Sports and Drugs Shouldn't Mix: Is There a Solution?

I've been thinking about the topic of performance-enhancing drugs recently, mainly due to the recent Lance Armstrong events and also after watching the ESPN Documentary '9.79*' about Ben Johnson. The use of steroids has grown rampant in the last few years, both in sports and social aspects, and I struggle to come to terms with the motives behind it. But after thorough research and objectively considering different arguments, I have managed to dive rather deep into the World of Steroids and Performance-Enhancing Drugs.

What are steroids?
I'm no scientist/doctor/physiotherapist, so here is what the BBC says:

Anabolic steroids are a group of hormones found naturally in our bodies. They are involved in growth, physical development and the function of the reproductive organs.

The drugs are manmade versions of the same or similar hormones. They come as pills or capsules. They are usually taken by mouth, but can be injected. Their medical use is limited to boosting red blood cell numbers in anaemic patients.

Bodybuilders, sports fanatics and athletes use them to increase the rate and amount of muscle growth.

What are the health effects?

Anabolic steroids can stunt growth in young people. Heavy, regular use could shrink your testicles, raise your blood pressure and damage your liver, kidneys and heart. Girls can end up with more body hair, smaller breasts and a deeper voice. 
 
Despite this, there are legitimate medical uses of steroids, such as the treatment of AIDS patients lacking body weight, as well as boosting red blood cell numbers in patients with anaemia, as mentioned above. 

In South Africa, I am aware of boys from as young as 14 who just want to look 'big'. This is because of so many reasons, the main two being girls, and male ego. I don't want to generalise, but the problem is triggered in a similar way to anorexia amongst girls: just like teenage girls see stunning, skinny models in magazines and on TV and get burning desires to be like them, guys see built-up, muscly men in magazines with attractive women and generate a similar want to be the same. So, the commercialising of athletes and sportsmen and the glorification of their bodies is a major factor in this problem, but how do magazines such as Men's Health deal with it? Meanwhile, a survey was done in Australia of over 22,000 high school students and showed that 2% of 12- to 17-year-olds had used steroids “without a doctor’s prescription” in an attempt to make them “better at sport, to increase muscle size or to improve your general appearance”. And these statistics only represent one 'sample' in the world as a whole, showing that steroid use in young people is growing. It's a cycle that becomes extremely dangerous, especially in high school environments where trends and rumours are spread like wild fire. Of course there will be one senior student who "every guy wants to be and every girl wants to be with"; As soon as he reveals his secret to his chick-scoring, sculpture-like abs, and toned biceps, every other guy will want to jump on the bandwagon.

This does not end at high school. If anything, it gets worse as one enters the world of professional sports, where pressure, publicity and expectations to perform mounts. Anabolic steroids is a banned substance across all major sports committees, the FIFA and MLB to name a few, yet athletes persist on using them in belief it will give them a competitive advantage. And just like in high school, the steroid trend will inevitably spread. One of the most commonly known incidences occurred in the world of cycling, where Lance Armstrong became one of the biggest disappointments in sporting history.

Armstrong started off as a young cyclist with promising talent, going on to embark on a rocky journey that saw him get diagnosed with testicular cancer as well as win seven Tour de France titles. On top of that, he was the face of the cancer charity 'Livestrong,' that raised millions of dollars towards the fight against cancer. This was all very
good at the time, and was the sporting world's greatest legend that thousands looked up to, until it was revealed that he was the instigator of a doping ring with the U.S Postal Service racing team, as well as being a user of performance-enhancing drugs himself. Lance Armstrong was the key element in the cycling world being riddled with doping conspiracies. His bullying of other cyclists into doping and excessive commitment to winning all the time soon caught up with him when the US Anti-Doping Agency released evidence that included confessions from his fellow cyclists confirming Armstrong's use of steroids throughout his cycling career. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, given a life ban from cycling, and lost all eight of his sponsors: probably the biggest fall from grace sports fans have ever seen.

Armstrong's unhealthy addiction to winning rightfully came back to haunt him, similarly with professional sprinter and Olympic Gold Winner Ben Johnson.Although he wasn't the only athlete to commit the crime, he was the face of a much larger doping conspiracy, just like Armstrong. And just like Armstrong, his story shook the world. Johnson won the 100m gold medal at the 1988 Olympics held in Seoul, and was immediately stripped of it when he was found guilty of doping.

