Athletes
have been competing in sport for millenniums, but never before have they been
more admired for excelling at their craft. The rapid rise in popularity of
modern sports has created an ultra-competitive atmosphere in which athletes are
constantly striving to improve themselves and become the best at their sport.
The ludicrous amounts of money and fame that result from success drive athletes
to adopt a mentality in which they must “win at all costs.” This mentality is
creating a dangerous attitude in professional sports and has led to many
athletes using performance-enhancing drugs, known as doping, to give them a
competitive edge. Over the past decade, several high-profile athletes have been
caught doping and were handed consequences that varied in severity. However,
while the judicial enforcers can ban players and impact their future, they cannot
change the past or take away titles. Seeing the positive impact that doping is
proven to have on one’s on-field performance, and the lack of severity in
recent punishments, why wouldn't a professional athlete choose to dope?
 |
| Source: The Pioneer (2013) Steroids [digital] |
Many
sports fans argue that the use of PEDs should be a mute point across sports;
they claim that they make the athletes better and make the games are more
exciting to watch. I believe that this is a very important issue to address,
not only because of the harm the drugs pose to the athletes, but also to uphold
the integrity of professional sports and create a legitimate level playing
field. While it is easy to call the perpetrators cheaters and berate them for their acts, we must consider why they are choosing to dope. The purpose of this blog is to view the issue from the other side, the
perspective of the athlete, and to attempt to explain why steroid usage has become such
a widespread problem.
From
the time we were children, it has been drilled in our heads that cheating is
unacceptable and that we would be punished for doing so; however, that
principle has not held up in professional sports and the lack of accountability
has just began to be addressed across sports. In the Major League of Baseball,
from 2009-2014, a total of 26 players were suspended for at least 50 games for
using performance-enhancing drugs (CNN, 2014). According to MLB.com, this total is greater than the
number of suspensions in total prior to 2009. This lack of enforcement, which
has just recently picked up, caused Sports Illustrated to name baseball’s steroid
scandal the number one sport story of the decade (Khing, 2014). In fact, a
recent 2012 poll of MLB players found that over one-third said they would still
dope or are still doping; this number does not match up with the number of
suspensions that have been handed out. This problem is not limited to baseball
as the NFL is also struggling to prevent doping. The NFL has been under fire
for a myriad of recent transgressions, but nobody seems to be caring about the
lack of steroid enforcement. This year, the NFL player’s association agreed to
a new HGH testing policy in which players would get suspensions of four games
for the first offense, ten games for the second offense, and a two-year
suspension for the third offense (Pro Con, 2014). This is a huge step up from
its past history of enforcement in which seemingly nobody was caught, but
most everyone was using. The recent changes in the two prominent sports leagues has
demonstrated a willingness to change and stop PEDs, but this still has not prevented
athletes from doping and for good reason.
If
you ask any athlete or sports fanatic what means most to them, their answer
will likely be titles and statistics. These two things drive sports, giving a
quantifiable figure to define success or failure. The goal of every athlete is
to improve his or her statistics and win as many awards as possible, and time
after time, performance-enhancing drugs have proven to do just that.
Barry
Bonds, one of the most famous steroid users in sports, was an above-average
player for the first quarter of his career. He hit about 25 home runs a year,
which is average, and was not known for mystifying power. Bonds began using
PED’s in the late 1990’s, a fact that was not uncovered until late in his
playing career. Bonds went on to hit 762 home runs in his career, the most ever
hit by one player, in addition to breaking the single season home run record
with 73 (Brotherton, 2004). Bonds is now known, and forever will be known, as
the “home run king.” There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Bonds’ success
resulted directly from his use of PEDs; there is simply no way that he hits
that many home runs without the help of drugs.
 |
| Source: The Observer (2012): Home Run Graphic [digital] |
The graphic above is a chart demonstrating the number of home runs that each player hit after turning 35. These six players are all high on the all-time home run list and are known for hitting home runs. The chart exemplifies that while most players were declining at the end of their career, Bonds got even better, hitting 72 more home runs than the next closest player. This is the impact that steroids had on Bonds late in his career, as he was able to sustain his power when other's lost theirs.
Bonds was eventually indicted in
court, most of the charges resulting from lying and not the actual PED usage
(CNN, 2014). So what were the consequences for Bonds’ actions? He may have lost
a few years at the end of his career, but surely he would sacrifice that time
for the glory he held in his prime. Despite being infamous for using steroids,
Bonds will likely end up in the Hall of Fame and, if you ask any baseball fan
who the home run king is, they will still answer Barry Bonds.
 |
| Clemens testifying before a Grand Jury in 2010 Source: Deadspin (2011) Clemens [photo] |
Two
other famous steroid cases that came from the MLB are the suspensions of Roger
“the Rocket” Clemens and Alex Rodriquez. Similarly to Bonds, Clemens was
indicted in front of a grand jury, receiving a greater punishment for perjury
than for using PEDs. Despite the revelations that he was a PED user, Clemens is
still regarded as one of the greatest pitchers of all time and is still officially
recognized as third all time in wins (Knapp, 2014). Alex Rodriguez, the biggest
name in the most recent MLB steroid scandal, was found to have taken steroids
in 2003, when he was with the Texas Rangers. The following year, he signed a
275 million dollar contract with the New York Yankees and won three MVP awards.
