The Role Of Performance Enhancing Drugs In Sports

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From a young age, I have been influenced to believe that sports people are the epitome of all I should achieve, the 'creme de la creme' of the nation, and the inspiration of our youth. Nevertheless, in recent times I have discovered that sports people are not actually the flawless individuals they are made out to be. Various athletes have been caught taking performance-enhancing substances, committing unforgivable crimes and displaying a sheer lack of mutual respect for their opponents. I believe that the majority of sports people promote unprofessionalism and a negative attitude towards sport, so to I do not believe sports people are suitable role models for the youth.

Performance-enhancing drugs are rife within the sporting community. Sports …show more content…

Crime in the sports world occurs amongst those who share this mindset, and who display themselves as cocky and arrogant characters. These crimes can reach to the extent of rape, and murder. If children witness these crimes being committed by influential characters such as sportspeople, the truth that this is unacceptable can be ignored due to their social hierarchy. Once again, the media plays an important role in reinforcing the morals and reasoning behind these crimes. For example, Robinho, a previous footballer for Manchester City, was convicted in 2013 as part of a gang rape of an Albanian woman. This proves the psychological fact that sportspeople at the top of their game believe they are so popular that no harm can come to them and they can abuse their power as a result of their sporting success. Furthermore, young people can adopt this perspective which could lead to this behaviour developing as they age, becoming a fundamental part of their own …show more content…

Usain Bolt is currently the 100m world record holder with a time of 9.58, over a tenth of a second faster than any man ever recorded. Bolt has to this day, never tested positive for any banned substances making him legitimately the fastest man in history over 100m. Athletes and sportspeople similar to Bolt who have competed cleanly throughout their whole career are prime examples of admirable role models for young athletes as they demonstrate the true meaning of sport. These sportspeople have risen to the top of their sport through dedication and determination, unlike others who have used and abused substances to cheat their way to fame and glory. However, although some sportspeople are truly great role models for youth, my mind is still fixed as this sadly is a minority and the people who have unlawfully gained attention receive more media coverage than they are entitled to. Since the younger generation is regularly on social media, they are bombarded by the media coverage on the negative sides of sport, for example, drug scandals and criminal accusations. The youth are very susceptible to change, so when they see sports superstars cheating or committing a crime in news reports, they are illusioned into believing that this is morally right and an acceptable pathway to

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