Introduction
All sports at all levels should have a banned substance policy. Such a policy should include a very
strict testing policy. Those athletes who choose to use any substance that is deemed to be either
performance-enhancing or otherwise detrimental to the athlete should be punished very heavily. Such
punishment should be enforced the first time that it can be proven that an athlete has used any banned
substance.
The use of any sort of performance-enhancing is a quick way to gain an advantage over an opponent.
This is a blatant way to cheat. Therefore, the use of these substances should not be accepted by anyone in
any fashion. It is cheating. Cheating in sports, by use of steroids or otherwise should not be tolerated in
any fashion. Anyone who does not possess moral ethics that they would go as far as to cheat on the sport
that they represent should not be allowed to be involved in it. Zero tolerance is an absolute necessity for
those without the moral integrity for the game.
Unfortunately, performance-enhancing drugs are not the only substances that are being abused by the
athletes that are playing all sports. The use of illegal drugs is also just as prevalent. Like steroids, athletes
are testing positive for the use of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines. Like steroids,
these illegal drugs are very detrimental to the health of the athletes who use them. Also, like steroids, after
testing positive, athletes are allowed to return back to their respective sports within a very short time and
without much punishment at all. The biggest problem with the use of these drugs is the fact that it is
having a very negative influence on the youth of, not only this nation, but of the world. The use of these
drugs is not being punished to the full extent by those who control the athletes who are on the top
pedestals of the world. These athletes are idolized by young athletes. All sports have no choice but to
show that cheating and abusing the body with the use of banned substances will not be accepted. Those
who do so will not be welcomed back to their respected sport, and the authority figures must distribute
this punishment to the athlete after the first offense.
The nature of this paper is to prove that all sports should have the same policy when it comes to
athletes using banned substances. This policy should have very strict guidelines. The scope of this paper
is to show both the good and the bad of using banned substances, showing that the “pros” are actually
ways to cheat the activity as well as themselves, thus, proving the need to have a uniformed banned
policy. The objective of this paper is to use research to show the dangers of using substances,
performance-enhancing or otherwise, and conclude that there is no room for these substances in sports.
The Affects of the Drugs to the Athletes Who Use Them
There are both advantages and disadvantages to using performance-enhancing drugs. The use of
steroids seems to be the most common topic of this hot button issue when it comes to the “pros and cons”
of the health affects of performance-enhancing drugs. Not all steroids are bad for one’s health. In fact,
several types of steroids have been developed in order to heal, and provide comfort for all sorts of
conditions. Asthma is one particular condition that that steroids helps to control. Through inhaled
steroids, primarily corticosteroids, the affects of asthma can be reduced by up to 80%. With regular use of
inhaled steroids, it is possible to prevent exasperations of asthma, fatal or near fatal episodes of asthma,
and accelerated loss of lung function. Steroids are known as the ultimate anti-inflammatory drug.
Steroids, in part, make the whole immune system less active, which can be very useful in an illness where
the immune system is involved.
Steroids affect the body in another positive manner. But this is where the morality of taking such
steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs come into effect. As the research of steroids became
more prevalent, researchers were finding stunning results for what steroids were capable of. “During the
1930s, scientists discovered that anabolic steroids could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscle in
laboratory animals. This led to abuse of these compounds by bodybuilders and weightlifters and then by
athletes in other sports (whitehouse.com, 2007).” Since then, steroids have been used to provide an almost
miraculous way to improve strength, speed, and other ways to gain an advantage in the athlete’s
respective sport. And for a time after these drugs were discovered, athletes were able to use these drugs at
will with no consequence or discipline from sport officials. This is where the birth of cheating in sport by
use of performance-enhancing occurred. Athletes or any common person was able to take these drugs to
gain a physical advantage over any opponent in any activity. For a while, these drugs went undetected,
and were widely used.
