a mighty bad master”; students should not “sacrifice standing well in…studies to any over-athleticism”. In addition to that advice, young athletes need wise adult coaches or guidance counselors that can teach self-control, value despite loss, and humbleness in victory as well as defeat. In conclusion, the value of competition’s impact can be positive or negative depending on the course of action the athlete follows. The athlete’s self-control and ethics ultimately decide the effect of
Lastly, in youth competitive sports you can learn how to win and lose politely, which is important to the feelings of your competitors. Even though teens can learn these skills in school and in their household, competitive sports provide another way for children to interact and experience how to use life skills in the real world. Another example from the article, “ Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at the Highschool Level,” it
Lance Armstrong is one of the most recognized athletes of the 20th century. He is well known for his seven Tour de France victories. It is one of the most famous and rigorous cycling competitions because of its length, which is over 1,000 miles. It is a huge accomplishment to win just a single Tour de France, but his feat has never been repeated. As he rode triumphantly in his yellow jersey drinking champagne through Paris, he was glorified for his accomplishments. Many people were idolizing him since it was an unimaginable feat. Despite his denial, rumors were spread that he was using performance-enhancing drugs. After years of innocent claim, he finally admitted to doping. One of the drugs that he used was EPO. Many people were unaware of the drug until Lance Armstrong admitted to using it. The substance allowed his body to produce more red blood cells, thus increasing his oxygen carrying capacity and significantly increased his endurance. However, EPO has been very useful to sick patients in need red blood cells. Despite the abuse of EPO by athletes, it can also help patients with a variety of diseases, and therefore the benefits outweigh the risks.
The question of drug use among athletes in what was previously considered by the unknowing public to be a rather pristine sport, cycling, is important in that it will affect all future Tours and will place them and the athletes under scrutiny. To begin with, in Europe until the 1998 scandal occurred, despite a few exceptions, cycling was considered a drug free sport. The 1998 drug scandal tarnished the Tour de France and the reputation and image of other sports. The media response to the scandal took differing positions on what should be done next to clean up cycling. The scandal also affected advertisements, sales, and without question the 1999 Tour and Lance Armstrong. Since even the most naïve fan no longer trusts the cyclists, drug-testing procedures have been instituted. Also, the question now arises regarding medications used by seriously ill cyclists.
Until 2012, Lance Armstrong was believed to be the best road cyclist in the world, winning seven consecutive Tour de France races, but this title and his reputation were stripped away when his cheating was proven. Unfortunately, Mr. Armstrong is just one athlete among many who have been found to tip the scales in their favor. Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire stained the reputation of baseball by using performance- enhancing drugs to shatter home run records set by honest players while Mike Tyson’s infamous nibble is joked about in sports and entertainment media. Some of these men would argue that their cheating was justified by the dishonesty of others but are they right?
For instance, I am a competition dancer. Going to different competitions you can see the differences in the way the dancers, teachers, judges, and moms view outcomes. The teachers just want you to do your best because no matter the placement received you had fun. When you are on a team, you want your team as a whole group to compete with other teams not each other. You see this with other sports too, such as baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. where kids try to outperform their teammates. This poses risks such as “loss of self-esteem, injuries… increased stress.” (Berger, pg. 245, 2014) However Active play and competition do not only pose risks they contribute to the following as well “Better overall health, less obesity… respect for teammates and opponents.” (Berger, pg. 245, 2014)
On August 24, 2012, the USADA announced that Lance Armstrong would be stripped of his seven Tour titles, honors and would be banned from cycling for life. The report stated that Armstrong had used banned performance-enhancing substances. On October 10, 2012, the USADA released evidence, which included laboratory tests, emails and monetary payments. "The evidence shows beyond any doubt that the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that the sport had ever seen," Travis Tygart, chief executive of the USADA, said in a statement (“Lance Armstrong Biography” 1).
