Athletes engage in doping by using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to improve their performances in sporting events. Doping first originated from the term ‘dop’ which is a stimulant drink that was used in the tribal ceremonies in South Africa. It is described in the dictionary as a narcotic substance which aids in decreasing the performance of racehorses. However, there is a long history of doping in sports, and it all began in Greco Roman times when substances such as bland chemicals, ergogenic products, and other animal extracts were used in enhancing human performances. The ergogenic content was used by the athletes to improve physical strength, body weight, mental concentration, aggressiveness and the general performance in athletic competitions.
Recently there have been attempts to manipulate the performance of the athletes by the introduction of genetic, synthetic molecules and recombinant hormones. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), there are several definitions given to the term doping and such may include an administration of a prohibited substance to an athlete with the intent of aiding him or her to win an athletic competition. It is as well the use of a banned substance in athletic competition to enhance performance. The most common drugs used are the androgenic agents such as the anabolic steroids which have more significant effects on the athletes such as enabling them to build muscles, recover very fast and train harder. However, they have several side effects such as low sperm count for men and a deepened voice for the women.
Other substances may include, stimulants which help in overcoming the effects of fatigue hence increasing the blood flow. It also enables the athletes to be more alert. Also, there are the masking agents and diuretics which helps in the removal of fluid from the body and is often used in horse race and boxing. The substances mentioned above have had several negative impacts on the athletes and therefore doping is prohibited for several reasons which have been discussed in the paper as below. Different research methods are used to understand the effect of doping in athletics
Literature Review
Effects of Doping on Sports
The sporting activities were designed to be recreational and competitive with the intent of gaining exercise. However, with the introduction of PEDs in sports, there has been a disruption that ruins the sporting activities. Sports was not developed to include drug abuse. Several effects are attributed to the use of the drugs in games such as low stamina, speed and muscle strength (Leuenberger et al., 2011). According to the scientific studies, the use of drugs has led to the impairment of coordination abilities of athletes, and this has, in turn, affected the performance. The increased use of drugs has been widely contributed to the heightened expectations of the athletes' coaches, friends, family and even teammates forcing them to use drugs to enhance their performance.
Doping has ruined sports by making the playing field unequal for the athletes since some of them take advantage of others with the intent of winning the competition (Schumacher et al., 2010). Besides, it has affected the sporting activity by causing the athletes to have a cost mentality which involves taking drugs at the expense of adverse effects to win every competition, and this tends to result in unfairness in the competition (Morente-Sánchez " Zabala, 2013). Doping is also against the spirit of sport which includes health, respect for self and other participants, fun and joy, excellence in performance, teamwork, ethics, honesty and fair play and the respect for laws and rules. The non-adherence to the above spirit has ruined the sporting activity and athletic competition in general.
The sporting activities have become events of testing the rivals’ access to pharmaceutical knowledge and technology instead of being a competition based on natural skills and abilities. With such a mindset, the sport has been ruined with a shift in focus to drug use (Petróczi, Mazanov, " Naughton, 2011).
Doping Affects Fair Play Ethos of Sports.
A good sports contest is one where all participants have equal ability, and this should be based on the previous performance. Also, the players must play well to find a winner and a loser. All the rules and regulations must be adhered to by all the participants. In regards to formal fair play, it is expressed based on adhering to the standards of a game (Fitch, 2012). On the other hand, the informal fair game revolves around respect for the other opponents. Fair play, therefore, incorporates both the formal and informal dimensions. It typically revolves around the spirit of a game, and this is precisely on the rules of the game (Fitch, 2012). However, with the use of drugs in sports, the aspect of fair play is not followed since doping is prohibited and it is against the rules of a game.
Ethos relies on the attitude and conduct of the athletes during the sporting competition (Gucciardi, Jalleh, " Donovan, 2010). All the athletes are expected to adhere to the norms and ethics of a game such as fair competition, respect for self and other participants, respect for laws and rules and honesty. On the contrary, doping contributes to the non-adherence to the expected conduct of the athletes during competition and thus render the games useless and irrelevant. Based on the logistics, it can be concluded that doping is against fair play ethos of sports (Hoberman, 2014).
Doping is a Bad Influences on Athletes and Society.
According to Dimeo and Hunt (2012), the use of drugs by the athletes has had a variety of influence on both the society and the athletes. For instance, the athletes have gained the belief that they cannot win any particular competition without supplementing with substances which enhances their performances and this is a bad influence even on the upcoming athletes. Most of the athletes have therefore resorted to using of shortcuts to attain their end goal which is winning the competition instead of displaying their real skills and abilities.
Doping has also influenced the society. For example, the application of doping has shifted to the recreational sport and fitness. It has become a practice by both the middle and young aged people who seem to be unhappy with their physical body shape and image (Bloodworth, " McNamee, 2010). They have resorted to the use of anabolic steroids which enhances muscle strength. The use of such illegal substances has become a common practice in most of the society, and this was attributed to the issue of doping which traditionally had no place in the public domain (Tscholl et al., 2010).
Research Methods
In researching on the doping tendency of athletes, reference was given to more than five research methods. The methods include, Quantitative and qualitative, correlational, theoretical, experimental, and descriptive (Gliner, Morgan, " Leech, 2011).
