Should There Be Drug Testing in Sports?
However, McGwire admitted in 2010 that he used androstenedione, an over-the-counter muscle enhancement product, when he broke the home run record. At the time, the use of that drug had been banned by the National Football League, the International Olympic Committee, and the World Anti-Doping Agency, but not by Major League Baseball. It was also not federally classified as an anabolic steroid in the United States until 2004. Today, fans are still divided on whether he should remain in history as the home run champion of 1998.
With other incidents such as Lance Armstrong being stripped of his Tour de France wins or Wes Welker being suspended for four games for Adderall abuse, it is obvious that performance-enhancing drug abuse is not an issue isolated to just professional baseball.
With each of these scandals dividing experts and fans alike, the question comes down to not who is using, but whether or not drug testing should even be present in sports.
There are many pros of drug testing in sports, and just as many cons. Both sides express valid opinions and ideas about whether testing should be used in professional, collegiate, and amateur sports.
One major concern is whether or not performance-enhancing drugs pose a health risk. Horror stories of players going into “roid rage” and suffering horrible, long-term side effects are well known. Those who wish to legalize the drugs are quick to point out that only the players themselves take these risks and could be injured if they are not using due to the competition that does.
The debate comes down to where the line is drawn between sports technology and drug use. With the continued innovation of equipment and training methods, those who are in favor of removing drug testing feel that steroids are just another aspect of this technology that can be used within training.
Those who are opposed, however, want to maintain the sportsmanship of the athletic events. They feel as though drugs are an unfair edge that remove integrity from the game and believe the pros of drug testing in sports will mitigate any unfair advantages by those use.
As long as this is an issue in the professional sports world, drug testing will continue to evolve and the debate on will continue to remain in a stalemate.
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About Tammy Cohen
Tammy Cohen, an industry pioneer and expert in identity and employment screening, founded InfoMart 30 years ago. Deemed the “Queen of Screen,” she’s been a force behind industry-leading innovations. She was most recently the first-to-market with a fully compliant sanctions search, as well as a suite of identity services that modernizes talent onboarding. Tammy revolutionized the screening industry when she stepped into the field, developing the first client-facing application and a due diligence criminal search that has since become standard for all background screening companies. Cohen has received national awards and honors for her business and civic involvement, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 25 Women-Owned Firms in Atlanta, Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year award, the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s Kathryn Woods Racial Justice Award, and a commendation in the 152nd Congressional Record.
About InfoMart
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