Dwayne Lee
Dr. Bruce
English 301
Dec. 1. 2016
Synthesized Muscle
Skepticism about Performance Enhancing drugs in
Sports
Optimization of athletic training is
alter the body on a chemical level to
one of the most experimental aspects of
enhance athletic ability. Besides the obvious
sports, but what constitutes ethical practice?
muscle growth, the drugs allow athletes to
Immediately when discussing the
recover more quickly by reducing muscle
advancement of athletic ability, many turn to
damage obtained during each bout. The
the use of Performance enhancing drugs.
shorter recovery time means athletes can
Performance enhancing drugs (PEDS),
train more frequently at higher intensities
simply put, whether natural or synthesized,
without overtraining. Psychological classes
of drugs include central nervous system
element stems from the divergent abilities of
stimulants that increase focus, hand eye
athletes' bodies to assimilate and benefit
coordination, and control (Staff, B. M.). The
from drug use (Fogel). This ability is not
effects of each of these PEDS are highly
contested in ideal sport, and creates an
sought after causing the existence of anti-
outside unfair advantage. However, exercise
doping agencies. Most PEDS are illegal and
physiologists, who specialize in the effects
all are unregulated, meaning use is of blind
of exercise on the organs of the body, have
faith, causing experimentation, and obscure
found that PEDS work on two sides of the
uncertainties.
spectrum with the potential to drastically
enhance or diminish biological functions.
Performance enhancing drugs distort
and obscure the concept of sport;
Harrison G. Pope, Master of Public
engineering athletes as pawns in the
Health and doctorate from Harvard medical
biological competition of chemistry.
school, recently discovered that the type of
Although some may argue that there is no
PED influences variety and severity of side
sound moral justification for the ban of
effects. Various PEDS can cause high blood
PEDS; ethically speaking, PEDS should
pressure, cholesterol imbalance, increased
continue to be banned in part due to the
stress on the heart, blood cancers, drug
harm done to athletes who use them and the
dependence, and hypertrophic
coercion caused by inferiority. The use of
cardiomyopathy (abnormal growth of the
drugs is unethical because it introduces a
heart muscle), which can cause sudden death
new element to sport and changes the ideal
(Pope).
competitive contest. This newly created
Dr. Robert Traux, an expert on
osteopathic, and sports medicine, backs this
claim with a statement given to a reporter
during an interview. The news was covering
the suspension of Major league players over
the use of PEDS.
The
heart is a
muscle...and the heart isn t
Enlarged chambers of the heart due to
abnormal growth
http://www.chd-uk.co.uk/types-of-chd-andoperations/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-
designed to have that much
hcm/
testosterone stimulating it, ... So
it will grow abnormally. Then,
Most PEDS are illegal by criminal
law (via the Controlled Drugs and
the testosterone gets broken
Substances Act) to be obtained without a
down by the liver so too much of
medical prescription, possessed in certain
it can accumulate in the liver
quantities, and/or distributed without a
license. According to representatives from
and damage it (Staff, B. J.).
the International Police Organization
(Interpol), the black market for selling these
Illegal PEDS (especially anabolic steroids)
surpasses the market for narcotics
(Peterson). It is proposed that dropping the
ban and introducing medical overlook would
Some of the most prevalent
put PEDS at a social effect close to that of
counterarguments to the ban of PEDS are
alcohol which kills an average of 88,000
that it increases equal competition and
people per year (Peterson). Also, dropping
reduces harm to athletes due to expanded
the ban would likely correlate with an
knowledge. To claim that no athlete will
accumulation of cited side effects from the
face a competitively inferior situation if
increased amount of use by non-professional
performance-enhancing drugs are not
athletes and teens. More of the nation would
prohibited is entirely untrue. This is due to
be diagnosed with depression, heart disease
the fact that biological acceptance of the
and irreversible kidney
drug is still key (Peterson). There are no
damage (Peterson).
studies
to back this claim. Furthermore, it can be
countered by claiming that lifting the ban
will correlate with an increased inequality
amongst athletes. Bodies will adapt
differently as well economic standings of
athletes will influence their opportunity to
attain these drugs.
With the lift of the ban, could
research be conducted aimed at reducing the
harm of doping? With no ban there would be
enough people to sufficiently test the drugs,
and effects could more easily be monitored.
There will always be the moral
However, the experimentation of drugs with
debate, and the right of free choice backing
high risk on people is highly unethical and
the lift of the ban. Coercion of, and therefore
prohibited. Also many of the drugs banned
the harm of others makes the ban about
in sport are already tested and used as
protecting the health of all practitioners of
treatments in medical setting.
sport. Morally speaking, the advent of
Thirdly a ban on doping still provides us
science to mechanically engineer athletes is
with eventful data as drugs are still in use
an unethical practice that changes the
behind closed doors. Finally, with the
concept of sport and tips the balance of
connections and monetary coercion, there
competition. The risk of long term medical
should be no reason to believe that, at least
conditions range from loss of breath to
for the elite, athletes are taking these drugs
sudden death. To get an edge on your
while unsupervised (Fraleigh).
training, stick to nutrition
References
FOGEL, C. A. (2013). Bio-medical wars in Canadian sport: issues in the prevention and
detection of anabolic steroid use. Journal Of Physical Education & Sport, 13(3), 283286.
Fraleigh, W. P. (1984). Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sport: The Ethical Issue. Journal Of
The Philosophy Of Sport, 11(1), 23-29.
Kreider, R. B., Almada, A. L., Antonio, J., Broeder, C., Earnest, C., Greenwood, L., &
...Ziegenfuss, T. N. (2003). Exercise and Sport Nutrition: A Balanced Perspective for
Exercise Physiologists. Professionalization Of Exercise Physiology, 6(10), 13.
Petersen, T. S., & Kristensen, J. K. (2009). Should Athletes Be Allowed to Use All Kinds of
Performance-Enhancing Drugs?--A Critical Note on Claudio M. Tamburrini. Journal Of
The Philosophy Of Sport, 36(1), 88-98.
Pope, H. G., Wood, R. I., Rogol, A., Nyberg, F., Bowers, L., & Bhasin, S. (2014). Adverse
Health Consequences of Performance-Enhancing Drugs: An Endocrine Society Scientific
Statement. Endocrine Reviews, 35(3), 341375. http://doi.org/10.1210/er.2013-1058
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http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/performanceenhancing-
drugs/art-20046134
Staff, B. J. (n.d.). Performance-Enhancing Drugs Can Have Severe Long-Term Impact on
Health: Expert - Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Retrieved November 06, 2016, from
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