So, besides cheating an athlete’s opponent, what is the problem with using steroids and other
performance-enhancing drugs? Using steroid presents a very vast list of issues that are detrimental to a
user’s health:
“The study revealed that using anabolic steroids, even at doses 50 times less than those
commonly used by steroid abusers, significantly increased susceptibility to viral
infections and cancers by weakening a vital part of the body's immune system. The
researchers also found that steroids could cause a change in the users' psychology,
reducing their empathy for other people, and making them less sensitive to the effect of
their actions on others. Unlike other drugs, which merely alter mood for a short time, this
new evidence indicates steroids may cause a change to human personality, which is
normally stable throughout life - a result that has potential implications for those
convicted of criminal offences related to so called "roid rage."”(Weatherby, 2004)
Unfortunately, steroids suggest more than just psychological problems. The use of steroids is very
detrimental to ones health. There is a very lengthy list of physical problems that arise when a person uses
steroids. The physical effects of steroids are also vastly different in terms of men versus women. Some of
the effects men can experience are: prominent breasts, baldness, shrunken testicles, a higher voice, and
infertility. Women may experience a deeper voice, an enlarged clitoris, increased body hair, baldness, and
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increased appetite. Both men and women may experience severe acne, liver abnormalities and tumors,
increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), decreased high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol), aggressive behaviors, rage or violence, psychiatric
disorders, such as depression, and drug dependence.
These performance-enhancing drugs, including steroids, are not the only drugs that are being abused
by athletes on all levels. Drugs that have been made by illegal by government agencies are also posing
problems for those who are in charge of policing banned substance abuse in sports. Very similar to
performance-enhancing drugs, illegal drug use by athletes on all levels has been on the forefront of all
media and news sources. These drugs include marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines. Each of these, as
well as others, has all made “headlines” in recent years for the problems they pose. The abuse of these
drugs have also posed major tribulations and discussions by organizations on how to police the problem,
deciding on the punishments that an athlete should receive for abusing these illegal drugs. Another close
similarity to these drugs is the ill-effects that it has on the body. Like steroids, there are several side
affects and severe troubles that arise in a user of these drugs. All of the aforementioned drugs are very
harmful to a user. A very prevalent drug that is used most and by the widest age group is marijuana, “The
short-term effects of marijuana can include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception;
difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate. Research
findings for long-term marijuana abuse indicate some changes in the brain similar to those seen after
long-term abuse of other major drugs. For example, cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC)
withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response
system5 and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine. Dopamine neurons are involved
in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.
(nida.nih.gov, 2006).” Likewise, cocaine has a very vast effect on the user’s level of dopamine. By
increasing the level of dopamine in the synapse, one’s receptors can actually dissipate. This leads to an
addiction where one must abuse cocaine to receive a “normal” feeling because, over time, the dopamine is
not received by the body in the correct capacity. Amphetamines also have very dire consequences for
those who use them. Yet, athletes are prone to use them, “Athletes have used amphetamines to increase
alertness and increase excitement for an upcoming event. A study by Goldberg (1981) showed no
correlation between subjective feelings of increased alertness in athletes taking amphetamine, or lethargy
in subjects who were randomly given a tranquilizer, with any change in reaction time or manipulative
skills….Student athletes have taken amphetamines to improve mood states, improve confidence, increase
alertness and concentration, and increase endurance. (drugfreesport.com, 2007)” Amphetamines also have
a negative affect for athletes who use them, “Amphetamine causes blood to flow away from the skin and
increase the risk of heat stroke. In 1967 British cyclist Tommy Simpson died from complications from
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using amphetamine during the Tour de France (Beckett, 1979). The Danish cyclist Knut Jensen died of
heat stroke and cardiac arrest during the Olympic Games. (drugfreesport.com, 2007)”
Athletes who take these illegal drugs do so for different causes than those who take performanceenhancing drugs. Illegal drugs are first taken to receive the effects of the “high” that a drug can cause.
Others may take these because of the levels of addiction or dependency that the drug may create. These
drugs do not propose any benefits that may aide the athlete in his or her respective sport, thus showing
that the use of these drugs only inhibit the athlete’s ability to perform well. Regardless, because of the
effects that is provided from theses drugs, they have been deemed illegal by various government
organizations. They have also been deemed illegal in sports. Therefore, like performance-enhancing
drugs, there is absolutely no room for them in any sport, and they should be placed in the same category
as performance enhancing drugs.
Steps In the Right Direction?
Brand new, state-of-the-art drugs are being developed on an almost daily basis. These are
predominantly in the performance-enhancing variety. These new drugs are primarily developed to
produce a better, stronger effect on the human body. But more importantly, these new drugs are
developed in a manner that they are able to remain undetected in the drug tests that are issued, sometimes
randomly, be the various sporting organizations. Regardless, there is an incredibly vast realm of
substances that can be detected by various tests. Urine and blood tests are able to detect a majority of the
known developed substances that are deemed illegal by a variety of agencies.