Despite being revealed as a steroid user, he still holds onto these three MVP
awards and has cashed in on the full amount of that contract. (Cross, 2005)
 |
| Lance after winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France Source: Lesley Miller (2005) Seven [photo] |
Quite
possibly the most infamous case of doping in sports is the fall of American
cyclist Lance Armstrong. Armstrong won an unprecedented seven consecutive Tour
de France titles, the most prestigious race in cycling. Following his seven
year run from 1999-2006, Lance was caught by the Union Cycliste Internationale
for doping and was effectively banned for life (Schrotenboer, 2014). Despite
these findings, Armstrong is still a national legend and heralded as one of the
greatest cyclists of all time. In fact, if you ask the average person, Lance
Armstrong is likely the only cyclist they can name. In several interviews,
Lance has admitted that it would have been impossible to win the Tour de France
without the help of doping. Although he no longer officially holds the titles
he once did, Lance is still regarded as the best and was able to make over one
hundred million dollars during his racing career, a figure that no other
cyclist has gotten close to (CNN, 2014).
These
four cases, along with many others, demonstrate the impact that PEDs can have
on one’s career. All four individuals won titles as a direct result of their
doping and are still attributed with those titles whether recognized officially
or simply by the public. When I think of Barry Bonds or Lance Armstrong, the
thought that they cheated is in the back of my mind; however, the first thing I
think of is home run king and greatest cyclist ever. As a sports fan,
witnessing those great accomplishments is a moment I will never forget, despite
not being a fan of either person. This admission makes it easier for me to comprehend
why so many professional athletes would choose this road. PED use allows
athletes to go beyond their typical performance and achieve glory, while facing
consequences only after their prime has passed.
Another
scenario, more prevalent in the NFL, which has been brought to light, is the
use of PEDs by young players. Last year, a rookie, Dion Jordan was suspended
four games for using PEDs, the suspension for a first time user. His coach, Joe
Philbin, later remarked to ESPN that Dion got exponentially better as a result
of the PEDs and likely would not have played in those games anyways because of
his youth (Khing, 2014). This statement summarized the issue with PEDs in
sports, they are proven to make the player better, and the players often don’t
face grave consequences even when they’re caught.
In
addition, the most prominent issue that professional athletes face is financial
security. The turnover rate amongst professional athletes is remarkably high
and most will do anything to get another contract. Seeing as there is no
financial penalty for the use of PEDs, it is yet another temptation for players
to dope. These are the contracts the aforementioned athletes signed at the
height of their steroid usage:
Player
|
Contract
Years
|
Money
per year
|
Barry
Bonds
|
5
|
18
million
|
Roger
Clemens
|
1
|
22
million
|
Alex
Rodriguez
|
10
|
27.5
million
|
Lance
Armstrong
|
0
|
125
million (total)
|
All
four of these figures are far above the average value of a player at that age
and it is hard to deny that the money offered was a result of their PED use.
Despite
the step up in prevention and enforcement that has taken place in professional
sports in the last decade, players are still using at a high rate and first
time users often become repeat offenders (Thieme, 2010). In order to completely straighten out the leagues, commissioners must take necessary steps to ensure the most legitimate testing procedures and create stricter violation policies.
As
an educated person on this issue, I cannot blame the athletes for choosing to
use PEDs. If I told you that taking a drug would help boost your performance, make
you more money, and only after your career would you face any consequences, you
would take that deal every time. However, I do believe it is important to
completely eradicate PEDs and uphold the integrity of professional sports, but
that will only occur when testing becomes more legitimate and punishments are made more severe. In the mean time, you can call them cheaters for what they are,
but with the lackluster enforcement and punishments, can you really blame them?
References
Brotherton, Stephen L., Norman Fost, and Gary A. Green.
"Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports." Virtual Mentor 6.7. (2004).
CNN. "Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports Fast
Facts." Cable News Network.
(2014). http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/06/us/performance-enhancing-drugs-in-sports-fast-facts/
Cross, Aaron, and Mike Kulycky. "Performance-Enhancing
Drugs in Sports." (2005).
Knapp, Gwen. "The MLBPU Is Getting Real about
PEDs." Sports On Earth. (2014). http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/54039118/the-mlb-players-union-led-by-michael-weiner-wont-fight-evidence-of-ped-use
Khing, Tony. “Performance-enhancing Drugs in Sports.” ABDO Publishing Company. (2014).
"Performance Enhancing Drugs - Drug Use in Sports." Pro
Con. (2014). http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.subissues.php?issueID=000407
Schrotenboer, Brent. "For Lance Armstrong, Sorry Has
Been the Hardest Word." USA Today. (2014).
Thieme, Detlef, and Peter Hemmersbach. “Doping in Sports.”
Vol. 195. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. (2010).
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