Enhancment Drugs

Are you ready for some football? Or do you need to first chug a protein shake, take five hour energy, and indulge in some serious Mountain Dew? A lot of college students are involved with athletics but there are a lot of ethical issues involved with sports. One of the ethical issues students are faced with is performance enhancing drugs.
Here at Olivet, according to a member of the football team, “Not a lot of guys use (performance enhancing drugs).” My first reaction to this is, what is considered a performance enhancing drug? Different athletic conferences have different rules and regulations. According to the USA Today, the NCAA tests for: steroids street drugs, and stimulants during playoff and championship streaks, but tests for only steroids during regular season play. Technically, caffeine is a performance enhancing drug. Granted the NCAA doesn’t test for caffeine but it is highly abused by students and student athletes. Caffiene is a highly addictive drug that is easily abused.
I surveyed students here at Olivet and there was very mixed feelings on what is considered a performance enhancer. Is there an ethical difference between protein and steroids, does energy tea enhance your performance? These questions arose in my questioning of 50 random students. Some students said the ethics of performance enhancing drugs depends on whether or not you are trying to go professional with your sport. One student said, “It’s ethical if you are trying to go pro and make millions, the equal playing field is what it’s about. Someone from Olivet wouldn’t stand a chance with out some sort of enhancement.”
Granted we are a Division III school, we are subject to testing. Once again, according to USA Today, NCAA testing has increased and more than 241,000 students in Division I and II are tested, 1 in 22 athletes. Guidelines for an NCAA failed drug test could include the consequences of, “a one year penalty for a first offense and permanent ineligibility after second offenses.” One football player on campus told me, “If we went to championships and someone on the team failed the drug test the consequences would be worse from the team than what the NCAA would do to them.”
In my survey 21 out of 50 people said they thought the use of performance enhancing drugs was ethical, 20 out of 50 said it was unethical, the remaining 9 respondents were unsure. Morally we are on the fence at Olivet about this issue, according to students but a few coaches commented on if performance enhancing drugs and didn’t have correlating answers with the students, “completely unethical”, “the use of performance enhancing drugs is unethical and should be considered cheating. There are many legal supplements that can (when combined with a proper diet and workout program) be beneficial to athletes.”
The ethical questions at hand include do you have a duty to your team to be drug free? Is taking enhancement drugs selfish? Are the reasons students take enhancement drugs for personal improvement or for the thrill of the win? Winning is important to athletes, that’s why they play, competition. Are you doing it for the common good of the team? If your life is ran from a religious ethical vantage point, the Bible doesn’t specifically discuss drugs but the underlying rule is to treat your body like a temple.
Steroid abuse is very serious; illegal steroids often are too strong compared to what a doctor would prescribe. Is eating nine protein bars before a game abusive too? Should some performance enhancing drugs be permitted? I think that colleges need to do more drug education rather than just testing because like a coach said; there are legal ways to enhance your athletic performance.
Not only are athletes having issues with enhancement but students alike, there are drugs on the market that improve focus…to keep the playing field fair in the classroom we would have to outlaw the use of Adderall and other ADD and ADHA medications.
Students and athletes alike seek a better quality performance, it just must be remembered not to abuse the drug, legal or illegal performance enhancers….don’t chug that Mountain Dew or take 6 five hour energy vials…do your best, and work to improve. Moderation is key and as a society we are very gluttonous, Ralph Waldo Emmerson said, “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you,”