Doping in Elite Sport the new Ethical Norm: Athletes Conceptual Influences towards Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs
Doping has been present in sport since professional competition began and can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks. In the last century, doping has escalated as a problem due to the physical advantages it gives athletes and the health risks it imposes (Derse & Wilson, 2001). For doping prevention to have any success it is essential support staff establish boundaries and understand the motives behind an athlete’s decision to dope, including the ethics behind their choices. Ethical decision-making is the evaluation of behaviour in order to distinguish what is right and wrong (Brand, Melzer, & Elbe, 2010). Doping is the use …show more content…
The sporting community and social networks share a negative perception towards doping, effecting athletes’ ethical views, consequently influencing their behaviour. Testing systems are used to deter athletes from doping, however, undesirable attitudes towards testing methods utilised by Anti-Doping Personnel (ADP) have developed due to their inconsistent and unreliable practices. Athletes are expected to maintain sporting ethics as success must be achieved through merit; however, there is some ambiguity towards what is ‘Fair Play’ concerning Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs). Professional athletes feel pressured to utilise PIEDs as experiences affect their judgement towards doping, allowing athletes to develop unethical behaviour as a means to maintain a competitive edge against their opponents. The social environment of an athlete can influence their ethical views towards doping.
There is a stigma that surrounds the notion of doping; the support network of an athlete influences ethical behaviour, such as values and beliefs. Social surroundings are influential in an athlete’s decision against doping through positive support, provided by team mates, parents, coaches and team staff. Byers and Edwards …show more content…
The deterrent theory can be explained as, if the severity of the punishments is increased; along with testing efforts, then the deterrent effect is similarly affected. However, the deterrent theory is impractical as the prospect of doping detection is undoubtedly low (Engelburg, Moston, & Skinner, 2015). This is supported by Overbye (2016) who claims athletes do not perceive current detection methods as a reliable threat to deter doping. During the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority 2011-12 reporting period, of 7196 biological tests conducted only 33 athletes were entered in the Register of Findings for anti-doping rule violations (Engelburg et al, 2015). Concurrently, each year the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reports less than 2% of athletes test positive for doping. It is assumed that the number of dopers in elite sports is much higher than results indicate (Overbye, 2016). Although athletes support doping testing, and a majority perceive it as a deterrent, findings suggest they would be less likely to consider doping if the chances of getting caught were greater (Overbye, 2016). The manner in which testing methods are carried out is believed to be unethical as ADP are suspected of being selective with whom they test and report. Overbye (2016) revealed athletes felt obvious
Doping has been present in sport since professional competition began and can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks. In the last century, doping has escalated as a problem due to the physical advantages it gives athletes and the health risks it imposes (Derse & Wilson, 2001). For doping prevention to have any success it is essential support staff establish boundaries and understand the motives behind an athlete’s decision to dope, including the ethics behind their choices. Ethical decision-making is the evaluation of behaviour in order to distinguish what is right and wrong (Brand, Melzer, & Elbe, 2010). Doping is the use …show more content…
The sporting community and social networks share a negative perception towards doping, effecting athletes’ ethical views, consequently influencing their behaviour. Testing systems are used to deter athletes from doping, however, undesirable attitudes towards testing methods utilised by Anti-Doping Personnel (ADP) have developed due to their inconsistent and unreliable practices. Athletes are expected to maintain sporting ethics as success must be achieved through merit; however, there is some ambiguity towards what is ‘Fair Play’ concerning Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs). Professional athletes feel pressured to utilise PIEDs as experiences affect their judgement towards doping, allowing athletes to develop unethical behaviour as a means to maintain a competitive edge against their opponents. The social environment of an athlete can influence their ethical views towards doping.
There is a stigma that surrounds the notion of doping; the support network of an athlete influences ethical behaviour, such as values and beliefs. Social surroundings are influential in an athlete’s decision against doping through positive support, provided by team mates, parents, coaches and team staff. Byers and Edwards …show more content…
The deterrent theory can be explained as, if the severity of the punishments is increased; along with testing efforts, then the deterrent effect is similarly affected. However, the deterrent theory is impractical as the prospect of doping detection is undoubtedly low (Engelburg, Moston, & Skinner, 2015). This is supported by Overbye (2016) who claims athletes do not perceive current detection methods as a reliable threat to deter doping. During the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority 2011-12 reporting period, of 7196 biological tests conducted only 33 athletes were entered in the Register of Findings for anti-doping rule violations (Engelburg et al, 2015). Concurrently, each year the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reports less than 2% of athletes test positive for doping. It is assumed that the number of dopers in elite sports is much higher than results indicate (Overbye, 2016). Although athletes support doping testing, and a majority perceive it as a deterrent, findings suggest they would be less likely to consider doping if the chances of getting caught were greater (Overbye, 2016). The manner in which testing methods are carried out is believed to be unethical as ADP are suspected of being selective with whom they test and report. Overbye (2016) revealed athletes felt obvious