Lesa Turnquist | Co-Copy Editor
Drug use should not be allowed in sports. I came up with three concepts as to why I believe they should not be used in sports and also provided an alternative to drugs in order to become a better athlete. These concepts involve value of ability, negative effects of drug use, and unnatural accomplishment.
Sports are generally about the competition of abilities. If drugs were allowed, it would be about the competition of drugs. Athletes would need to focus on developing their drugs or finding new drugs, which would take away from the focus of improving their abilities. The value of ability would be completely diminished. There have been great athletes who have not used drugs, and comparing the accomplishments of athletes that use drugs and athletes that don’t use drugs would be unfair. Records and achievements would be faulty, which is why when an athlete is caught using drugs in a sport, they are stripped of all awards and privileges.
Along with that, most drugs have a negative effect on the body, which is a main reason why some athletes choose not to use them. There can be cardiovascular effects, reproductive-endocrine effects, psychological/behavioral effects, dermatologic effects, musculo-skeletal effects, faster mortality rates, and other long-term health effects. If drugs were allowed, it would force athletes to compromise their health in order to keep up with competition. Forcing this upon athletes, even though it is done indirectly, should be still considered unethical.
Sports are about the accomplishments of the human body and mind. If we bring in an outside source to better our abilities, these are not the accomplishments of the human body and mind; they are the accomplishments of substances. Drugs cannot be excused as bringing out the abilities of humans because we could not do these things without them. Performances in which drugs are used are not real. Even though these performances may be great, it is not demonstrating the talent of an athlete; it is demonstrating the talent of a drug. Drugs are an unnatural way of becoming a better athlete.
Eating healthy, rather than taking drugs, is a natural way of becoming a better athlete. Food can be an athlete’s “drugs.” It is especially important for athletes to eat the right kinds of foods in the right amounts because of what is needed to perform their tasks. Each of the food groups—grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat—give us the nutrients we need for our bodies. Even if you are not hungry, eating foods with carbohydrates before workouts, practices, or games provide you with fuel and energy, and eating foods with protein after exercising enhances protein synthesis and recovery. These effects from eating the right foods can be associated with improving abilities, and these natural abilities can achieve great performances. And the best thing about eating healthy? There are no negative side effects.
Graphic by Keyla Sosa