Just as other athletes had done in the past, Armstrong followed suit and came forth with a full confession to steroid use. This largely publicised event previewed as a 2 hour special on Oprah Winfrey’s newly launched OWN Network (“Doping Confession” 1). Although possibly serving as a publicity stunt, for Armstrong to debunk any and all rumours about his performance enhancers use shows an ounce of decency thought to be nonexistent. Likewise, once the realization that his true empowerment which is derived from his efforts to provide aid to those who have endured the beast of cancer sets in, the misconstrued image of Armstrong diseases. The now current CEO and president of Livestrong Craig Ullman noted that “regardless of what anyone says, Lance Armstrong has been one of the most tireless and effective cancer advocates in the world” (Lapowsky 2). Although Armstrong did in fact cheat, no one can truly hate the man for it. Given the actuality that he has not only faced a life threatening disease but founded a charity to provide assistance for those facing the same, the man cannot and will not be overlooked. Finally, Armstrong will forever retain an ounce of respect due in large to the overcoming he overthrew. In spite of his wrongdoings, “a small kernel of Darwinian, animal-to-animal respect remains. Because he lived. He beat the the best” (Price 4). This aspect of his story was what contributed to his upper hand towards public appeal. Although this story was perfect so long, especially in a time when cancer was more of threat than years to come, built up animosity towards him would never span to physical challenges he endured. Armstrong’s extraneous efforts in order to reach the top are impeccable for someone with such a storied past yet his success in now way counteracts the cheating and lying that
As we all know Lance Armstrong is famous for winning the Tour de France a record number of seven times. This is unreal for the normal human being and he did so after winning the battle against testicular cancer. I know you are probably sitting there wondering how can someone that has already been through so much from battling cancer go on to win the Tour de France seven times. Well this went through the minds of others as well and they began to question whether Lance was taking performance enhancing drugs during the times he raced.
The development of character plays a significant role in sport in today’s society. Character building is seen as acquiring skills and knowledge that could be presented later on in life or in a realistic situation. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the reasoning behind this preconceived notion, and apply the stimulus and how it may occur. Furthermore, the idea behind what a stereotypical norm is how it may be or may not be presented through different social aspects of sport. For example, social status can play a huge role in accomplishments of character and how the world should view an individual (Carrington & McDonald, 2008). The social theory of Marxism is an ideal aspect to take into today’s nature, due to the idea, that it is
On 14 January 2013, during his interview to talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong admitted that he had doped during his Tour de France cycling competitions from 1999 to 2005. This acceptance left his charity on its own to show it has the endurance to survive the scandal.
Confucius once said, "he who does not do well is less guilty than he who pushes too hard." People found that competitive sports are often physically straining and it is detrimental to proper emotional development. This blows away the misconception that competitive sports create a healthy and engaging atmosphere for kids. This and an overly strong obsession with winning create a toxic mix for the child’s wellbeing. People have begun to realize the world of competitive may be doing more harm than good for their children. Parents have also begun to notice that competitive sports often injure their children severely and also make the child feel left out, which in turn is detrimental to the child 's emotional health. Therefore, competitive sports
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?
... want and to not let anything stand in their way. Through Lance Armstrong’s corer his most valuable moments is winning the tour de France more than one time. Every obstacle that he has faced, he has not only survived but has also used to improve his personal life. In the Tour de France Lance proved himself to be the best cyclist in the world. Armstrong has proven these seven consecutive times. Lance Armstrong winning these things raised some questions about him cheating in the sport. Lance Armstrong always denied the fact that he cheated for those titles but it took a while for him to actually come out and confess to himself cheating. A lifetime ban from the sport was one of armstrongs penaltys for cheating in the events and that is one major reason why Armstrong did not confess at first. Lance was also accused of using performance drugs long before he confessed.
Competition produces anxiety, which can interfere with learning and disassociates with one’s own body. It is not instinctual because it is taught and it damages people and creates stress in their life. Competition teaches people to give their worst while they only focus on what their fellow mate is doing. I agree with Rubin that “competition limits people’s ability to lead happy and satisfying lives”, for I am assured that competition is destructive to children’s self-esteem, it interferes with learning, sabotages relationships, and isn’t necessary to have a good time.... ...
In conclusion, it is explicit that sports is a positive influence on athletes, spectators and the world as a whole as it teaches imperative life lessons as well as allows its participants to experience enjoyment, fulfilment and gratification. As mentioned previously sports enables its players to bring out the best in others and create unity amongst groups as team work is so essential. This highlights the views I have in conjunction with the views of Joe Humphrey.