Introduction
Doping is the hot issue that’s gaining worldwide attention of policy makers, legal agencies, regulatory bodies, medical associations, sports bugs and everyone associated with sports of any kind at any level. Be it the World Cup, The Olympics, Tour de France or any other globally celebrated sporting event, ‘genetically transformed athletes’ have been stirring up storms in the media from quite a past few years now.
A North Korean shooter along with a Vietnamese gymnast was caught for doping at the recent Beijing Olympics. International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davies says the North Korean shooter Kim Jong-Su who won a silver and bronze medal, tested positive for beta blockers which help steady athletes’ hands. (ABC International).
True, ‘non-traditional’ or ‘elitist’ sport-the form of sports characterized by bigger, stronger and faster ‘genetically transformed’ athletes/players- offers entertainment as could neither be experienced nor imagined in the case of traditional or natural sports. The trend of doping (oral or intravenous) has transformed the concept of this form of entertainment and has raised numerous ethical concerns among the masses.
Discussion
On the one hand, doping or introducing any such element that did not previously exist in one’s body is in itself a harmful practice and must be avoided regardless of the purpose or intentions behind the action. This questions the pressure under which athletes feel the need to dope to gain artificial strength and unnatural bodies. The billion-dollar sports industry and the fanfare, the glamour, the fame and sometimes worse- fascist nationalism, pull the athletes into the destructive chase for constant glory. This is one of the most disturbing aspects of 21st century’s materialist trends and this can be seen in the showbiz and other popular industries. Where athletes inject harmful steroids into their bloodstream that put their bodies into an ultimate hyper state, models in the fashion industry starve themselves to achieve that perfect stick figure. Such tendencies call forth the attention of regulatory bodies to intervene and associate legal ramifications to such harmful behavior (Garnier). Aside from medical implications, doping raises many issues as to the value of victory and honesty in sports. The view contends that victorious athletes destroy the very phenomenon of competition and the integrity of the sport itself. From the Utilitarian perspective, doping reduces the overall social utility of entertainment gained thru such sport competition where players put in and win through effort and strength which was never theirs to begin with.
A very strong perspective suggests that its skills that make up a good athlete and not strength and muscles. Gaining muscle mass through steroids and anabolic supplement definitely give athletes a body that performs better and withstands more pain but it’s always constant practice and proper training that creates winning performers. And sport ultimately aims at how one utilizes their bodily faculties and excels at exercising strength. Strength, from a biological perspective, is a characteristic of one’s genes something virtually nobody has a control on. Hence it seems pointless to get enrolled in a competition which is based on biology and science- stuff we don’t have any control on. Victory, in sports, then should not be based on natural strength, rather on the skill and tact or better, the art of utilizing the strength (natural or artificially enhanced) in the best possible way. Also, today when every facility and every field of specialization is enhanced through modern technology, then why not accept doping as a modern tool for better training and superior performance? If it does poses risk to the athletes health then why not appreciate the ambitious athlete who’s willing to take (a reasonable) risk in order to compete and perform better? (Tamburrini and Tannsjo, 204) Kantian theory of free choice suggests everyone has their right to choose freely what they want to do and that people shouldn’t be robbed of their free will, if it doesn’t pose harm to others. A few suggest that doping challenges the concept of level playing field and the doped athlete gains an unfair advantage over the clean athlete which is unfair. In reality, however all high performance, extreme sport today is plagued by inequalities and unfairness. The unequal distribution of resources and unequal access to modern training facilities across countries already destroys the possibility of level field play (Play the Game). In fact, lifting the ban on doping can give the disadvantaged an opportunity to gain a competitive edge in this regard. And then prohibiting the use of something that is virtually out of control only adds to the waste of economic resources and effort. A Steroid Chemist Dr Carl contends that we are slowly moving toward tolerating if not totally legalizing drug practice in sports (Lewis, 2007).
In sum, then the issue revolves around the question of the extent to which we should allow sports be the source of pure entertainment and display of powers beyond human capabilities; or keep it natural and simple and subject to luck and chances.
Conclusion
Though I concede that doping might rob sports of the originality and the humanness of the competition but I am willing to accept the change as part of cultural evolution and the value we attach to extreme action and dramatic entertainment. Although some might object by saying that sports in future be the practicing field of drug advisers and junkies, I reply by saying that the industry needs to have a balanced board of advisor to it. Medical intervention by doctors should be made compulsory to see players have access to what drugs and those that are absolutely harmful should be banned whereas drug advisors just like coaches should help players select drugs and hormones suitable for them.
Works Cited
ABC International. “Two athletes caught for doping at Beijing Olympics”. Radio Australia. 2008. Web.
Garnier, A. “Letter to the Editor: An Open Letter to Those Promoting Medical Supervision of Doping”. 2008. Web.
Tannsjo, T and Tamburrini, C. Values in Sports. London. Publishers: Taylor and Francis. (1999). Page Numbers: 16, 17, 18, 204, 2055, 206. Web.
Play the Game. “What is wrong with Doping?” Play the Game Magazine. 2008. Web.
Lewis, D. “Athletes and steroids: Will tomorrow’s game involve drug advisers?” San Francisco Chronicle. 2008. Web.
Saletan,W. “The nonsense of Olympic doping rules.” Washington Post. Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC. 2008. Web.