Anabolic Steroids In Baseball
Case Assignment: Module 3
Alex Rodriguez
Daniel P. Velasquez
ETH 301, Business Ethics
June 20, 2010
The purpose of this essay is to discuss if Alex Rodriguez should be banned from baseball. I will present some arguments about the use of anabolic steroids in sports, and respond to these arguments by showing that the reason for banning steroids is not always as clear as it seems.
Here is some brief background on Anabolic steroids before we start in on A-Rod . Anabolic steroids are drugs derived from the male hormone testosterone. Steroids are used by some athletes to enhance muscle mass, steroids also help to repair tissue and reduce the athletes workouts and competitions. One example of an athlete using a steroid to promote …show more content…
The first argument is based on unnaturalness. The general form of this argument is the use of anabolic steroids in sports is unnatural; therefore, use of anabolic steroids ought to be prohibited. If this argument means "anabolic steroids are unnatural substances, therefore use of them ought to be prohibited," it is not sound, since the explicit premise is false and the assumed premise unjustified. The explicit premise is false, since anabolic steroids are derived from the male hormone testosterone, which is of course a natural substance. On this criterion, there would seem to be no more reason to prohibit anabolic steroids than, say, Gatorade or multi-vitamins. The assumed premise, 'use of unnatural substances ought to be prohibited', also seems unjustified, since it seems absurd to think that, for example, football helmets and nautilus equipment, both unnatural "substances," ought to be prohibited. If the arguments means the athletes who use anabolic steroids are unnatural or abnormal; therefore use of these substances ought to be prohibited, is also not sound, since the assumed premise, 'if the athletes who use anabolic steroids are abnormal or unnatural, then use of anabolic steroids ought to be prohibited' seems unjustified. Of course the athletes who use these drugs are unnatural or abnormal, though they are so simply in virtue of being able to perform feats that few of …show more content…
Use of anabolic steroids, like use of multi-vitamins, does not enable one to become a “Superathlete”. These drugs work, to the extent that they do, only when combined with hard work, dedication, persistence, and the exercise of other athletic virtues (Rosenthal, 2005). But if the nature of sports is that it is a competition to determine which athlete has developed his or her skills to the utmost, perhaps use of anabolic steroids frustrates such a determination, since the user/hard worker may have an unfair advantage over the mere hard worker (Quinn, 2005). Let's call this argument against the use of anabolic steroids the “Argument from Unfair Advantage”. The general form of this argument is the following: use of anabolic steroids gives the user an unfair advantage over non-users; therefore, use of them ought to be prohibited. A different reason to think that the premise is true is that, if use of anabolic steroids were allowed, athletes who would use them would have an advantage over those who would not. This might be true, but it does not itself tell us why that would be an unfair advantage. It is permissible in professional baseball for a pitcher to get daily massages in order to help his pitching arm muscles recover more quickly, and this pitcher has an advantage over another pitcher who, because of a lack of time, location or finances, cannot receive daily massages. But it is not clear why this fact alone means that the first athlete
Alex Rodriguez
Daniel P. Velasquez
ETH 301, Business Ethics
June 20, 2010
The purpose of this essay is to discuss if Alex Rodriguez should be banned from baseball. I will present some arguments about the use of anabolic steroids in sports, and respond to these arguments by showing that the reason for banning steroids is not always as clear as it seems.
Here is some brief background on Anabolic steroids before we start in on A-Rod . Anabolic steroids are drugs derived from the male hormone testosterone. Steroids are used by some athletes to enhance muscle mass, steroids also help to repair tissue and reduce the athletes workouts and competitions. One example of an athlete using a steroid to promote …show more content…
The first argument is based on unnaturalness. The general form of this argument is the use of anabolic steroids in sports is unnatural; therefore, use of anabolic steroids ought to be prohibited. If this argument means "anabolic steroids are unnatural substances, therefore use of them ought to be prohibited," it is not sound, since the explicit premise is false and the assumed premise unjustified. The explicit premise is false, since anabolic steroids are derived from the male hormone testosterone, which is of course a natural substance. On this criterion, there would seem to be no more reason to prohibit anabolic steroids than, say, Gatorade or multi-vitamins. The assumed premise, 'use of unnatural substances ought to be prohibited', also seems unjustified, since it seems absurd to think that, for example, football helmets and nautilus equipment, both unnatural "substances," ought to be prohibited. If the arguments means the athletes who use anabolic steroids are unnatural or abnormal; therefore use of these substances ought to be prohibited, is also not sound, since the assumed premise, 'if the athletes who use anabolic steroids are abnormal or unnatural, then use of anabolic steroids ought to be prohibited' seems unjustified. Of course the athletes who use these drugs are unnatural or abnormal, though they are so simply in virtue of being able to perform feats that few of …show more content…
Use of anabolic steroids, like use of multi-vitamins, does not enable one to become a “Superathlete”. These drugs work, to the extent that they do, only when combined with hard work, dedication, persistence, and the exercise of other athletic virtues (Rosenthal, 2005). But if the nature of sports is that it is a competition to determine which athlete has developed his or her skills to the utmost, perhaps use of anabolic steroids frustrates such a determination, since the user/hard worker may have an unfair advantage over the mere hard worker (Quinn, 2005). Let's call this argument against the use of anabolic steroids the “Argument from Unfair Advantage”. The general form of this argument is the following: use of anabolic steroids gives the user an unfair advantage over non-users; therefore, use of them ought to be prohibited. A different reason to think that the premise is true is that, if use of anabolic steroids were allowed, athletes who would use them would have an advantage over those who would not. This might be true, but it does not itself tell us why that would be an unfair advantage. It is permissible in professional baseball for a pitcher to get daily massages in order to help his pitching arm muscles recover more quickly, and this pitcher has an advantage over another pitcher who, because of a lack of time, location or finances, cannot receive daily massages. But it is not clear why this fact alone means that the first athlete