Perspectives on Doping within Sports
It is interesting to discuss the different perspectives regarding doping within sports. As the literature review proves, viewpoints vary between all types of people including young athletes, coaches, the general public, and the athletes themselves.
According to young adult athletes, who appear to be uneducated in terms of doping, they would not decide to use performance-enhancing drugs based on the fact that they are illegal. Health risks appeared not to be an issue and if they were made legal, young adults did suggest that they might be more tempted to trying them. Parents of young adults also stated that if these drugs were made legal than they would possibly allow their children to use them for professional gain as well. While most of the young adults stated that they would not use them, they did believe that other students or young adults would use them for professional gain and victory. This helps to show how young athletes today believe that doping is still a current problem in sports internationally.
According to the public, opinions on doping vary. In this study, adults noticed that doping may still be a current issue but did hey not feel that sanctions needed to be increased to punish the players. In the articles I read, it was clear that the public was not very educated on doping mainly because they are unsure of the current drugs and what it actually means. I feel this is an interesting issue because even the general public is unsure as to what doping really is and that could be a result of the regulations that are not successfully working to ensure that athletes are being held accountable for their actions. I believe the public hears about these allegations but is so uninformed on the actual information that when they see their player still involved in athletics they do not perceive doping to be such a big deal. This is why education and regulations need to be made effective so that they playing field is equal for all competitors. Adults also found that they would rather continue to support their favorite team or players even if they were accused of doping. This is interesting because although these adults would rather individuals not cheat and understand that cheating is wrong, to a degree they will still condone it if it means their favorite teams and players won't suffer the consequences. Relating to Hird, it is clear that his fan base still strongly supports him and would rather him still coach than to have to step down for using illicit drugs.
According to coaches, opinions on doping were fairly negative. Coaches stated that they believed that they need to be educators to athletes to inform them of the risks of doping. As the article stated, 74% of coaches found that doping is currently a serious international problem among sports and that changes need to be made because prevention methods are not successful currently. According to my research, 4% of coaches anonymously admitted to using illicit drugs. This brings up an interesting point because Hird is currently under the spotlight for allegedly taking these drugs but technically there are no real laws preventing him from being able to do. Hird needs to be an example for the rest of doping scandals and WADA needs to put into effect stricter regulations regarding coaches and doping.
While I was unable to find information from actual athletes themselves, because most athletes do not participate in surveys or answer questions regarding doping, even if promised anonymity, because they do not want to jeopardize their current or future athletic careers. From my research however, it was evident to see that most athletes who dope choose to do so because of being influenced by their teammates or coaches or other psychological factors. They also might choose to dope because they feel personal gains, victories and a competitive edge weigh in higher than the possible risks from doping. Lastly, athletes might choose to dope because they are simply uneducated of the risks and health issues. Clearly, new regulations and education systems need to be put into work to try and successfully contain the doping scandal issues that occur internationally.
From my research, it is evident that athletes who choose to dope either feel pressured by their coaches and the need to win or influenced by their peers/competitors. The gains and losses are also considered when athletes choose to dope and feeling influenced to win or receiving true personal gain is among the main reasons why athletes become involved in these scandals. In regards to the Hird situation, I believe that he should not be punished and right now the media is handling the situation wrong. While the media is really only from Australia, it is still unfair that Hird needs to be continuously publicly scrutinized by the media when according to WADA rules, he is not doing anything wrong. Considering there are now laws for coaches within WADA and other programs, it is unfair to punish Hird. I believe that if WADA and other sports organizations believe that doping of coaches should be banned than they should use Hird as an example to enforce these new regulations and sanctions regarding coaches, but still do not punish Hird because he as of now is not doing anything wrong according to current rules.
According to young adult athletes, who appear to be uneducated in terms of doping, they would not decide to use performance-enhancing drugs based on the fact that they are illegal. Health risks appeared not to be an issue and if they were made legal, young adults did suggest that they might be more tempted to trying them. Parents of young adults also stated that if these drugs were made legal than they would possibly allow their children to use them for professional gain as well. While most of the young adults stated that they would not use them, they did believe that other students or young adults would use them for professional gain and victory. This helps to show how young athletes today believe that doping is still a current problem in sports internationally.
