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I recently read a very interesting
academic article on doping titled “Blue Sky Steroids”1 from the Journal of Criminal Law and
Criminology. In that article,
Geoffrey Rapp introduced a very interesting perspective on drug testing. Cleverly refuting several anti-doping
arguments and citing the ineffectiveness of drug testing, he argued that doping
should be allowed but subject to a full disclosure policy similar to the
so-called ‘Blue Sky’ laws enforced on corporations.
The ‘Blue Sky’ laws force companies to
give shareholders full disclosure of what they are doing with their money. So, though there are few direct
limitations on what corporations can do with their investors’ money, they do
have to take into account ‘market values.’ No want will want to invest with a company that makes
foolish or overly risky decisions.
Rapp believed that disclosure of players’
drug use would similarly subject team owners to ‘market values.’ If fans actually disapprove of doping,
players who dope would loose their support. I think that Rapp’s view deserves a second look because it
allows for judgment on a case-by-case basis by the people whose opinions
actually matter. After all, the
problem with doping is that detracts from the meaningfulness we find from
success in sports, and meaningfulness is a matter of opinion. An example Rapp used was that fans
might disagree with a young, healthy player’s use of human growth hormone (HGH)
but OK an older player using it to recover from an injury.
However, there is one problem I see with
this solution. If fans disapprove of
doping then won’t athletes will simply go back to doping in secret and won’t we
have the same drug testing problem all over again? What do you think?
1. Rapp, Geoffrey. "Blue Sky
Steroid." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 99.3 (2009):
599-618. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.
I really do not think you can punish individual athletes on a case-by-case basis in regards to doping. Doping should be considered strictly illegal or legal in each specific sport. Sports officials are faced with constantly having to punish players for their use of illegal substances. Doping does give players an unfair advantage over others. The massive amount of strength one develops after taking steroids can elevate their game to a whole new level. It would not be fair to allow certain people to use steroids and say others cannot. There absolutely must be a strict set of rules regarding steroids.
ReplyDeleteHey Karsten.
ReplyDeleteIf I understand you correctly, you believe that doping should be allowed in sports as long as there is greater transparency. I somewhat agree with you because I feel that doping is so prevalent that the only way we can possibly combat the issue is to bring it to the forefront and know who is taking what, while also giving the players amnesty. On the other hand, I think that allowing such a policy can be dangerous because it delegitimizes a sport and can fundamentally alter a given sport so much that it will never be the same. Doping is such an interesting topic that is tricky to grasp. There is no right answer, but I definitely think that you have an interesting idea in mind, and it's a good place to start.