So, what is the problem if these drugs are being tested for? Well, it is great that these tests are in
place so that the potential drug abusers and cheaters are detected. But, the number of people that are
testing positive is enough evidence that the punishments for positive tests are not enough of an incentive
to keep athletes from using illegal and performance-enhancing drugs. Another scary factor in this realm is
the easy ways to avoid these tests. Even in the Olympics, a very sacred display of the athleticism of an
entire country is tested, there are loopholes to avoid drug tests, and “no-notice out-of-competition tests are
easily dodged despite the rules. One can claim being out of town or out of the house. A number of athletes
claimed illness before miraculously showing up at the last minute to win medals in Sydney. This allows
athletes to use drugs and quit in enough time so tests at the Games can be beaten. (Weiner/Pulitzer,
2006):” This fact is frightening that even the tests of the Olympic Games can be very easily avoided.
When tests are actually being taken, what are some of the punishments for those who test positively
for illegal substances? All major sporting regulations have vastly different punishments for failing drug
tests. In most cases, the punishment for a first offense is a mere “slap in the wrist” for the severity of the
crime that is cheating one’s opponent. In most cases, a small fine (compared to the salary of a
professional athlete) or the expulsion of the player for a small amount of games is the only punishment a
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player might receive for a first time offense. Most sports do institute an inclination of punishment for
offenders who are found guilty more than once. It is quite obvious that these punishments are not at all
strong enough for a majority of users to quit using. Those athletes who are testing positive are able to take
the risk of bearing the retribution of being caught the first time, and simultaneously being one step closer
to receive stricter punishments for testing positive on more than one occasion.
Several of the major sporting agencies have recently taken action to create more strict policies. The
NFL is a great example of this, “The NFL and its players' union have agreed, for the second time in recent
weeks, to toughen the league's steroid policy. The new measures triple the number of times a player can
be tested for steroids during the offseason, add substances to the league's banned list and allow the league
to retest players' urine samples for new designer steroids that may have gone undetected in previous tests,
an NFL spokesman said yesterday. (Maske 2005)” The NBA has also identified and proposed solutions
for the problems that present themselves concerning their policies regarding the punishments for using
performance-enhancing versus illegal drugs, “And the NBA penalties are not strong enough to provide a
significant deterrent. Penalties call for only a five-game suspension for a first violation, and only ten
games for a second violation. Even for a fourth or fifth violation, players are only subject to a twenty-five
game violation. These penalties stand in stark contrast to the NBA penalties for street drugs, which call
for a two-year ban for a first offense for a veteran player. Since use of steroids is both illegal and
cheating, this disparity in penalties makes little sense. (oversight.house.gov, 2005)”
Even with all of these new developments and realizations in the terms of the retributions for failing
drug tests, the problem has by no means, been resolved. On the contrary, there has been little or no
change the efficiency that these athletes are passing these drug screens. If anything, more and more
athletes are being discovered for using banned substances because (thankfully) scientists are able to test
for an even vaster array of drugs. For quite some time now, the trend has generally stayed the same: as
years pass, the drug tests have become stricter, as well have the punishments, yet more athletes are failing
these tests.
Everyone must face the inevitable. As time progresses, the availability of these drugs are
significantly higher and the drugs have also become cheaper. With this fact, more and more athletes are
now abusing them more frequently in a vast number of ways. As time passes, these are the details that are
revealed to the public. And as time passes, these details become more and more gruesome.
A Proposed Change Geared Toward Solution
It has become apparent that no stricter policy can be implied that will create any sort of promising
statistics, with the exception of one. Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball was quoted, “I've
been saying for some time that my goal for this industry is zero tolerance regarding steroids.” This is, in
fact the best plan of action.
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The policy can, of course, be taken one step further by including zero tolerance with the use of all
illegal drugs as well.
A zero tolerance policy sounds overly harsh and strict. Regardless, this proposal may be the only
way to see the significant results that everyone is looking for. Once an athlete can be found guilty that
he/she knowingly took any sort of banned substance, they should no longer be welcomed that respective
sport. All records should be revoked, as well as, when applicable, that athlete should not be welcomed by
any high honored society, such as a Hall of Fame. After being found guilty, no athlete should be able to
play in that sport again. They should receive a lifetime ban. They should no longer be allowed to
participate in any activity to that is affiliated with the respected sport.