Engelberg, Moston and Skinner (2011) conducted quantitative research which showed that more than 98 percent of the athletes’ coaches were in support of strategies for resolving the doping menace. An online survey was used to collect the quantitative data. Topics such as sports where drug use is frequent, incidences of drug use in athletics, government response to the doping issue, and anti-doping issues were covered by the survey. Besides, direct recruitment of sporting personalities (coaches and athletes) were used to retrieve quantitative data. The research involved 600 participants.
The findings of the research affirmed that most of the coaches and athletes believe there is adverse effect brought by PEDs and that doping is a serious problem. In addition, the anti-doping efforts were found to be fruitful to some extent in controlling drug abuse. The research found that drug use is common among athletes (mainly rugby) than any other sporting groups. In many places, PEDs have been banned (Engelberg, Moston, and Skinner, 2011). However, some athletes have always reacted such an act of cruelty, but still more than half of them believe that the use of the drugs should be criminalised.
Reardon and Creado (2014) conducted qualitative research to determine the effects of the doping substances on the athletes and how the anti-doping agencies perform their duties. In the study, a sample of 35 research terms was used. It as well involved retrieval of papers that address doping in athletics. After reviewing all the materials, it was presumed that the doping agents encounter short-term and long-term side effects. The research as well showed that many people abuse drugs for different reasons. Some use drugs for self-treatment, stress relief and physical pain relief. The study found these reasons to be appropriate. However, the approach that is taken to deal with the problems (PEDs) except is wrong (Houlihan, 2004). The training coaches are advised to use safe alternatives and evidence-based products that can help athletes. They are prohibited from allowing the athletes to use the performance enhancing drugs (PED). Techniques such as psychological approaches, weightlifting, and optimal nutrition are recommended by the research to help stop the use of PEDs.
Geeraets (2017) express correlational research on the impact of rules and regulations of drug abuse between athletes and musicians. The study shows that classical musicians use drugs to control blood pressure and heart rate. Additionally, it is proved that the musicians perform better after taking the PEDs. The effects of these PEDs on musicians are similar to their impacts on athletes as there is no difference in stigma created by the use of the PEDs by both groups. The research is trying to make the justification that if the drugs are not viewed harmful in the case of musicians then why should athletes be prohibited from using the drugs (Quora, 2017). Therefore, the research suggests that athletes should be allowed to use drugs as long as it does not pose excessive risk.
Theoretical research by Welch (2001) uses a case study to address the doping issue. It talks about Ian Botham who had been banned from playing cricket after a medical test confirmed the presence of a PED in his system in 1986. Use of recreational drugs by athletes has been in the public domain for years now, and the research shows that there are changing patterns in the use of PEDs on the basis of general mood and behaviour. The case of Botham shows that consumption of PEDs should be decriminalised in case someone uses them for personal reasons. The PED that was found in Botham was not going to affect his performance in the game. The research shows that not all PEDs should be prohibited since the main reason for banning them in the sports is to promote the health and moral lifestyle of the athletes and not to help build the reputation of the games.
Butch (2014) analyses the experimental approach on doping by looking into the roles of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The agency has 32 laboratories worldwide, which research on the PEDs that should be prohibited. Besides, they design the anti-doping code. In the laboratories, drug tests are conducted on athletes through urine collection. In the urine experiment, urine is placed in two bottles (A and B). The leakages tampering and abnormal clarity and colour of the urine are tested (Butch, 2014). It is important to note that only certified athletes are put through these tests and only the approved drugs are tested.
In descriptive research by Schneider (2011) athletes were interviewed relying on the “Goldman’s dilemma,” which refers to the primary question used. The question was whether the athletes use PEDs as long as it improves their performance without considering the health effects. Fifty percent of the athletes interviewed in the research said they would take drugs just to better their performance (Sharma " Chalmers, 2016). The study as well affirmed that 40 percent of gym goers in the United States of America (USA) abuse anabolic steroids. These steroids are commonly used by weight lifters, body builders, and sprinters. The research shows that there are hidden problems besides the enhancements brought by the PEDs. For instance, the anabolic steroid can affect the liver and cardiovascular system. Such effects are fatal as they could cause death.
Conclusion
The research on doping has never been a priority in the public domain until recently. Many studies are today carried out with the aim of analyzing the effects of this menace. In doing this, various research methods are applied. The magnitude and accuracy of these approaches depend on their processes. The most effective methods include Quantitative and qualitative, correlational, theoretical, experimental, and descriptive. The five have been used in researching doping by athletes. Quantitative approach relied on numerical data and numbers to describe the inferiors and other issues on doping. A qualitative study was a swell used to analyse the theoretical evidence surrounding doping relying on feelings, and emotions. The two (quantitative and qualitative) are used together because they are interdependent. On the other hand, correlational research relied on psychology and was less practical as there is no inclusion of experiments. Theoretical approach analyzes concepts on the basis of existing theories and involves logical explanation of the resulting data. The fourth research method used was the experimental approach which is scientific as it entails controlled testing such as urine tests to understand various conditions. Finally, descriptive research was based on survey and observation to group the subjects accurately. These research methods can be used to study different factors, and in this case, they were used to carry out a study on doping in athletics.
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