Track and Field is a very intriguing and exciting sport, when the competitors are doing it the right way. In recent years, there has been an ongoing problem of doping and substance abuse by professional athletes. This has caused these individuals to gain an advantage over the field, and it has made the sport hard to watch. It is not right for athletes who work harder in training and who are clean to not have a fair chance to win because of cheating like this. Many athletes have lost big races or have been kept from winning Olympic and World Championship medals because of dopers having the advantage. Clean athletes have questioned whether or not it is even worth it to keep going in the sport, if it is not fair. 

I settled on this research question because I find it very interesting, and I want to know what can be done to get track and field back to what it used to be. I feel like this research question is pretty specific, and it cannot be answered just off of a Google search. I have already found a good bit of information in the last few weeks on the subject. The research for the ILP's directed my interest because there are a lot of articles on the topic, and it has been pretty easy thus far. I knew going into the ILP's that I was interested in this topic, so finding the information has made the process go smoothly. I am interested in this topic because I love the sport of track and field. In high school, I ran cross country and track for all four years, and I am still extremely passionate about it. I also love following professional track and field and the Olympics. As a superfan, I am very disappointed in how the sport is going right now. There have been too many drug busts, suspensions, and overall track has a bad reputation right now. I am interested in how the sport can be made clean and more enjoyable for people to watch. I am a stakeholder in this issue. That is kind of obvious from my previous statements, but yes I have a vested interest in this topic. Fans of the sport hold a big stake in the sport because they are the ones watching and paying money for tickets, etc. Fans of track and field are kind of like the motors of the sport. We want to be entertained, so without the fans the sport doesn't get as much attention and it wouldn't be nearly as popular. The issue of doping in pro track and field doesn't affect me directly though. I am not a pro myself, so I am not the one who is getting cheated out. I am not the one who is being impacted by the cheaters around me, nor am I in an authoritative position to do something about it. However, I am a big fan, and am wishing for something to be done in the sport of track and field. This research question and whole topic relates to my personal values. I believe in fairness and doing things the right way. I believe that everything you do you should work hard for, and what you get should be earned. You shouldn't cheat to get an unfair advantage. I believe in honesty, integrity, and doing things with class. Doping in track and field goes against all of my personal beliefs that I just listed. I did come into this project with a strong opinion about the subject. I think it is wrong and serious steps need to be taken to stop all of this. I can avoid bias in this project by continuing to do research and gathering more information. I will keep an open mind and try to see things from all perspectives. I feel like I have gained a good bit of knowledge about this subject, but there are still some things I don't know. I don't know how many athletes have been convicted of doping in recent years, and I don't know why some people are against speaking out against it. I am hoping to figure out these things and even more in my upcoming research. 

I hope to accomplish quite a lot with this argument. I hope to learn more about how track and field can become a cleaner sport. I also want to expose the uncleanliness of the sport, and I want to make the argument that people need to be punished for their dirty actions. Track will become cleaner, if the dirty people are taken out of the sport. I just want to shed light on the wrongdoing in my favorite sport. I do believe that I can effectively address this and answer my question in an 8-10-page paper. I believe that by the end of my project, there will be a lot of information on how track and field can become a cleaner sport. I have come across things that I agree with and disagree with in my sources so far. In one source, many athletes who are clean, are advocating for a better sport. They are all about speaking out against the dirty athletes and bringing justice to the sport. They are taking a stand, and exposing the bad. I agree with their actions, and I believe these are steps in the right direction. In another source, some athletes said they would not report doping if they knew about it. I believe being quiet about the issue is not the way to go. Also, I read an article that talks about higher officials covering up cases of doping. I believe stuff like this is only going to make the sport more corrupt. As I move along and work towards my thesis, I may need to make some changes. I think this question falls in the middle of the spectrums of scope, complexity, and controversy. I think it is not too broad because it is a specific sport. I am not just looking at what can be done to make ALL sports cleaner, just track and field. Also, this is a very controversial issue. A lot of buzz has been made about the issue, and it has been going on for awhile, so this topic does not lack controversy. I believe that I still have a lot of work to do to make this project better, but I think I am off to a good start. I will continue to work hard and keep an open mind to this subject. 