Most guilty parties have an excuse for taking these drugs. “I didn’t know what I was taking” has
been a common phrase that many have said after testing positive for dugs. Most of the time, this claim is
found to be false after some investigation has been made. And these particular investigations must
continue to be made. No leeway can be given to those who knowingly take banned substances or if one
claims that that they did not know it was a policy. However, if a substance was taken due to a medical
condition, or something of that matter, other forms of activity must be presented. Such things must
include careful monitoring by both professional doctors and sport officials, giving that athlete more of
probation as opposed to relieving him of his sport because of conditions within reason that one must need
that substance. Regardless, as soon as an investigation has shown evidence that a player has taken a
banned substance with any reason that is not in good moral value, that player should fall under the zero
tolerance policy. And that player should be expelled from all sports. This should be done because the
athlete has purposefully broken a rule put in place by league officials.
During times of investigation, the athlete in question should be kept in close observation to make
sure that there in no tampering with any evidence that may be present. Also, all media should be kept to a
minimum until all investigations have been concluded. This is to be upheld so that the right of those
involved and be protected. All sports should have the same investigation crew. These crews should be
unbiased to the outcome of the investigations.
Conclusion
The researcher has found, based on the information that by no means is any plan “fail-safe”. The
same applies in this case. There is no proposal that could be made where the conclusion is the absence of
steroids. Unfortunately, even with the possible evacuation of all cheaters in sports, by use of banned
substances, athletes will still attempt to gain an edge over their opponents. One can see it in classrooms.
Zero tolerance is in place for those who attempt to cheat on various assignments, yet students still do so
on a, oftentimes, regular basis. Human nature leads all to believe that no “true solution” and be found on
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this issue. The only plausible thing to do is to try to cut down on the use of banned substances by
applying a hefty punishment for breaking the rules of the sport.
All drugs are banned by sports agencies for primarily one reason. They are all detrimental to the
athletes who abuse them. These drugs are in no way a healthy alternative for anything. The only benefit
for using these drugs is to obtain a high, in the circumstance of illegal drugs, or to build muscle and speed
much quicker. All athletes have the same goals. Those are to become better than one’s opponent so that
they might out-perform them in their respective sports. Taking measures that are quicker than the “work”
to reach these goals is not only a way to cheat, but it also damaging to the user’s body. Instead of building
up one’s body, they are actually hurting it even more over a prolonged period of time. There is no short
time goal that is worth the long time side effects of using these drugs. What is quite possibly the worst
side affect of using performance-enhancing drugs is the missing out of the satisfaction that the athlete will
miss out on because it was their hard work and determination that brought them victory. Instead, the
athlete will then have to compete with the conscience for having cheated to receive the results that were
given.
The use of all banned substances in sport does not make sense at all. It is only detrimental to all who
are around these drugs. The multiple sports are on the right track to stopping the use of these banned
substances. The researcher thinks that they should all be commended for the progress that is being made.
Regardless, the use of drugs is still as, if not more, prevalent over recent years than ever before. If
progress is to be made, a zero tolerance policy must be put into action. This policy must reach out to
include ALL sports. All sports, at all levels, must have such a policy to obtain results. Even school
children are abusing the same drugs that they are witness to their sports heroes are using. This must be
stopped for the good of the society of all sports. The integrity of any physical competition is out the
window at this point in time. All opinions are skewed because athletes are attempting to gain great
physical condition; instead they are only hurting themselves. A zero tolerance policy is the right step if a
true solution to this problem is ever expected to come about.
The rights of all parties should be upheld and respected. And no conclusions should be dawn until all
of the evidence has been compiled. If any athlete should be found guilty, the media would have a “fieldday” with the matter, just as it does now. The media does a great job at exploiting those who are cheaters
of their respected sport. And it is well deserved, by all means. Of course, the evidence must be
conclusive, and then it is time for those athletes to be expelled for breaking the policy that is in place to
uphold the integrity of the sport, as well as, protect the athlete’s health at all costs. Because, obviously,
the “stricter” policies that are being integrated into the system do not seem to help cut down on the
number of offenses of failed drug tests, this new policy must be put into place. Until these zero tolerance
policies are put in place, no one person can have any faith in the sport they are a fan of. No one child can
7
be sure of the moral value that their sports hero possesses. Human nature will always provide the world
with athletes who attempt to gain an advantage or a high with various banned substances, but there will be
a significant decrease in those who are willing to face the strict consequences that follow for taking that
path.
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Should Sport Have a Uniformed Banned Substance Policy?
Parker Haynes
October 16, 2007