Drug Culture in Sports

Today, sport competition has grown tremendously. The drug culture of sport has also increased and become a troublesome trend in the world of elite athletics. Many athletes are experimenting with drugs in order to keep up with their competitors. In the most recent popular case, Lance Armstrong has been tested positive for blood doping. His fans now have a fear of validity with their sport stars they have always admired. I am recently working with the local children's hospital for a charity cycling event. They chose to no longer use Lance Armstrong's name or brand on the website or on any of the marketing promotions. It is interesting that they did not want any association with such an amazing athlete because of his drug allegations. I believe that although these elite athletes should realize they are constantly under the lime light and have severe consequences to their actions, they should not be stripped of all their earnings. Lance Armstrong is still one of the most elite cyclists who has persevered multiple adversities in his athletic career. 

Given two hard working athletes, one using drugs and one that is clean, it is clear that a performance enhancing drug is unfair. Hard work should be rewarded, while cheating needs to be punished. The line is very thin regarding which drug is considered performance enhancing. The mild medicines that most of the world uses for headaches, stomachaches, and pain should have no place in the illegal drug listings. These elite athletes are constantly being tested with grueling seasons, practices, and training schedules. A clear distinction needs to be made between illegal enhancement drugs and mainstream medications. 

The sever consequences that athletes who have failed drug tests face seem to extreme. I agree that there needs to be repercussions for their actions. Young athletes need to realize that by doping or taking steroids will not lead to wins, but to serious health issues. That is the misconception of the punishment that athletes are given. Young athletes need to see the health risks that they put themselves under if they start experimenting with drugs. Even if a famous athlete is stripped of his awards, society still knows that he/she set that record, or won that race. If the public is shown the negative health effects of taking these drugs, then it would be more of a scare for young athletes. Illegal drugs should be limited to the ones with major health effects, not simply enhancements such as coffee or energy drinks. 

We have seen what drugs have done for athletes in their current careers. I would like to see more health studies conducted in the future to see how the drugs taken by these athletes have effected their bodies. The drug allegations are shocking to the public now and have reached the mainstream media so quickly, that it will be interesting to see what the future holds for these athletes. We have yet to see any long-term effects of these modern sport heroes who have been using and abusing drugs. 

The other side of the argument regarding the drug culture in sports, is why we should care if these elite athletes are using drugs? Athletes are trying to become the best the can be in their sport. My concern is what types of drugs are harmful medically and the immediate side effects. In our book, Sport in Contemporary Society, Robert Lipsyte compares elite athletes taking performing enhancement drugs to celebrities getting Botox done to enhance their looks. I found this comparison interesting because both situations result with side effects. However, depending which kind of performing enhancing drugs are taken some of the side effects are very severe. Steroids are a definite and inevitable part of sport culture. There needs to be less finger pointing and more medical research stressing the health side effects. 

CNN’s online “opinion” article backed Lance Armstrong's allegations and suggests that doping should be allowed in sport. The editor Ellis Cashmore feels that the Lance Armstrong case forces us to improve the detection and to make the consequences serve as both discouragement and restoration. Cashmore goes on to suggest that we could allow the use of certain drugs and monitor the use of them to study the statistical results. I find this strategy extremely worthwhile with much potential in future studies. However, if athletes are allowed to take certain drugs and still compete with other athletes that are clean of drugs, there would no longer be a level playing ground. I am also curious to see the amount of athletes that are completely clean in today’s society. If performing enhancing drugs were legal and monitored, it would rescue the sport from secluding athletes that are found guilty and instead create a safer sport environment. 

Performance enhancing drugs are a major part of sport culture in today’s society. The intense competition that elite athletes are putting on each other are making it an easy alternative to turn to drugs for an extra edge. There must be consequences for taking illegal drugs, yet stripping an athlete of all their accomplishments is not the right way to bring awareness to the problem. More health studies need to be conducted in order for young athletes to realize the future health risks of doping or taking steroids. Drug abuse is an inevitable part of sport, but it is how we spread awareness and knowledge of the future risks that will make a difference. Ideally, there should be no form of drug use allowed in sport at all but that is simply not realistic. If doping was permitted, the world of sport could be closer monitored, the use of these dangerous drugs would be under better control, and statistical data could make for future studies. We should no longer ostracize these incredible athletes for taking part in a major culture in todays sport world. We should instead see the problem as an opportunity to take more control of monitoring, create a safer environment, and conduct productive studies that can serve as great indicators for the future effects of these substances.

Jocelyn Neely
Kin 577