The history of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) dates back to time immemorial. As most things evolve over time, so does PEDs, which tends to become more effective and relatively dangerous in equal measures. Performance enhancing drugs can be termed to being any type of substance that is taken to enable an individual to perform better athletically. The major reason why performance enhancing drugs have gained popularity over time is because the world of professional sports has become very competitive thus compelling some sportspersons to indulge in some activities that would make them have an unfair advantage over their competitors. Many professional sports leagues have made efforts to set a level playing field for all competitors by ensuring that those tested for performance enhancing drugs have been suspended or banned indefinitely from the sport (Magkos and Kavouras 44). Nonetheless, these stiff measures have done little to salvage the situation. It is for this reason that a substantial number of people are of the opinion that it has come to a time where making the use of performance enhancing drugs legal would be the ultimate solution to making the playing field level for all the sportsmen. On the other hand, most of the people are totally opposed to the use of any substance that would boost the performance of a sportsperson since they argue that, it would end up killing the spirit of sports. In this paper, I seek to find a common ground in regard to the use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in sports.
According to the proponents for the use of performance boosting drugs, the field of sporting is condemned to cheating and therefore it would be reasonable if the use of these drugs would be made legal and accessible to all sportsmen so as that no one would be enjoying an unfair advantage over the other. A very convincing argument about why the use of PEDs should be made legal is put across by Savulescu, Foddy and Claytonm in their Article why enhancing drugs should be allowed in sports from the British journal of Sports medicine, they argue that, the elite athletes are nowadays using very effective steroids that are hard for the officials to detect. Some of these drugs such as the anabolic steroid is taken in very little amount almost in negligible quantities but they have the ability of improving an individual performance by 5-25%. Since the lure of success is great in sports, scientists are said to be developing forms of steroids that can be combined into the genetic composition of a person and thus would be hard for the Anti-doping team to detect any signs of drug usage ((Magkos and Kavouras 45). Therefore, these authors are of the opinion that, if the usage of these performance enhancing drugs would be made legal and freely available, the issue of cheating would be no more. However, they further indicate that the legalisation of these drugs should be based on various criterion that ensures that the drugs used should not be posing any danger to the athlete’s life or in any way violating the spirit of sports.
In addition, the proponents of the legalisation of Performance-Enhancing drugs argues that, human sporting activities should be perceived differently from animal sports. They explain that, unlike animal a sports such as horse racing that requires the best biological or genetic potentiality, human sports should be based on genetic potential, training, judgement and the aspect of psychology. They term the notion of finding either the fastest, strongest or most skilled man an old Athenian perspective of sports (Savulescu, Foddy & Clayton 12).According to their argument, training should be the ultimate solution to developing the biological potential of an individual who may not be born with the genetic sporting potentiality. In addition, they acknowledge that, for these sports to be more interesting, biological manipulation should be allowed. This is because, human sports ought to be creative, and through the manipulation of our genetic composition, the human spirit in regard to improving our capacity on the basis of judgement and reason is embodied which consequently promotes the spirit of sports. To further expound on their argument on the importance of the use of performance-Enhancing drugs, an example of the classical musicians is given. They point out that, classical musicians normally use the β blockers to manage or control their stage fright by lowering their blood pressure and heart rate. Therefore, they conclude that these performance-enhancing drugs should be also allowed in the sporting arena.
The argument presented by the proponents for the use of PEDs arguably includes both viable claims that ought to be considered by the anti-Doping agency in the Sports arena as well as unrealistic thoughts about the subject at hand. One of the strongest argument presented is that the steroids used by the athletes are nowadays becoming very complicated for the anti-doping team to detect. PEDs such as the erythropoietin (EPO) are very complex growth hormones that appears as natural chemicals in the body of a human being thus making it hard for it to be detected since it mimics the normal body processes. However, lack of the spirit of genuine completion reigns over the proponent’s argument about legalising the use of PED’s for the sake of making a level ground for all sportsperson. In my opinion, I would not enjoy watching a sports person whose performance has been boosted by various chemical processes. The spirit of sports will be largely injured if this measure is adopted. This is one of the weakness that manifests itself in the proponent’s argument.
According to my claim on this topic, numerous research studies shows that sportsmen who use performance enhancing drugs risk going through regrettable health problems. Dandoy, Christopher, and Rani claims that the use of drugs to boost performance may result into adverse physical effects which includes kidney and liver damage, skin discolouration, baldness, testicular shrinkage , breast growth defects and infertility (94). In addition, women who use these drugs have been observed to experience unusual health problems such as facial hair growth, menstrual circle irregularities and a large extent of emotional distress. It is therefore evident that these drugs cause an immense level of complications to the athlete’s health, physique and mentality. In addition, athletes who may not opt to using performance boosting drugs due to various health issues or even for due to financial constraints that makes them not to afford the performance enhancers, they definitely become very disadvantaged due to the unfair competition with the competitors who capitalizes on the use of drugs. The athletes who uses these drugs tends to record very impressive performances as compared to the ones who do not use them and therefore unfairly achieve numerous titles and sponsorship worth millions of dollars.
Works Cited
Dandoy, Christopher, and Rani S. Gereige. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs." Pediatrics in
Review 33.6 (2012): 265-272.
This article focuses on the use of Performance enhancing drugs among pre-teenagers and teenagers in various completive sports. It includes a research which involved 30 teenagers who had been tested for doping.
Filiault, SM, and MJN Drummond. "Muscular, But Not 'Roided Out'": Gay Male Athletes
And Performance-Enhancing Substances." International Journal Of Men's Health 9.1 (2010): 62-81. CINAHL Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
This peer-reviewed article focuses on Anabolic-androgenic Steroids that facilitates the growth and development of muscles. It further expounds on the issue of a variety of appeal that a man may desire such as competitive athletics.
Magkos, F, and SA Kavouras. "Caffeine And Ephedrine: Physiological, Metabolic And
Performance-Enhancing Effects." Sports Medicine 34.13 (2004): 871-889. CINAHL Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
This Peer-reviewed article explains about the preparations of caffeine and ephedrine substances by sportspersons as a way of enhancing performance.
McDuff, D. R., & Baron, D. (2005). Substance use in athletics: a sports psychiatry
Perspective. Clinics in sports medicine, 24(4), 885-897.
This article generally focuses on the benefits that are accrued by the athletes who manage to perform remarkably without the use of substances that boosts their performance. It outlines both the advantages and disadvantages of using substances in Athletics
Savulescu, J., Foddy, B., & Clayton, M. (2009). Why we should allow performance
Enhancing drugs in sport. British journal of sports medicine, 38(6), 666-670.
In this article, the major reasons for why the use of performance enhancing drugs should be legalised are explained. It is from this article that the argument about the use of steroids is supported.
Use Of Performance-Enhancing Substances: Policy Statement." Pediatrics 115.4 Part 1
(2005): 1103-1106. CINAHL Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
This peer-reviwed article largely focuses on the dietary supplements, medications, prescriptions and illicit drugs. It uses the argument by the American Academy of Paediatrics to strongly condemn the use of performance enhancing substances.
