I don't care if someone uses drugs in sports to enhance their ability. Some will argue though that it detracts from the game. That the person isn't then acheiving something on their own ability. I don't think that is true though, because even with steriods for example, I wouldn't hit many home runs in baseball, for example.
With the upcoming NFL season and rash of drug-related suspensions being handed down, it is apparent that drug testing it still warranted and needed. I live in Minnesota and so am exposed to news and views about the NFL team here; the Minnesota Vikings. Their 2nd year Running Back, Onterrio Smith was handed a 4 game suspension starting first game of the year, because he tested positive for what was described as recreational drugs.
The kicker here is that this was considered a third-time occurence, even though it was his first in the NFL. What the NFL ended up doing was counting 2 drug occurrences from his playing days in college and so this one, even though his first, counted as a third, thus the suspension. The flip side to this is that he has put in an appeal, and until the appeal has been taken care of, he can continue to play.
To me this is unfair, because there are only 16 games in the NFL, and if his appeal drags on, he could still continue to play and help his team. I detest drug use in any sport, because these guys are role models for kids, and drug use is something that should be heavily frowned upon and met with severe consequences.
Trainer says Bonds used steroids in 2003
Quote from CNNSI.COM
QUOTE |
Perhaps San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds was using performance-enhancing drugs after all. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Bonds' personal weight trainer, Greg Anderson, claimed in a recorded conversation last year that the slugger used an undetectable performance-enhancing drug during the 2003 season. |
From StarTribune.com
Vikings: Onterrio Smith caught with kit to foil drug tests
https://www.startribune.com/stories/503/5396655.html
QUOTE |
Vikings running back Onterrio Smith was detained last month at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport after police found paraphernalia later identified as a kit used to circumvent drug tests. Smith was neither arrested nor charged, but as of Tuesday it was unclear whether the incident will affect his status in the NFL's confidential substance-abuse program |
Personally, I would love to see the ultimate sportsman/ sportswoman developed by taking whatever is necessary. In fact lets get real carried away and allow bionic body parts, 'coz face it, it's going to happen sooner or later. If the individual athlete is willing to risk his/ her life and genetic future for the sake of the sport they love, then who are we to stop them. I'm not suggesting for a minute that they should be allowed to compete with the 'clean' athletes, but they should have their own competitions, and new set of standards. Just imagine the advancement of world records, the development of aids for those with disabilities, and the all round sheer fun of it all.
So what if the men grow breasts and the women loose theirs, if the individual wants to risk it all, then I say Good Luck...the fools....
I'm going to take the oppositing here, and say that I completely and utterly agree with drug testing. I do not think that professional athletes should be allowed to play with drugs that help them perform better. If a person is going to bring in millions of dollars a year, then it needs to be on their own God given talent. These drugs are dangerous, and it's not just a matter of them risking their own lives, but also the influential factor that they have on many people.
Millions of children look up to these athletes and a lot of them emulate these "heroes." Kids see them doing it and hearing of them doing it, and they assume that it's okay. And it's not. It's putting their body in risk and it's harming them. Whether an athlete wants to admit it or not, he/she becomes some child's role model, and as that role model, they should be exhibiting characteristics that are worthy for any child to look up to.
I think that when an athlete signs a contract they should also be subjected to regular, unscheduled drug tests to ensure that they aren't using steroids or other enhancement drugs. It is possible to be an outstanding professional athlete without resorting to the pressures of using enhancements, which is why most of them probably do it. There's that pressure to be bigger, better, and push forward, and the pressure sends them into the path of the drugs.