The Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the Professional Sports Industry. In professional sports, there are people who push boundaries, form new paths and destroy norms. The professional sports industry is a major economic driver, contributing significantly to job creation, economic development, and cultural influence worldwide. It not only provides entertainment to millions of fans but also has a substantial impact on local and global economies through direct and indirect economic activities. These athletes not only excel in their sport, but also redefine the whole meaning and rules of the sport. However, there are particular individuals who feel as if their natural athletic performance isn’t good enough and need a boost, so they go out …show more content…
Money plays a huge role in sports, coming from TV deals, sponsorships, tickets, and merchandise. It's crucial because it supports athletes, teams, and the economy, while also influencing player salaries, facility development, and overall growth.According to a report by Statista, worldwide sports revenue reached 403 billion dollars in 2022 with the number rising each year. This financial highlights the need for transparency and fairness to maintain public trust and sustain the industry. Immense pressure to perform better than their personal best is a huge cause for the use of PEDs. The stimulus material “Thompson: Simone Biles and the most human meaning of courage” states “courage is this idea of persevering through adversity.” When athletes resort to PEDs, they are trying to shortcut the process of achieving success. Rather than confronting the challenges and adversities inherent in sports, they artificially enhance their performance through drugs. This undermines the courage of sports because it involves taking the easy way out rather than confronting and overcoming obstacles through hard work. The stimulus material “Moral Courage and Intelligent Disobedience” further supports the topic by saying “Intelligent disobedience, refusing to follow orders that are either unlawful or will produce …show more content…
A. “9 Doping Scandals That Changed Sports.” HISTORY, A&E Television Networks, 26 May 2021, www.history.com/news/doping-scandals-through-history-list. “Global Sports Market Revenue 2028.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/370560/worldwide-sports-market-revenue/#::text=Total%20sports%20market%20revenue%20worldwide%202022%2D2028&text=In%202022%2C%20the%20industry. Accessed 22 Apr. 2024. The. “Effects of Performance-Enhancing Drugs | USADA.” U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), 22 Oct. 2020, www.usada.org/athletes/substances/effects-of-performance-enhancing-drugs/#::text=EFFECTS%20OF%20PEDS%3A%20STIMULANTS%20VIDEO%20TRANSCRIPT&text=At%20low%20doses%2C%20stimulants%20can. University, Northwestern University,. “Exploring Topics in Sports: Why Do Athletes Risk Using Performance Enhancing Drugs? School of Professional Studies | Northwestern University.” Northwestern.edu, 12 July 2015, sps.northwestern.edu/stories/news-stories/why-do-athletes-risk-using-PEDs.php. Graupensperger, Scott A., et al. “Everyone Else Is Doing It: The Association between Social Identity and Susceptibility to Peer Influence in NCAA Athletes.” Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, vol. 40, no. 4. 3, 1 June 2018, pp. 113-114. 117–127, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6399013/,
Those who believe the use of anabolic steroids should be allowed in professional sports have numerous arguments for those in opposition. Professional sports leagues have tried to stop the use of steroids by drug testing players and punishing those who do not pass. A number of major athletes, such as Lance Armstrong, have been stripped of their athletic accolades due to discoveries of drug use. Despite witnessing the fall of great competitors due to “doping,” people continue to use. Because of unsuccessful attempts at banning the drug, many people believe “it may be time to head in the other direction: legalize performance enhancers” (Smith 1). No matter how many rules and regulations are made against the use of steroids, athletes will continue to abuse the drug in order to get ...
In “The Real Scandal,” Sharon Begley and Martha Brant develop an argument against the tacit allowance of the use of “banned” performance-enhancing drugs among Olympic athletes. The 1999 Newsweek cover story details incidents involving individual athletes caught using banned substances, the continuous race between the discovery and detection of new performance-enhancing drugs, and examples of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) complacency. In particular, the authors question the validity of the IOC’s current drug testing policies and protocols within the context of their self-defined role to “lead the fight against doping in sport” and “encourage and support measures protecting the health of athletes” (Organization). In order to better argue against doping in sport and advocate for more efficient and rigorous drug testing, Begley and Brant employ emotional appeals, logic, and a kairotic stance within their writing to persuade their audience of the necessity of firm action by the IOC and the worldwide community on the subject of performance-enhancing drug abuse.
The problems with performance enhancing drugs are that they give the user unfair advantages over other athletes and come with many health risks such as baldness. Steroid use can result in very substantial legal consequences and can ruin the user’s reputation. There are many alternatives to steroids but not all of them are safe. Different organizations have different rules on steroids, but in most cases, the user can get suspended, fined, or even both. Various types of steroids can have various short-term or long-term side effects. There are several types of steroids, the most popular ones being anabolic steroids. Historically, steroids have been around for many years, but the debate surrounding them started recently, more specifically a few decades ago. An important term to know is anabolic steroids which are made to work with the user’s muscle mass. Another term to know is clarified by Ida Walker, author of the book, Steroids: Pumped Up and Dangerous, published by Mason Crest Publishers in 2008, defines, peliosis hepatis is a rare condition in which cysts filled with blood form in the liver, if the cysts were to pop then internal bleeding would occur. A positive argument about steroids is stated by Adrianne Blue, author of the essay, “Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legal,” published in the book Athletes and Drug Use, published in 2009, disputes, “Blue concludes that legalizing performance- enhancing drugs can protect athletes from dangerously abusing them.” The utilization of performance enhancing drugs has left a giant scar on sports and has compromised the achievements of many athletes; therefore, they are transforming the sports world into a drug filled world.