The 100m final race in Seoul is known to be one of the dirtiest races in sporting history. Only two out of the eight athletes that competed were never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, yet Johnson was the face of it all. This week marks 25 years since Johnson's fall.

"I was nailed on a cross, and 25 years later I'm still being punished. Rapists and murderers get sent to prison, but even they get out eventually. I know what I did was wrong. Rules are rules. But the rules should be the same for all," explains Johnson.

As you can see, steroids is nothing new, and will continue to grow if measures are not taken. However, why do some people think that steroids should not be banned in professional sports? I have seen numerous polls and articles that are in favour of the legalisation of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports, simply because it may be the only way to 'level the playing field.' Is it the only way to make sports completely fair, where no one is at an advantage? Steroids in sports may raise the bar in terms of performance and entertainment, but athletic performance would no longer be natural. Talent will no longer be raw. Surely, any Tom, Dick, and Harry could become a professional athlete if they were allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs? And wouldn't the health consequences put the entire world of sport at risk?

If this were to happen, sports as we know them will plummet into the ground and a whole new era of 'competitive sports' will emerge. The Lionel Messi and Usain Bolt sporting idols of today will no longer exist, nor will the integrity of playing professional sport. Sport will become more of a business, a trading market, and an opportunity to show off, than it is a platform for aspiring sportspeople with talent worth admiring.

This was a tough article to write, but I am interested to hear other peoples' points of view on the topic. Doping in sports will continue, regardless of the consequences athletes such as Armstrong and Johnson faced, but should the role of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports be reviewed?

All for now,
Gabi 


Links:

"I was nailed on a cross, and 25 years later I'm still being punished. Rapists and murderers get sent to prison, but even they get out eventually. I know what I did was wrong. Rules are rules. But the rules should be the same for all."
Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/athletics/sport/story/241555.html#0psgg6BxiDesT6Gz.99Links:

BBC - Advice - Anabolic Steroids.
Increasing steroid use in young people: do they know the harm?
Why It's Time To Legalise Steroids in Professional Sports

No More Predictions For Me.

Okay so my predictions of Saturday's matches were basically not even close. Chelsea's success was the only thing I sort of guessed right, and I'm happy they've made a come back. But, overall, it just proves to show how unpredictable this league is, making it so exciting. I'm really disappointed in Liverpool; I was really hoping they'd maintain their winning streak and remain at the top of the table. I was again pleasantly surprised by Swansea and they've really impressed me this season.

In other news, Arsenal are at the top of the table! They're my main men in this league and I'm so glad they've come back from their fall last season. But, it's not over yet, and I'm sure many more surprises await us all...

This weekend's Premier League: Predictions.

I have decided to do my own predictions for any important upcoming matches: I was not far off this week when I predicted a 4-1 for Barcelona against Ajax with a hat-trick from Messi (end score was 4-0 with a hat-trick from Messi) and a 2-1 win for Arsenal over Marseille with goals from Ramsey and Wilshere  (end score was 2-1 to Arsenal with a goal from Walcott and a goal from Ramsey) and so I thought I'd try my hand at it again.

Norwich vs. Aston Villa 
Norwich were dominated by the Spurs last weekend, but retain an unbeaten record at their home grounds of Carrow Road. Hopefully they will maintain this against Aston Villa, however, Christian Benteke has proven to be a class player with solid consistency since the start of the season. Aston Villa's only points in the league have come from away games, on the other hand, so will this be the case against Norwich this Saturday?

Prediction: 2-1 to Aston Villa.

Liverpool vs. Southampton
Liverpool remain at the top of the Premier League and obtained a perfect start to the season. Daniel Sturridge has scored in all 4 of their matches this season and it is possible that this will continue this weekend. Southampton have only lost one of their 4 games so far, but Liverpool have a home advantage.

Prediction: 3-0 to Liverpool.

