Doping in Soccer, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The essence of sport extends beyond the ability of the player achieving global excellence, success and winning medals. Regardless of whether it is soccer, cycling, swimming, basketball or baseball, a sport has deep ancestry within the society. Over the course of time, sport has been integrated within the moral values of society. Such integration is dependent on whether a person is playing for commercial or non-commercial purposes; each has a particular sport of interest. Essential to this study, the discipline of playing sports clear of drug use ought to start from the society level. Unfortunately, many athletes on a global level have resulted to the use of performance enhancing drugs during their involvement in elite sports. Many such athletes who have resulted to the use of performance enhancing drugs have not only dishonoured their chosen sport, but on a societal level, have tarnished their characters, leading to disappointments. The inception of time has seen the essence of participating in a sport especially at a professional level being the level of honesty, intelligence and discipline associated with the player. However, the usage of performance enhancing drugs not only discredits a player, but the sport, as well. Soccer is one of the biggest sports recognized internationally and this research aim at exploring the abuse of performance enhancement drugs in soccer recognizing their effects (Beamish 147).

Executive Summary

Endeavouring to promote discipline, ensuring commitment and fair game play are some of the qualities associated with professional athletes. With a team of more than 20 players, soccer is driven by team spirit, effort and characterization. In the zest of achieving popularity propelled by performance on the pitch, we see some players opting to an abuse of performance enhancement drugs, which in soccer results in the damage of both a player and a club’s reputation, and the suspension of the player. In addition to such shame, the player is exposed to health risk factors. There have been numerous cases of players dying as a result of this. Players like Abel Xavier, Adam Tanner, Albeiro Usuriaga and Diego Maradonna are a few examples of soccer players who have abused performance enhancing drugs that have led to the termination of prominent careers (Waddington, Skirstad and Loland 129). Unfortunately, the termination of such prominent careers ensures the permanent wash-down of natural gifts and talents. A fundamental concept that ought to be realized is the fact that the choice of abusing performance drugs in soccer is purely an individual choice that has the potential to lead to dangerous consequences (Pound 157).

Background of the Study

Elite sportsmen and sportswomen acknowledge the fact that substance abuse among soccer players may have been as a result of choices made egotistically. Unfortunately, the players fail to recognize the consequences of the choices made, especially in undermining the integrity and value of soccer. Before soccer ever got recognized as a prominent sport, many years had passed; during which players practiced the finest of their principles. There was the realization that true soccer champions achieved success through skills, talents, motivation, and adequate training to enhance their soccer skills. However, players like Diego sought to achieve success with the mentality of becoming successful at all costs. Regrettably for such players, such a mentality consequentially led to the destruction of not only their popularity, but self worthiness.

In spite of the fact that there are scholars and researchers claiming that the abuse of performance enhancement drugs began in ancient history, doping in sports in recent times has taken a whole new perception. The abuse of performance enhancing drugs in antiquity saw athletes using mere drinking portions believed to be magical like the Cup of Merlin (Rosen 149). On the other hand, recent times have seen soccer players abusing performance enhancement drugs like narcotics and even steroids. As a result of not knowing any better, world renowned scholars and pharmacists elaborate on substance abuse in soccer. A number of soccer players have been known to die from overdosing on the drugs. The death of the soccer players occurs in an indifferent manner; meaning that the way it occurs is unnatural. Soccer involves running on the football pitch for more than an hour. Little known to soccer players, their bodies use too much energy on their own while running back and forth on the field. According to scholars, a soccer player that may have abused a performance drug will cause the body to produce more fat to level with energy being used. Deaths that have occurred in players are as a result of the body being unable to withstand the amount of fat produced by the body. This results in over-clouding of the heart arteries and often leads to death (Rosen 167).

Effects of Doping In Soccer

The scope of substance abuse has moved on from soccer players to their coaches, managers as well as team doctors, where a higher percentage tested positive to the usage of the same drug enhancing drugs. For instance, the year 1999 saw the medical officer of an Australian junior football team known as Eric Rykaer test positive to the use of the erythropoietin drug. Essential to this research, doping in soccer not only results in suspension or termination of players, but there is the violation of fair competition (Smith, Andy and Waddington 138). Fair competition disruption is as a result of emotional instability where players are unable to control their temper. For instance, in one of the semi final matched of the 2006 world cup, the French player Zenedine Zidane head-butted a soccer player of the opposing team. Even though he retired, such emotional recklessness’s is an example of a perception elaborating the instability of soccer players who are on drugs. Moreover, the abuse of performance enhancement drugs leads to the detrimental health of the soccer players involved. Many soccer players abusing performance enhancement drugs have also been known to use dietary supplements. Unbeknown to many of them, such dietary supplements contain ephedrine alkaloids. Such components lead to players experiencing harmful health complexities like seizures, stroke, hypertension and even death (Smith, Andy and Waddington 138).

Through many retrospective studies on sports, it is well known that injuries are commonplace in sports, and especially soccer. A study conducted reveals that amongst soccer player of male elite, as a result of their frequent injuries during the sport, there was the use and apparent abuse of antiflogistics. Combined with other drugs, the players’ health depended on the use of drugs to maintain performance (Berntzen et al. 1996).

FIFA, the world re-known international federation that governs soccer has banned and fined players found to be using performance enhanced drugs. For instance, players like Diego Maradonna have been fined hefty sums of money after they were found having tested positive to the abuse of performance drugs. Sadly, FIFA has seemingly banned many players, leading to the formation of several control measures. After realizing that many of the older players had the highest percentage of drug abuse, FIFA introduced an obtainable yet rejected permit for world renowned soccer players’ entry into the world cup held every four years. Such a measure is meant to act as a control measure for soccer players opting to use performance enhancement drugs (Waddington, Skirstad and Loland 129).

In an attempt to ensure that doping is got rid off in soccer, FIFA first and foremost acknowledged the fact that as a team sport, soccer had the largest number of sportspeople. This makes the sport’s efficiency and effectiveness an ongoing concern in terms of drug testing plans. In an effort to reduce the rising number of players suspended as a result of drug-related issues, it is now a requirement tha6t soccer clubs provide the regulatory body with full details on its activities (Cone 2011).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is extremely significant to determine the successful steps relative to the success of a soccer player. Such is what is termed as the success criteria or factors that determine the success of a player. Nevertheless, with time, the success factors have changed from cost and quality aspects to the ethics practiced by an individual player. Additionally, there is an additional framework meant to bring success, and is determined with time. In essence, doping in football players has become the highest source of failure for many football players.

Works Cited

Beamish, Rob. Steroids: A New Look at Performance-Enhancing Drugs. Phoenix: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print.

Berntzen, G., SA Stenersen, O. Nilssen, J. Aarbakke, and O. Roarsen. “Supplemental Content.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 June 1996. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8766638>.

Cone, James. “World Soccer Body to Study New Doping Control Procedure for Club World Cup.” Bloomberg. Bloomberg, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-17/world-soccer-body-to-study-new-doping-control-procedure-for-club-world-cup.html>.

Pound, Richard. Inside Dope: How Drugs Are the Biggest Threat to Sports, Why You Should Care, and What Can Be Done About Them. Washington: John Wiley and Sons, 2008. Print.

Rosen, Daniel. Dope: A History of Performance Enhancement in Sports from the Nineteenth Century to Today. Phoenix: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.

Smith, Andy and Waddington Ivan. An Introduction to Drugs in Sport: Addicted to Winning?. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2009. Print.

Waddington, Ivan, Skirstad, Berit and Loland, Sigmund. Pain And Injury in Sport: Social And Ethical Analysis. Washington: Routledge, 2006. Print.