Roids on the Rise

Without a doubt in anyone's mind, drugs and steroids in sports, particularly professional and elite level sports, have spiked over the past decade or so.  Major League Baseball has just recently made their efforts to tighten the stranglehold on the performance enhancing drug ring.  However in Olympic sports, some feel the doping is only getting worse.

 

Ben Johnson, former 100 meter sprinter, who was also disgraced for taking an illegal substance at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and was stripped of his gold medal, feels the incentive is only getting worse because the prizes are bigger and sponsors and other monetary involvement is encouraging the athletes to take more shortcuts.  That 1988 race he participated in was considered possibly the dirtiest race in the history of athletics because six of the eight finalists were linked to doping allegations.  He feels that scientists and cooperating athletes are staying ahead of the testing curve and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), just is not receiving enough funding to catch such culprits.  He also had opinions on such athletes like Lance Armstrong, who was caught using PED's and recently confessed to his actions within the past year.  He felt his main mistake was coming back and racing again rather than just enjoying his retirement money. 

 

 

The Worst is Yet to Come

 

 

 

 



As we discussed in the October 31st and November 5th classes, PED's have clearly become a problem in high level sports.  The ease of access to certain drugs, the reckless and repeated use of them without concern for one's personal health and the stone face lying that occurs when the athletes are caught are the main scenarios we routinely see over and over.  With over 100 types of anabolic steroids, countless creams and pills available and new formulas being produced everyday, the issue of having that edge for athletes will always be the driving force for using illegal drugs and PED's.  Despite the lists that the NCAA and professional sports leagues revise every year, athletes and scientists are sadly finding a way around testing for periods of time.  The only logical solution to really send a message would be lifetime ban from that particular sport if caught with a positive test from a PED.  That would then force athletes to weigh their future and their love of the game versus a gamble and selfish impulse.