Mandatory Drug Testing in Professional Sports

MANDATORY DRUG TESTING IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

Should mandatory drug testing be used in professional sports? This paper presents several arguments in favor of an affirmative answer to this question. Also discussed are factors that can deter mandatory drug testing programs from achieving those goals, purposes and objectives which provide reason for their use.

Arguments Favoring Mandatory Drug Testing In Professional

Several arguments support mandatory drug testing of professional athletes. One of these is that mandatory drug testing would help to prevent athletes from suffering the physical long-term consequences of drug-taking by bringing drug use to public and professional attention, thereby improving the athletes' chances of receiving help. This point has been discussed by Worsnop (1991), who reports that, as a result of taking drugs, professional athletes can face a number of long-term physical debilitations, some of which can result in serious injuries and/or death.

Mandatory drug testing of professional athletes will operate not only to reduce the likelihood of risks to athletes' physical well-being, but also to combat economic losses to the profession and, therefore, to athletes' careers. The economic concerns involved in issues related to sports and drugs have been eloquently stated by Worsnop (1991) as follows:

If the public comes to perceive track and field, professional football, or some other major sport to be hopelessly drug-ridden

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(1987) has pointed out that the professional athlete has certain responsibilities beyond merely playing the sport. Rather, Burt states, professional athletes are role models for many young children and adolescents. In other words, the behavior of professional athletes can have tremendous influence on these groups of young people. If, for example, a young child hears about an athlete using drugs, he might think that using drugs is all right for him as well. Similarly, if the athlete is not severely punished once his drug-taking is discovered, the child might think that he too will get off easy. However, if a child/adolescent sees that the sport wants to remediate any and all situations involving professional athletes taking drugs, he or she will be helped to understand that taking drugs is socially unacceptable. In addition to a responsibility to his fans, Burt (1987) further reports, an athlete also has a responsibility to his team. The athlete's performance can suffer from drug use, and this hurts his team. Moreover, if the athlete's drug-taking behavior is discovered and he gets suspended from games, this also hurts his team. Finally, public attention being drawn to any athlete who takes drugs can spoil not only the t

Category: Government - M