According to the public, opinions on doping vary. In this study, adults noticed that doping may still be a current issue but did hey not feel that sanctions needed to be increased to punish the players. In the articles I read, it was clear that the public was not very educated on doping mainly because they are unsure of the current drugs and what it actually means. I feel this is an interesting issue because even the general public is unsure as to what doping really is and that could be a result of the regulations that are not successfully working to ensure that athletes are being held accountable for their actions. I believe the public hears about these allegations but is so uninformed on the actual information that when they see their player still involved in athletics they do not perceive doping to be such a big deal. This is why education and regulations need to be made effective so that they playing field is equal for all competitors. Adults also found that they would rather continue to support their favorite team or players even if they were accused of doping. This is interesting because although these adults would rather individuals not cheat and understand that cheating is wrong, to a degree they will still condone it if it means their favorite teams and players won't suffer the consequences. Relating to Hird, it is clear that his fan base still strongly supports him and would rather him still coach than to have to step down for using illicit drugs.
According to coaches, opinions on doping were fairly negative. Coaches stated that they believed that they need to be educators to athletes to inform them of the risks of doping. As the article stated, 74% of coaches found that doping is currently a serious international problem among sports and that changes need to be made because prevention methods are not successful currently. According to my research, 4% of coaches anonymously admitted to using illicit drugs. This brings up an interesting point because Hird is currently under the spotlight for allegedly taking these drugs but technically there are no real laws preventing him from being able to do. Hird needs to be an example for the rest of doping scandals and WADA needs to put into effect stricter regulations regarding coaches and doping.
While I was unable to find information from actual athletes themselves, because most athletes do not participate in surveys or answer questions regarding doping, even if promised anonymity, because they do not want to jeopardize their current or future athletic careers. From my research however, it was evident to see that most athletes who dope choose to do so because of being influenced by their teammates or coaches or other psychological factors. They also might choose to dope because they feel personal gains, victories and a competitive edge weigh in higher than the possible risks from doping. Lastly, athletes might choose to dope because they are simply uneducated of the risks and health issues. Clearly, new regulations and education systems need to be put into work to try and successfully contain the doping scandal issues that occur internationally.
From my research, it is evident that athletes who choose to dope either feel pressured by their coaches and the need to win or influenced by their peers/competitors. The gains and losses are also considered when athletes choose to dope and feeling influenced to win or receiving true personal gain is among the main reasons why athletes become involved in these scandals. In regards to the Hird situation, I believe that he should not be punished and right now the media is handling the situation wrong. While the media is really only from Australia, it is still unfair that Hird needs to be continuously publicly scrutinized by the media when according to WADA rules, he is not doing anything wrong. Considering there are now laws for coaches within WADA and other programs, it is unfair to punish Hird. I believe that if WADA and other sports organizations believe that doping of coaches should be banned than they should use Hird as an example to enforce these new regulations and sanctions regarding coaches, but still do not punish Hird because he as of now is not doing anything wrong according to current rules.
What future precautions can the AFL and ASADA implement to prevent future doping scandals from occuring?
Considering fairness within sports and the immense pride Australia has for sports, it is critical that these doping scandals are handled properly and one day, hopefully can be eliminated all together. Taking a look at different theories we have discussed in class there are ways that the AFL and ASADA can communicate with the players and hopefully get the message across to not become involved in doping scandals.
Social Cognitive Theory: The Social Cognitive Theory is described as a theory that "explains how people acquire and maintain certain behavioral patterns, while also providing the basis for intervention strategies," (Bandura, 1997). Three factors are considered when deciding what might influence someone. These factors are people, environment and behavior. This theory could be used by ASADA and the AFL to set an example for players and coaches. If stricter rules and laws were implemented, both coaches and players would see the negative outcomes of using illegal drugs and this could help stop players from jeopardizing their careers.
