Free Essay Sample on Drugs Use in Sports

Introduction

The usage of the drugs in enhancing performance in the contemporary world of sports can be traced back as recorded following the games of third Olympiad, the time upon which Thomas Hicks is considered to have won marathon after having an injection of strychnine in the middle of the race. In regards to this, it is imperative to note that the first official ban on the use of 'stimulating substances' by the organization of sporting came into effect as introduced by the IAAF in 1928 (Murray, 2018). This paper will argue that although both sides of the debate of using drugs in sports tend to be having comprehensible arguments, the best way of approaching this contentious issue of drugs in sports entail weighing the associated pros and cons regarding usage of drugs. The paper will demonstrate that the use of drugs in sport is wrong.

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State of Debate

According to the code of World Anti-Doping Agency, a drug is declared illegal if its usage enhances performance, subject to health risk, or goes against the spirit of sport. The essence of sport is considered as celebration pertaining the spirit, body and mind of human characterize the core values that include: fair play, honesty and ethics, health, education and character, joy and fun, excellence in performance, teamwork, commitment and dedication, courage, solidarity and community, respect for self and others as well as respect for rule and laws. The question is whether it is right to argue that freely available and legal drug ought to violate this spirit. Would that be permissible rule good for the sport? The truth of the matter is that the use of drugs in sport is subject to debates in regards to the aspect of freedom of choice, natural/unnatural distinction, among others (Murray, 2018).

Concerning the freedom of choice the proponents argue that if athletes decide taking drug searching for enhanced performance, they should be allowed to do so. Their actions harm nobody other than themselves and deserve to be treated like adults who are capable of making their decision after extensive consultation. Those who are opposed to this freedom of choice argue that using drugs to enhance one's performance infringes rights of other athletes in that if they too want to succeed they have to take the pills. They proceed to say that athletes are drive individuals supposed to go lengths to attain their goals. The reality is that chance of a gold medal in two years may outweigh the associated risks of serious health problems for the rest of life. Athletes should be safeguarded from themselves thereby not allowing anyone to take any performance drug. Those supporting use of the drugs in sport further argue that already athletes use various sorts of supplements exercise diets, medical treatment, clothing, equipment, training regimes and so on. They proceed to say that there is nothing natural about using vitamin pills, having surgery on ligaments, spending all time on the gym to pump weight, wearing-body Lyra suits and running with shoes having spikes on the bottom. According to this argument, medicine, technology, diets as well as coaching all give an artificial advantage to athletes affording the best of all these aids. Hence since there is no clear distinction between legitimate and illegitimate artificial enhancers of performance, all should be allowed including the use of drugs. The use of the drug in cheating is not new although it is becoming more active. In the year 1976, it is worth to note that the East German team of swimming was able to win 11 out of 13 events of the Olympic and after that sued the government for the reason of giving them anabolic steroids. The point is that despite the associated health risk and regulating bodies' efforts, elimination of the use of drugs as well as illegal substances in sports is still used widely (Verroken, 2005).

Advancing the Debate

First I do not support the use of drugs in sport. And even if it is challenging to decide which is legitimate as well as illegitimate methods of enhancing performance, it is my undertaking there should be a line drawn nonetheless. It is necessary that athletes be protected from drugs that are harmful at their peak of fitness. The truth of the matter is that eating a balanced diet as well as wearing best shoes follows in a different category away from taking steroids as well as wearing hormones. It is thus paramount to proceed to make the distinction thereby aiming for genuine drug-free athletic competition. It is imperative to note that use of the drugs in enhancing performance results in severe health problems comprising of 'steroid rage', and it is proven that it leads to the development of male and female characteristics in athletes, heart attacks thereby significantly reducing life expectancy. The reality is that some drugs are as well addictive (Verroken, 2005).

The argument that spot has ended up being the branch of business that entertains people upon which the public demand higher, faster as well as stronger from the participating athletes is misleading. Those supporting usage of drugs to break world records and continue doing so besides making football players bigger as well as more exciting to watch is enjoyable and undertakes that the public should not be denied that via a denial of drugs used in sports. It is my undertaking that such arguments are not genuine in the view that spectators tend to enjoy the competition between athletes instead of the individuals who perform. The point is that a close race stands to be better than a no contest when it comes to world record time. Sports' fun should enjoy the display of skills for instance in football as well as other team sports together with gymnastics than just raw power. It is not right to sacrifice the life and the health of athletes just for the sake of public enjoyment (Moston, Engelberg, & Skinner, 2015).

Again suppose enhancing performance drugs become legalized for adults, upon which such definition varies from one country to another, what would happen to children? It is apparent that teenage athletes train alongside the adult besides sharing the same coaches, and thus there are high chances that many are most likely to succumb to the pressure as well as the temptation of using drugs if they become widely available and legalized. The bottom line is that such young athletes would be unable to make full rational as well as informed decisions concerning taking of drug, health impacts and once grown up would be worse. Such an undertaking would also send the message that drug culture is a good thing thereby resulting in making use of recreational drugs accompanied by evils therein more than ever before (Murray, 2018).

Anticipating Objections

The truth the matter is that performance enhancers including steroids and other categories of doping tends to hurt long-term health. Therefore users of them end up hurting themselves at the end irrespective of the short-term rewards they may receive from their athletic competition. Use of drugs in sports is a means of seeking unfair advantage since those use them do not consume them to level their playing ground but to have an added benefit. In that way, if it is anticipated that everyone does the same, ultimately game would be an activity with increasingly violent. Extreme and meaningless practices undertaken by a class of chemicals if not genetic mutant gladiators. The reality of the matter is that use of the performance-enhancing drug cannot be considered as an accident but rather a planned as well as the deliberate motive of getting unfair advantage of others (Moston, Engelberg, & Skinner, 2015).

Conclusion

In conclusion drugs should not be used in sports. It is apparent that the decision by one athlete to use performance enhancing has the potential of exerting powerful effects to others to use the same in the competition. It has been recently reported from the survey taken that half of the athletes are willing and admitted they would prefer taking drugs despite their effects of even killing them as long as those drugs would let them win. Such an undertaking and mentality of desiring to win at all costs ought to be saturating sports in every level of competition to the point of making athletes feel coerced to make use of the substance to remain at par with other athletes using them.

References

Moston, S., Engelberg, T., & Skinner, J. (2015). Athletes' and coaches' perceptions of deterrents to performance-enhancing drug use. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 7(4), 623-636.

Moston, S., Engelberg, E. T., & Skinner, J. (2015). Perceived incidence of drug use in Australian sport: a survey of athletes and coaches. Sport in Society, 18(1), 91-105.

Murray, T. H. (2018). Good Sport: Why Our Games Matter-And How Doping Undermines Them. Oxford University Press.

Verroken, M. (2005). Drug use and abuse in sport. In Drugs in sport (pp. 41-75). Routledge.