Why Do Professional Athletes Increase Performance Enhancing Drugs?
Introduction
Drugs, one of the most dangerous things ever to be created by mankind. They have been responsible for numerous deaths as well as problems of some of the most prolific people to ever walk the face of this planet. Not only that, it has ruined the careers of numerous high profile athletes all because the money and the fame got to them. Not only did they abuse drugs but also performance enhancing drugs which ended their career permanently. Examples like this are Diego Maradona and his constant overdoses, which to a premature end to his career to even recent cases like Lance Armstrong testing positive for performance enhancing drugs therefore having to give back all of his Tour de France titles. This paper will attempt …show more content…
The origin of the word 'doping ' is attributed to the Dutch word 'doop, ' which is a viscous opium juice, the drug of choice of the ancient Greeks."1 It has since continued on from there. The first recorded death of drugs to a famous athlete that is notable didn’t happen in the twentieth century but it is quite a monumental symbol in light of this paper. It was twenty four year old Welsh cyclist Arthur Linton who passed away during a race. The cause of death was said to be typhoid fever but it was said that he overdosed on trymethyl. In 1904, Marathon runner Thomas Hicks almost died at the Olympics in St Louis after mixing brandy and strychnine. These were very early cases of drug abuse in the 20th century. In 1952, speed skaters in Oslo’s winter Olympics fell sick after taking amphetamines. Luckily for them this was just a mild side effect from taking the drug. In 1960, at the Rome Olympics, Danish cyclist Knut Jensen took amphetamines, fell down, cracked his skull and …show more content…
This drug was commonly abused by cyclists. Is that a coincidence or does it mean something more?
The drug abuse never stopped there but it was continued a little bit when in 1968 the IOC list of banned substances was issued. Testing began in the Mexico City Olympics. Then in 1976, eleven of thirteen German swimmers won Olympic events. They were tested and it was discovered that they had ingested steroids. Then one of the greatest controversies regarding drugs occurred in sports when it was found out that Diego Maradona, acclaimed footballer for Argentina, was an avid drug user of one of the most dangerous drugs in the world, COCAINE. His reputation was ruined by drugs and so was his football career. He was eventually banned from participating in World Cup football.
The saga of drug abuse continued when in 1988 Ben Johnson’s athletic career came to a halt after he destroyed the world record shaving 1.4 seconds off it only to get the record and his medal taken away because he tested positive for steroid Stanazol in his urine
Drugs, one of the most dangerous things ever to be created by mankind. They have been responsible for numerous deaths as well as problems of some of the most prolific people to ever walk the face of this planet. Not only that, it has ruined the careers of numerous high profile athletes all because the money and the fame got to them. Not only did they abuse drugs but also performance enhancing drugs which ended their career permanently. Examples like this are Diego Maradona and his constant overdoses, which to a premature end to his career to even recent cases like Lance Armstrong testing positive for performance enhancing drugs therefore having to give back all of his Tour de France titles. This paper will attempt …show more content…
The origin of the word 'doping ' is attributed to the Dutch word 'doop, ' which is a viscous opium juice, the drug of choice of the ancient Greeks."1 It has since continued on from there. The first recorded death of drugs to a famous athlete that is notable didn’t happen in the twentieth century but it is quite a monumental symbol in light of this paper. It was twenty four year old Welsh cyclist Arthur Linton who passed away during a race. The cause of death was said to be typhoid fever but it was said that he overdosed on trymethyl. In 1904, Marathon runner Thomas Hicks almost died at the Olympics in St Louis after mixing brandy and strychnine. These were very early cases of drug abuse in the 20th century. In 1952, speed skaters in Oslo’s winter Olympics fell sick after taking amphetamines. Luckily for them this was just a mild side effect from taking the drug. In 1960, at the Rome Olympics, Danish cyclist Knut Jensen took amphetamines, fell down, cracked his skull and …show more content…
This drug was commonly abused by cyclists. Is that a coincidence or does it mean something more?
The drug abuse never stopped there but it was continued a little bit when in 1968 the IOC list of banned substances was issued. Testing began in the Mexico City Olympics. Then in 1976, eleven of thirteen German swimmers won Olympic events. They were tested and it was discovered that they had ingested steroids. Then one of the greatest controversies regarding drugs occurred in sports when it was found out that Diego Maradona, acclaimed footballer for Argentina, was an avid drug user of one of the most dangerous drugs in the world, COCAINE. His reputation was ruined by drugs and so was his football career. He was eventually banned from participating in World Cup football.
The saga of drug abuse continued when in 1988 Ben Johnson’s athletic career came to a halt after he destroyed the world record shaving 1.4 seconds off it only to get the record and his medal taken away because he tested positive for steroid Stanazol in his urine