Semiotics: Semiotics, the study of signs, could also be used to gain the attention of players and coaches. Signs can be organized to communicate messages and can be found in the form of advertising, trademarks, and basic images to relay information. ASADA and the AFL can use semiotics to even further get their points across regarding illegal drugs and why not to risk their careers. Semiotics is just another way to further relay the information to players and coaches to be constant reminders as to why not get caught up in doping scandals.
Drama Theory: The drama theory can be explained as a theory that engages the audience to the point where the audience will feel an emotional connection with the characters and messages will be more strongly communicated because they are more easy to relate to. This theory can be implemented to have players and coaches relate to the actual story lines and have them feel just how dangerous doping is and how detrimental it could be for their careers and their lives. Since players may not be interested in reading about doping, because they feel they already know or might not be influenced, these are easy ways to communicate to both the players and the coaches how negative doping is.
Social Cognitive Theory: The Social Cognitive Theory is described as a theory that "explains how people acquire and maintain certain behavioral patterns, while also providing the basis for intervention strategies," (Bandura, 1997). Three factors are considered when deciding what might influence someone. These factors are people, environment and behavior. This theory could be used by ASADA and the AFL to set an example for players and coaches. If stricter rules and laws were implemented, both coaches and players would see the negative outcomes of using illegal drugs and this could help stop players from jeopardizing their careers.
Semiotics: Semiotics, the study of signs, could also be used to gain the attention of players and coaches. Signs can be organized to communicate messages and can be found in the form of advertising, trademarks, and basic images to relay information. ASADA and the AFL can use semiotics to even further get their points across regarding illegal drugs and why not to risk their careers. Semiotics is just another way to further relay the information to players and coaches to be constant reminders as to why not get caught up in doping scandals.
Drama Theory: The drama theory can be explained as a theory that engages the audience to the point where the audience will feel an emotional connection with the characters and messages will be more strongly communicated because they are more easy to relate to. This theory can be implemented to have players and coaches relate to the actual story lines and have them feel just how dangerous doping is and how detrimental it could be for their careers and their lives. Since players may not be interested in reading about doping, because they feel they already know or might not be influenced, these are easy ways to communicate to both the players and the coaches how negative doping is.
The key players and stakeholders within the doping scandal revolving Hird, are Hird, Dank, WADA and the AFL. These are the stakeholders because these are the main people involved and depending on the outcome, these might be the key players who end up encouraging change of future regulations, sanctions, and education systems to athletes and the public. While the people of Australia still support Hird, I believe they only do so because of their competitive nature and love for sports that they would hate to see an AFL hero ruin his career by his poor choices regarding doping. Although he is a coach and technically cannot be punished, while he can face fines and other sanctions, his actions as a role model might influence other players in the AFL to considering using illegal drugs to enhance performance which only would create more doping scandals within athletics for the future.
This topic currently affects the people of my country because doping scandals are currently an international crisis. Education to athletes, whether professional or in grade school, needs to be implemented so the dangers and risks of doping can be exposed to the public. Education can help to ensure that athletes know the risks of doping and can help them to become less influenced to jeopardize their careers to enhance their performance. Education also needs to be implemented to reinforce the purpose behind sports, to show an athletes true skill, so that an equal playing field will be expected by all players. Doping scandals within my country are still prominent and is still considered to be an international sporting issue that needs to be resolved, especially when considering the Olympic athletes from various countries competing against each other. According to sources in my Literature Review, doping does not seem to be going away any time soon. With the new fear of "gene doping," doping only seems to be evolving instead of decreasing.
This topic currently affects the people of my country because doping scandals are currently an international crisis. Education to athletes, whether professional or in grade school, needs to be implemented so the dangers and risks of doping can be exposed to the public. Education can help to ensure that athletes know the risks of doping and can help them to become less influenced to jeopardize their careers to enhance their performance. Education also needs to be implemented to reinforce the purpose behind sports, to show an athletes true skill, so that an equal playing field will be expected by all players. Doping scandals within my country are still prominent and is still considered to be an international sporting issue that needs to be resolved, especially when considering the Olympic athletes from various countries competing against each other. According to sources in my Literature Review, doping does not seem to be going away any time soon. With the new fear of "gene doping," doping only seems to be evolving instead of decreasing.