Point of View - Performance Enhancing Drugs
how should sporting codes deal with the problem of PED’S
With the recent implication of world renowned sporting superstar Lance Armstrong, in one of the largest doping controversies of all time, the question has been raised in the public domain as to whether sporting codes should permit the use of performance enhancements. Sporting codes should legalize and regulate the use of performance enhancement drugs in professional sports, as they have become the biggest scourge of professional sports leagues. Legalizing and regulating performance enhancements would not only create a state of equilibrium between players, but the factors that make a sporting performance more enjoyable for the audience include many that can be enhanced by PED’s. Furthermore, it is not necessarily the performance enhancements themselves that are frowned upon, but the stain of immorality that accompanies most doping cases; a stain that could be diminished if doping became a legitimate practice. While it has been stated that PED’s and doping can pose some health risks to the athletes involved, with strict regulations, these potential health risks can be avoided. Sporting codes should legalize and regulate the use of performance enhancement drugs in professional sports, as the underground and immoral nature of their use is ruining professional sports leagues.
With the ratification of performance enhancing drugs, not only would the playing field suddenly be even for all players, but it would be played at a higher and more intense level. Anyone who trains and tries to compete at a natural level would be at a disadvantage if he/she competes with steroid-using athletes. But as pediatrician, medical ethics expert and steroid advocate Dr. Norman Frost stated, in a recent interview for steroidlaw.com, “The answer to the unfair advantage issue with steroids is equal access”. A huge part of watching sport is witnessing the very peak of human athletic ability, and legalizing PED’s would help athletes
With the recent implication of world renowned sporting superstar Lance Armstrong, in one of the largest doping controversies of all time, the question has been raised in the public domain as to whether sporting codes should permit the use of performance enhancements. Sporting codes should legalize and regulate the use of performance enhancement drugs in professional sports, as they have become the biggest scourge of professional sports leagues. Legalizing and regulating performance enhancements would not only create a state of equilibrium between players, but the factors that make a sporting performance more enjoyable for the audience include many that can be enhanced by PED’s. Furthermore, it is not necessarily the performance enhancements themselves that are frowned upon, but the stain of immorality that accompanies most doping cases; a stain that could be diminished if doping became a legitimate practice. While it has been stated that PED’s and doping can pose some health risks to the athletes involved, with strict regulations, these potential health risks can be avoided. Sporting codes should legalize and regulate the use of performance enhancement drugs in professional sports, as the underground and immoral nature of their use is ruining professional sports leagues.
With the ratification of performance enhancing drugs, not only would the playing field suddenly be even for all players, but it would be played at a higher and more intense level. Anyone who trains and tries to compete at a natural level would be at a disadvantage if he/she competes with steroid-using athletes. But as pediatrician, medical ethics expert and steroid advocate Dr. Norman Frost stated, in a recent interview for steroidlaw.com, “The answer to the unfair advantage issue with steroids is equal access”. A huge part of watching sport is witnessing the very peak of human athletic ability, and legalizing PED’s would help athletes