Newcastle United vs. Hull City
Newcastle have won their last two league matches, and Hatem Ben Arfa has proven to be the key player in their recent successes. It seems that Hull struggle to secure victory when away from home but have come up against difficult opposition including Chelsea and Man City. Newcastle could get a home win, which will put them ahead in the table.

Prediction: 2-1 to Newcastle.

West Bromwich Albion vs. Sunderland
Sunderland visit West Brom this Saturday and are the only team sitting below them in the overall standings. West Brom have had a poor start to the season, losing both their matches at home and only scoring one goal in four games. Sunderland may also struggle for victory but will need to make some changes for them to abandon their place at 20th in the League.

Prediction: 1-0 to West Brom.

West Ham vs. Everton
West Ham's performance has been encouraging, only losing one of the four league matches. However, Everton boast wins in all four of their opening league matches.

Prediction: 2-1 to Everton

Chelsea vs. Fulham
Chelsea's unexpected loss to Basel FC has raised concern for Blues supporters and will need to turn their performance around to remain at the top of the table. Their collapse on Wednesday may lead to Fulham taking advantage, especially after their positive start to the season.

Prediction: 2-0 to Chelsea.


I will write again tomorrow with the actual results and how right or wrong I was.

Gabi

Has South Africa finally opened their eyes? ANCYL is worried about the state of South African soccer, apparently.

So, the African National Congress Youth League released a statement that they are concerned over "the weaknesses of development structures in South African soccer."

Really? They only realised this NOW? How many World Cups and African Cup of Nations did we have to not qualify for in order for them to think: "hang on, something isn't quite right here." ?

Although I do not entirely support all of the Youth League movements, this is one of the only times I have seen them bring to surface something worthy of our attention...

Spokesman Bandile Masuku of the ANCYL suggested the South African Football Association (SAFA) should look towards the national team playing more frequently, including the youth teams, and more exposure given to the younger players to better the quality and opportunity of youth teams as well as Bafana Bafana.

Hold on, that's not the best part.

"The league also proposed the inclusion of females in SAFA's national executive committee."

Hooray, South Africa! It looks like you are finally trying to eradicate the issue of gender inequality in South African sport! They suggested this as the committee only has 2 females out of 40 members, and that "This situation undermines our collective drive as a nation towards the transformation of all our institutions to be gender representative." Masuku, I hope you stick to your word.

There's not much else to say about this, other than I am extremely pleased that attention is being brought to this. South Africa's most popular sport is football, and the support and culture is hugely dominant, but teams' ability to deliver to the nation is not strong. If soccer in South Africa is invested into more, I have no doubt Bafana Bafana have a very good future ahead of them, and hopefully in a World Cup or two, as well.

All for now,
Gabi

The Football Money-Making Business: will the integrity and honesty of the game ever return?

Money is the center of the world. As much as alternative, free-minded people such as myself hate to admit it, this is the sad reality that currently exists. Money is everything, and you won't get very far without it. However, as much as money is the basis for most things in the world, my DNA goes against the excessive amounts of money being spent on certain aspects of football. Do not think this contradicts my earlier statements about the importance of funding, otherwise I am afraid you are confused.

In the mainstream footballing world of today, players are being bought by clubs for extremely large sums of money i.e. Gareth Bale was bought by Real Madrid for £86.3 million ($132 million) and FOR WHAT REASON? Money is raping the football culture of honesty, passion and overall modesty. Egos are inflating and it seems as though players are only playing for their paycheck at the end of every month.

The topic of transfer fees is not new. It has been a frequently-argued and controversial topic dating all the way back to 1905 in England: the country that gave birth to football. Middlesbrough became to first club to splash out a four-figure sum in the transfer market, buying Alf Common for £1000. J.C Clegg, who was a member of the FA at the time, was highly against a move of this nature, believing that the "buying and selling of players is unsportsmanlike and most objectionable in itself, and ought not to be entertained by those who desire to see the game played under proper conditions." I could not agree more with Mr. Clegg: with money involved in the sport, players' behaviour on the football pitch is changing dramatically. I feel that, because players are so overly aware of their numerical value to their club, diving after soft tackles is becoming more frequent, and arguments with the referee are condoned. I have seen one player too many throwing tantrums like little kids when a decision made by the ref does not suit them. This is where I feel strongly that the rule existing in rugby, where no player can dispute a decision made by a match official if they don't want a yellow card, no matter how questionable it is, should be enforced in football. That way, players will lose this authority that they think they have, and start playing the game "under proper conditions" and with amore believable passion. Football is a global culture, a global language, and fanatics such as myself should be able to trust the performance of players on the field.

