Ethics of Sports
Introduction
Ethics can be described as the study of moral values and the rules and principles that govern how a person conducts him/her (Collins, 2017). The behaviour of a person said to conduct themselves ethically is that which is believed to be right and acceptable by society. However, an act can be right to one person and wrong to another, therefore, ethics is perceived differently by different people. Ethics is equally important in sports as it is in all other professions concerning human beings. Sportsmen and women should be aware that they have to live ethically if they are to succeed and that their behavior has consequences for them and others (Rosa, 2015). There are four major ethical issues that affect all the players in the sports profession and they include; steroids and drug use, discrimination, gambling, and Sports agents’ temptations (Keller, 2013). This essay is interested in the ethical issue concerning steroids and drug use. The writer seeks to find out if the issue mentioned above is comparable to consulting a dietician or employing the use of scientifically designed kit. To achieve the latter, the essay will discuss the ethical side of performance-enhancing drugs and the unethical version of the same and compare the results with the use of the other two options mentioned earlier.
Steroids and Drug Use
Performance-enhancing drugs enable the user who is in this case a sportsman or woman to beat their competitors. However, this can be said to be an unfair win. The use of these drugs can be said to be cheating and the drugs become a threat to the user’s health (Mill, 2015). It is clearly unethical to win a competition while using unfair means. Every person should be given an equal chance of winning. However, some authors argue that it is hard to draw the line between acceptable behavior and doping. There are instances whereby the athlete has to undergo surgery to correct their health and such procedures may require the use of some drugs that are prohibited by the sports society (BBC, 2014). The question arises of whether the said athlete is cheating or is just trying to save their lives. It is at this point that the ball rolls to the sportsman or woman’s court and they are left to decide to do that which is either ethical or unethical (BBC, 2014).
According to Mill (2015), it is not unethical to use performance-enhancing drugs, the problem is that some sportspersons can access the drugs while others cannot and this Mill refers to as unfair play. The unfairness is witnessed in the method through which the use of drugs and steroids is achieved. According to BBC (2014), it is alright for a footballer to use an inhaler but it is questionable for a sprinter to take TGH (a muscle-building ‘designer’ steroid). The inhaler may contain performance-enhancing ingredients but since it is seen as a useful drug for persons suffering from asthma, it is qualified as a non-steroid drug. If fairness were to apply in the two cases mentioned above, the footballer should be prevented from using the inhaler just like the sprinter cannot use TGH. In the scenarios discussed herein, one can conclude that it is the method that is unethical and not the drugs.
Performance-enhancing drugs are of various types and some of them include; ‘anabolic steroids, stimulants, human growth hormone and supplements such as androstenedione which assists the body in the production of testosterone’ (Keller, 2013, n.p.). However, some new-generation steroids have not been banned yet they can qualify for performance enhancement (Brotherton, Fost and Green, 2004). The fight against these drugs has been there since the early 1960’s. Once a sports personnel is caught having used the PEDs, they are stripped of their titles and any trophies won and they are also banned from participating in any sports activity. In 2013, Lance Armstrong had his Olympic Medal stripped off from him after was confirmed to have been involved in doping during his sporting days (Keller, 2013). The use of these steroids as seen earlier causes harm to the body (Brotherton et.al., 2004).
Some athletes when caught having used the performance-enhancing drugs claim that it was not in their knowledge. Physicians who monitor these athletes are the ones who give supplements that contain the banned substances and they later claim that they were just assisting the athletes’ bodies with homeostasis (Vernec, 2013). It is very unethical and also a way of abusing somebody else’s integrity when a physician administers drug substances to the athletes without their knowledge. When such athletes are caught, they serve the punishment just like any other culprit. The same issue of coaches having given their players some supplements without informing them has been expressed by a writer in an article titled ‘Performance Enhancing Behavior’ (BBC, 2014).