Human beings have always had a strong competitive nature, and many people have a inclination towards achieving fame and glory. Professional sporting events measure the great spirit, unique natural talents, and competitive nature of humans as they attempt to heroically represent the entire race. Often times humans search for the ultimate advantage in sports to put themselves above and beyond the other athletes. Unfortunately, some athletes turn to unnatural agents to supplement their own natural talents. They often ignore the side effects of the drugs and more importantly ignore the damage they do to how they are perceived and how people view the game. Athletes who use performance enhancing drugs, also known as PEDs, create a monstrous persona,
In America today athletic events play an important role in the reflective perception and financial standing of any given community. It is for this reason that the individuals involved in these events are also of significance to the community. Due to the esteemed and very influential role placed on athletes they are often times given privileges that would not normally be given to them if they were not athletes. These privileges are given in order to recruit the athletes, and once recruited to maintain their status on the team so that, in turn, the team's status is not adversely affected. To understand the importance of the role of an athlete one must first examine the role of the athletic event in which the athlete participates and the level of importance placed on this event.
There are many types of steroids abused by athletes in order to increase their muscle mass and strength. Though steroids have a negative reputation, there are some that can be beneficial to athletes and certain patients. There are types of steroids called corticosteroids that have more medical uses to them and another type called anabolic-androgenic steroids that have a more limited medical use. The anabolic-androgenic are usually the steroids that are being abused by athletes (Bigelow, par.10). The use of steroids goes back to the end of World War II around the 1940’s. Doctors were giving the freed prisoners from the Nazi concentration camps that were at risk of death anabolic-androgenic steroids to help gain back their muscle mass and weight faster. From this knowledge, steroids began to be used by body builders and athletes to get more fit than they already were. It is believed that the abuse of the steroids started in the late 1940’s by weight lifters and bodybuilders, and by the 1950’s, it was spread to the Olympics (Bigelow, par.11). Any type of steroid should not be used if they are only going to be abused by being used in large doses with the intentions of increasing lean muscle mass and strength (Bigelow, par.11). After years of abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids in the Olympics they were added to the list of banned substances and random testing of athletes were announced to start taking place (Bigelow, par.35).
Abstract: Since the beginning of sports competition, athletes have always looked for some kind of an edge over their competitors. They will do whatever it takes to be one of the elite and that includes injecting supplements into their bodies to make them bigger, stronger, and faster. Steroid use is probably one of the most common drug misuses in sports competition. Athletes found that with anabolic steroids one could become a better athlete twice as fast. Not until 1975 was the drug first banned from Olympic competition because of the health risks it produced. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the sports world did not allow anabolic steroids as well. With the use of steroids no longer permitted athletes began to look for other alternatives. On the rise is two substances called creatine and androstenedione, both of which are sold over the counter. These two performance enhancers have only had minimal testing done on them, excluding the long-term effects, simply because they haven't been around long enough. Creatine and androstenedione have been said to produce results like steroids without the side effects. The truth is they do produce side effects and irregular muscle growth. By banning the use of performance enhancing drugs, just like steroids, sports competition will have a much healthier and fairer environment to participate in.
When people think of sports, people might wonder if the greatest people in sports used performance-enhancing drugs.
In all areas of sports, professional, college, and even high school, there is widespread illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. Although there are many reasons for athletes to choose to use these drugs, the cost of such use, both to the athlete and to society can be extraordinarily high. It is important to understand why performance-enhancing drugs are used and what are the consequences of their use to the athlete and society.
The age of overwhelming strength and stamina governing sports is over, and the age of the mentally tough athlete has arrived. Athletes are no longer the superficial jocks and robots programmed to accomplish one goal, victory. Modern athletes ranging from the high school to professional levels are faced with many pressures and temptations, normally outside the realm of their sport. These pressures can inhibit an athlete’s performance substantially; therefore, the pressures need to be dealt with by psychologists. The effectiveness of sports psychology is demonstrated through the fields many theories, applications, and variety of techniques and procedures.
Scott, Michael. “The Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports.” The Use of performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports. San Joaquin Delta College, 2008. Web. 19 June 2013.
..., Kjetil K. "Why We Shouldn’t Allow Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport." Academia.edu. Academia.edu, 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .
...Though there have been various laws and rules in the sports, athletes didn’t hesitate breaking those rules. Using drugs in the sports a favorable outcome (to win) and gambling have speeded to the maximum. Athletes are cheating in sports through drugs and gambling leads to cheat to get the name, fame, money and rewards and instead of using their own effort and ability to work. They cheat when they don’t have to and when they get caught it ruin their career. In addition, gambling itself is addictive and the athlete who begins losing the money can be dangerously vulnerable to different destructive behaviors. Drug use and gambling are harmful for the career. Finally, all cheating in sports has to eliminate to save the spirit of sports.
Drug use has led to an increased number of deaths and suspensions of athletes. Also, if this continues, all athletes someday will have to choose whether to compete at a world-class level and take drugs, or compete at a club level and be clean. In sports, athletes, coaches and trainers will try their best to find a way to reach the top level. They not only search for a way to enhance performance, but most of them have aspiring Olympians to train.... ...
Overall it is clear that the need to use performance enhancing drugs is outweighed by the consequences and issues caused by performance enhancing drugs. Sporting events such as the world cup, the Olympics or the World Series make young children feel inspired and encouraged about what they could achieve through dedication and hard work. I feel it is important for the sporting industry as well as the athletes to return respectability to the sport. By