The transfer made in 1905 provoked quite a lot of reaction, and the "FA enforced a temporary ruling to start from January 1 1908 that prohibited any transfer from going through if the fee involved exceeded £350." Why can't this be applied to the football world of today? Obviously, I understand that a fee of £350 is highly unrealistic with the current state of the world economy, but you get the point. Clegg's thoughts do ring true today, even after 104 years. Former Italian head coach Arrigo Sacchi recently appealed to the UEFA President Michel Platini about football clubs spending more money than they actually need to. Sacchi is convinced that Real Madrid's signing of Welshman Gareth Bale was primarily for commercial reasons than it was for practical footballing reasons. The Italian feels clubs should "invest what you receive," as the football money-men are "drugging and polluting the market." Why can't this thought be introduced to big clubs such as Real Madrid, and indeed across the world? The transfer window frequently sees clubs paying more for players than society feels they are worth, and this needs to change.

In a slightly different area of the topic is the money-making schemes that exist behind closed doors: betting and match-fixing. Just yesterday, Singapore police and authorities took fourteen Singaporeans into custody for, what was believed to be, a global match-fixing conspiracy. The suspected leader, Tan Seet Eng, also known as Dan Tan, is believed to have lead a syndicate that rigged hundreds of games across Europe and Africa. It is possible that matches with extremely high profiles, such as World Cup Qualifiers and Champions League matches, were illegally interfered with by this match-fixing mastermind. Whilst I understand that the concept of betting is fairly innocent and acceptable, I will NEVER understand why match officials are being bribed approximately 30 000 euros to secure a certain result. And even bigger than that: why are they accepting the bribes? Who knows how much money elsewhere is floating around the football world but, in order for the integrity of the game to be protected, this corruption needs to end.

All for now,
Gabi

Links:
How money has 'ruined' football.
Singapore arrest 14 in crackdown on football match-fixing.

First Women's Soccer League in Brazil: maybe the rest of the world will catch on?

My supervisor at work suggested I work on my blog today, and one of the most pleasing things I see shared on Google+ is an article about the introduction of Brazil's first official women's domestic soccer league. This is quite a large step forward for women's football, not just in Brazil, but around the world, especially since Brazil has given birth to some of the best players in the world. (Ronaldinho, Neymar Jr. etc...) I have decided to be hopeful that this news will spread to other countries in the world, including to South Africa, and will inspire them to pay more attention to, and potentially invest in, female soccer.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced the news this week that Brazil's first domestic women's soccer league 'Campeonato Brasileiro' has been introduced, with government-owned bank Caixa Econômica Federal  as its main sponsor.What made me the happiest is this: "The state-owned bank has signed a deal with the CBF worth reportedly R$10 million (US$4.4 million) to fund the new women's league." 

FUNDING, FINALLY.

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that funding was one of two most crucial elements in the growth of women's football, and I am so extremely excited for Brazil and the future of their female teams. With this funding, the league will gain more exposure and hopefully lead to expanding within the league, as well as spreading their influence in other corners of the world. I strongly believe that, coming from a country with one of the leading football cultures in the world, more heads will be turned to women's football. 

The only thing I am slightly worried about is if the league fails to prove its worth after so much money has been invested into it. Obviously, it won't kick off immediately in terms of popularity, packed stadiums and merchandise to raise money but, with women's football running parallel to men's, it is possible that football fans will be too slow to commit and support the new league. If this were to happen, I fear that women's football in Brazil will go in reverse. 

I can and will only be optimistic and supportive of Brazil's decision to invest in this new league, and I wish all the best to the 20 female teams participating. Every other country in the world (SOUTH AFRICA!), can you please pay attention to this?! 

All for now,
Gabi 

Link to the Brazilian Football Confederation website: Brazilian Football Confederation
Information about Campeonato Brasileiro: Campeonato Brasileiro