There are two branches I sports and they include gamesmanship and sportsmanship (Hanson and Savage, 2012). The two branches when explained help one understand the ethicality and unethicality of sports with regard to doping. For gamesmanship, winning is everything and the players are allowed to break the rules such as doping in order to maintain a competitive advantage against their opponent (Hanson and Savage, 2012). To the players, coaches, and all other stakeholders involved in gamesmanship, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is ethical as long as one is not caught. However, in the eyes of the common man, it is still unethical to bend rules in pursuit of success. Sportsmanship sheds light on the concept of ethics of sports as this practice involves ‘fairness, integrity, responsibility and respect’ (Hanson and Savage, 2014, n.p.). However, a virtue such as respect was a thing of the past. Back in the day, players were seen to attend games in suits as a sign of respect and they felt that it was the right thing to do; and they looked forward to keeping a good sports image (Gram, 2008).
Some authors argue that doping should be allowed in sports so as to enhance fair play. The argument is that even now when it is not allowed, the relevant authorities just carry out minor investigations and just parade a few culprits while the majority are left to continue with the practice (Kirkup, 2015). Doping should be brought to light as it is no different to those using supplements and it will also increase fairness. According to Kirkup (2015), doping is banned as it would cause harm to the user’s body; however, the author argues that the harm could be dealt with if the production, supply, and use of these Performance-enhancing drugs were made public and acceptable. The dopers would be in a position to use the drugs in regulated measures and everyone wishing to use them for performance enhancement would be free to do so. Kirkup also argues that doping is restricted as the authorities claim it is not fair; a concept which the author sees as an excuse to let the big heads dope while others are restricted (2015).
Dietary Supplements
In recent times, the use of dietary supplements can be compared with the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The reason for the latter is that the rate at which these supplements are being manufactured and sent to the market is high, such that the sportsmen and women are becoming overwhelmed (Rodriguez, DiMarco and Langley, 2010). The sportsmen and women cannot tell which supplement is free from enhancement substances and which is not; and in the process, they compromise unknowingly. The reason why performance-enhancement drugs are prohibited is the fact that they can cause harm to the athlete’s body (Kirkup, 2015). Some dietary supplements have been observed to cause harm to the user’s body, although they rarely enhance performance (Rodriguez et.al, 2010). However, some manufacturers will write and even explain that the dietary supplements they are producing and selling do not contain performance-enhancement products, while in real sense, they are packed with the banned substances. If the two substances can cause harm to the human body, they should either be banned or both are allowed. Hence, it can be concluded that the use of performance-enhancement drugs is the same as the use of dietary supplements.
Ergogenic Aid
An Ergogenic aid can be described as any ‘training technique, mechanical device, nutritional practice, pharmacological method or psychological technique that can improve exercise performance capacity and/or enhance training adaptations’ (Kreider et al., 2010, n.p.). The scientifically modified kit falls under the Ergogenic aid. Ergogenic aid helps the athlete or player tolerate adverse weather while training and also enhancing efficiency of exercise and recovery from the same. Some sports nutritionists take a supplement to be Ergogenic if it assists the user in running faster and lifting more weight (Kreider et.al, 2010). Performance-enhancing drugs are meant to help the user do things beyond their normal capability, such as running faster (Mill, 2015). It can be observed that the Ergogenic aid and the steroids perform the same task and therefore, one should not be banned while the other is still in use. The two should either be banned or allowed to be in use.
Conclusion
Ethics is crucial in every aspect of human life and one should adhere to the ethics that govern that which they are doing. As seen earlier, unethical acts have consequences for both the wrongdoer and the other people. In sports, ethics is an important subject which in recent times has been bleached with issues of doping, discrimination among other unethical acts. Doping is unethical; however, it is hard to draw the line between the ethicality and unethicality of the use of performance-enhancement drugs. Some authors such as Kirkup argue that doping should be allowed to enhance fair play. However, if doping was to be allowed, sports would lose its meaning. The spirit of competition would die down as all players would perform the same. The use of dietary supplements and Ergogenic aid has been compared to the use of performance-enhancement drugs; since in all cases, the user’s performance is enhanced and they are at a risk of harming their bodies. From the discussion in this essay, it is in line to conclude that all three substances mentioned in the latter statement should either be banned or allowed. There is no need to hide behind the mask of ‘dietary supplements and scientifically-designed kit’, yet the two enhance the sportsman and women’s performances.
References
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