Performance Enhancing Drugs Will Undermine The Spirit of Sport
by
hollyg_ (student)
Performance Enhancing Drugs Undermine the Spirit of Sport
When someone says ‘he/she is a good sport’, we all have a secure idea about what that entails, they have character, plays fair, competes to the best of their ability and if not successful, still presents themselves in a respectful manner. The bad sport on the other hand cannot be trusted, they are unbearable to be around when they lose and perhaps, even worse when they win.
As it stands currently, athletes who use performance enhancing drugs are in direct breach of the law and are by definition, cheats. They are bad sports. So why do they choose to take these drugs? Perhaps the most frightening part is not the effects of drug taking, but the mentality that challenges the spirit of sport, that they have no conscience in breaking the rules to achieve victory.
Performance enhancing drugs are also known as anabolic steroids, these became a spreading exposure to athletes in the Olympics and other major events during the 1950’s. This use of steroids among the athletes became apparent when Ben Johnson, a Canadian sprint runner was tested positive for steroid use after winning the gold medal for the 100m during the 1988 Olympics. Michael Johnson quoted in an interview about the scandal: ‘It affected the Olympics, it affected all sports. In 1988 Ben Johnson was the biggest thing in sport. It was unbelievable. The 100m was the most prestigious event for a human being to run. He was the fastest man on Earth. Everyone was watching. The shadow of Ben Johnson still hangs over athletes.’ And yet today it still effects the best athletes in the world by putting doubts in the public of what ability they have to compete, continuing on in the interview he says ‘The stain is very hard to remove. He changed the way people look at sport. So when Usain Bolt wins the 100m, it’s not that he runs faster than anyone else in the world, but people look back to what Ben Johnson did.’ Taking the drugs not only undermines the sport itself but also creates a reputation world wide that can majorly affect the athlete’s superstar status in the public eye.
