Doping! Should We Legalize It in Sports?

The use of performance enhancing drugs has been a hot topic within the sports world for many decades. Sports Commissioners in all leagues have been searching for ways to improve their testing policies, but to no avail; as more players test positive each year. Over the years, no sport has been left untouched by the effects of these drugs. From mind blowing records marked with an asterisk, and physical harm to death, these are only some of the affects these drugs have left on the sporting world. Performance enhancing drugs should not be legalized because they promote cheating, discourage natural ability and are harmful to one's health.

The question of whether players and athletes cheat at their sport has been answered several times throughout history. From the Black Sox scandal of the 1919 World Series, where players were accused of throwing the game and banished from baseball for life, to the use of performance enhancing drugs, which had it's first recorded incident in 1886. Arthur Linton who was the first winner of the Tour De France, died on the track from what doctors believed was the stimulant Trimethyl (Rebecca Shore, March 11, 2008).

The idea of performance enhancing drugs is to increase strength and endurance to help boost the natural abilities of the particular athlete. By players doing these drugs we are left with a trail of records that are branded with asterisks. Baseball has been the main sport affected by these tarnished records. In 2007, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds broke the all time home run record with 756 long balls in his career. However, since 2003, Bonds has been involved in several court cases about whether or not he had used performance enhancing drugs, and has now been facing perjury charges for those prior court cases. His record breaking baseball; however, is now sitting in the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown New York with a giant asterisk branded into it. This was done as a constant reminder that this record was not broken on natural ability, but with the use of drugs to make Bonds stronger.

Baseball also suffered a major blow in 2007 when on December 13^th former senator George Mitchell released a 409 page report listing the names of some of the sports biggest stars who had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. This list was gathered after an investigation lead by Mitchell that lasted several years. Therefore, the list contained players from past and present. The affects of this list called into question the integrity of the players, names such as Jason Giambi, Mark McGwire, and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. These players were said to be some of the biggest most powerful sluggers of the late 1990's early 2000's. Players that were thought to have a great natural ability were stuck having to defend their reputation; and some never played again.

In 2007, as well Pro-wrestling saw the effects of performance enhancing drugs on another level. In June of 2007, police found the bodies of Pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and seven year old son inside their Georgia home. The official ruling on the case was a murder-suicide caused by what is referred to as "roid rage." Medical officials found Benoit had ten time s the normal amount of testosterone in his system which induced the rage that caused this tragedy (Rebecca Shore March 11, 2008). Two innocent lives; Nancy Benoit and seven year old Daniel were claimed by the affects of these drugs.

Performance enhancing drugs also discourage young athletes to develop their own natural abilities. Players such as LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts are natural athletes that excel at their sports without the use of a chemical to enhance their ability. The names like Mark McGwire, one of baseball's biggest stars in the mid 1990's now has his natural ability hanging under a cloud of skepticism. When McGwire first came up to the big leagues in 1986 he batted .189 avg. and by the time he left in 2000, he was batting .305. In 1998, he hit 70 home runs in a single season and had an on base percentage of 1.222 (www.baseballreference.com). At the major league level having an on base percentage of .400 is considered to be decent, leaving the fans to consider if a natural athlete batting .200 is better than the doped up superstar?

Other than affecting player's reputations, performance enhancing drugs can also have lasting effects on the player's health. Some of the most common types of performance enhancing drugs are HGH or human growth hormone, Amphetamines, and Testosterone.

When used correctly, HGH is used to correct stunted growth in children with a hormone deficiency. The appeal of this drug for athletes is that it will build muscle and strengthen connective tissue; players also report that this drug helps improve eyesight. This in baseball can help players at the plate see the ball better. The side effects of using HGH are a thyroid deficiency, acromegaly which is a growth in the hands, feet and head. HGH can also lead to an enlarged heart or cancer.

Amphetamines are also a frequently used drug in sports. This drug comes in many forms such as Ritalin and Adderall. These drugs are normally prescribed to patients that suffer from ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, brain injuries and chronic fatigue syndrome. Athletes use this drug for the increased energy levels, which allows the athlete to complete in a more vigorous manor and play longer. This drug has a long list of side effects from constipation, loss of appetite, seizures and fainting and much more.

The third most frequently used drug in sports is the naturally occurring male hormone testosterone. This hormone is what makes a male a male. It is responsible for forming the male characteristics such as fat distribution and genetalia. When athletes increase the amount of testosterone in their system it can help them trim body fat, and build muscles(Roberts, Selena). Increasing the amount of testosterone as we have seen in the Benoit case is that it can cause bursts of rage. Medically it can cause liver damage, acne, enlarged prostate, and gynocomastia, which is the development of breast tissue in males. In females it can cause virilization, which is the development of male characteristics such as a deeper voice, and increased body hair (mayo clinic staff, 2010).

When looking at the different scenarios circulating around the use of these drugs, we are left to wonder why the players and athletes would subject themselves to these risks. The main reason, is because the better the player, the more touchdowns, home runs or trophies received the bigger the paycheck. But in all reality, is an extra million or two for one year worth the disgrace, or risk?

How We Got Here: a timeline of performance enhancing drugs in sports. (2008, March 11). Retrieved May 27^th, 2010, from sports illustrated website:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/magazine/03/11/steroid.timeline/index.html

Known Performance Enhancing Drugs in Baseball. Retrieved May 27^th, 2010, from Baseballs steroid era website: http://www.steroidera.com/bse-all-performance- enhancing-drugs-list-baseball.html

Mark McGwire career records. Retrieved May 27^th, 2010, from baseball-reference.com: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcgwima01-bat.shtml

Roberts, S. (2010)The Mitchell Report .baseballs steroid era website: http://www.baseballssteroidera.com/#mitchell-report

Taking Performance-enhancing drugs: Are they a risk to your health?. (2010, April 8). Retrieved May 25^th, 2010, from Mayo clinic website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/performance-enhancing-drugs/hq01105