In recent years, there has been a serious problem in the sport of track and field. There have been countless number of failed drug tests, doping cases, cheating, bribery, and cover ups. Things have really gotten out of hand, and I feel like it is time to make a change. Some people may disagree with change at this time, but it is time for things to get back to the way it used to be. The corruption in track and field has taken away from the limelight and beauty of the sport, and change and improvement is a necessity. I am arguing for something to be done because all of this, mainly doping, is bad for the sport in a variety of ways, and it affects the athletes, fans, and the sport as a whole. 

As a huge fan of the sport, I am desperately hoping for change. I feel that the only way things will get better is if action is taken immediately. This will immensely enhance track and field, and it will make things better for everyone invested in the sport, including the fans and athletes. I am very interested in exploring the different sides of this argument, in hopes of proving my point. On one side, people don't see what is wrong with doping and cheating. They believe that everyone is doing it, so they justify it by not wanting to fall behind. They want to blend in. Also, people believe it makes the sport more competitive, produces better performances, etc. Some people also think that since other things are allowed that benefit athletes such as performance drinks, altitude tents, and anti-inflammatories, doping should be legal as well. On the other side, people think it is completely wrong and have no tolerance for it. They believe it is not moral, and it takes a toll on your body. It makes the playing field unequal, and it isn't right for the clean athletes. People think some athletes shouldn't be praised and receive recognition for great performances if they have an advantage over others. I am with this side, that whole heartedly argues for steps to be taken. 

I came across a source that talks about the corruption in track and field, that I previously mentioned. The "World-Anti Doping Agency" (WADA) released a report that exposes all of the bad things going on within the sport. It talks about how athletes who failed tests were still allowed to compete in big events, including the 2012 London Olympics. The report also talks about how the IAAF (governing body of track and field) was responsible for occurrences like this, and how they try to cover issues up. Now, there is a new IAAF president, famous runner Sebastian Coe, and he will attempt to clean up the sport and give track and field a better reputation (Wagner). It is great that there is a new president who is all about bettering the sport, but the work is far from over. This report that the WADA came out with really puts into perspective how bad things are going in track. None of this behavior is acceptable, and more is going to have to be done than just getting a new president. This is a start, but more people are going to have to ban together to take a stand against doping and cheating. Some people are not willing to take action against this cause, but I absolutely think they need to. Professional athletes and higher officials in the sport have the platform to do something, and I am hoping more of them start to realize this. 

On the bright side, there are numerous athletes who are not pleased with the way the sport is currently going. Some clean athletes have a serious problem with doping, and are starting to speak out. They are doing so via social media, interviews, etc. New Zealand Olympian, 1500 meter runner Nick Willis, went to Twitter to express his feelings about the issue, and he went as far as to calling the sport a joke. He put out a series of tweets with one saying, "What a complete joke our sport is. Even if athletes slip up and test positive, they can still pay a bribe to the top and compete." He later tweeted, "It's hard enough for WADA and doping agencies to catch cheats, and even those caught can still get away with it. Makes me sick" (Soong). He addressed all of the major issues going on that I previously talked about. Other people like the CEO of the New York Road Runners, Mary Wittenberg, former coach Steve Magness, and US Olympian Alysia Montano voiced their opinions as well. They all said similar things about how the sport is in a dark place, and something needs to be done. Montano was personally affected by doping. Several athletes convicted of doping beat her at international competitions. If it wasn't for doping, Montano would have received the bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics, instead of a heartbreaking fourth place finish. Everyone here wants to see changes and progress made in the sport that they love. It is great to see people speaking out because I feel this is a huge step in the fight against doping (Soong). 

Another source that goes along with the previous statements talks about the doping problem from the eyes of Canadian athletes. Ten Canadian athletes joined together and released a statement. They know that it is very wrong to have doping in their sport, and they want to fight against it. They are encouraging athletes, fans, and the IAAF to take a stand to stop doping and cover ups. The athletes talk about how they want people with clean histories in their sport. They think it is wrong how there is so much dishonesty going on in the sport right now. As 2016 is an Olympic year, they want to make reforms to get the sport back on track (no pun intended). They are arguing to stop doping, and I think there stand could potentially pay off (Leitch). 

It is evident that a lot of people, especially athletes, are against doping. Many people are starting to speak out against doping, in hopes of reversing the current state of the sport of track and field. While researching, I found a YouTube video from The National. In this video, a first-hand account of doping was given. A former Russian track runner, Yuliya (Rusanova) Stepanov, tells her story. She was a very good runner who represented her country in global competitions. However, this was largely due to doping, and she was later found guilty. She insists that her coaches encouraged her to do so. Now, she realizes how wrong doping is, and is speaking out and trying to expose it. She is under scrutiny from the Russian government for speaking out against it, and she has made a documentary about the bad in Russian athletics. Russia is the leading country in doping controversy, and they may receive a ban from future Olympics. This relates back to my main argument that actions need to be taken to stop the wrongdoing in the sport. 

It is obvious that many people feel strongly about opposing doping and cheating in track and field. These people whom I have exhibited in this paper are people who are invested in the sport and have a lot of knowledge. It is important to take this into consideration when choosing which side you agree with. These people know what they are talking about, and that makes me even more supportive that something needs to be done. United States Olympian DeeDee Trotter started a foundation called "Test Me, I'm Clean!" She did this because she was on a plane and overheard someone saying that all track athletes are on drugs. As a clean athlete, she was offended. This example shows how negatively track and field is perceived by others. All of the doping, corruption, and commotion makes people view the sport in a bad way. This shows that track is going downhill, and it will continue to do so if nothing is done (Aschwanden). Former world-class American sprinter, Tyree Washington, made a YouTube video to express his viewpoints on the subject. He discusses what can be done to rebuild the sport's reputation, and how it isn't morally right to dope (Washington). 

Even though many people are for speaking out against doping, many people aren't. Keeping quiet about the issue will not help get rid of it. Allowing doping to stay in the sport by not doing anything, will only make the problem grow more. There are mixed feelings about whether or not taking a stand against doping is a good idea. Some people are on the fence about it, and cannot decide what to do. In a recent study, four track athletes and five rugby players were interviewed. The track athletes said that they would tell on someone, if they knew they were doping. The five rugby players said the exact opposite. They said that they would keep quiet because they wouldn't want to rat anyone out. Although this is rugby, and not track and field, this is a serious problem. I am sure that there are people in the sport of track that feel the same way the rugby players do. They feel that it is none of their business to speak out because it doesn't "directly impact them." (Whitaker, Backhouse, Long) However, I feel it does directly impact them. People who are doping have an unfair advantage over others, in my opinion. It makes the competition unfair, and it puts the athletes who dope on a different pedestal. It makes them stronger, and it enhances their ability to perform. On the flip side, it hurts the athletes who are clean. They work harder to be the best they can be, and a lot of times they are not properly rewarded. They are getting beat and outdone by people who shouldn't be beating them. This can be directly correlated back to my example of US Olympian Alysia Montano. The other women who were doping and beat her in the Olympics didn't really deserve it. She would have beat them if the competition was level. 

A perfect example of the effect doping has on others would be the case of Dwain Chambers. He is a sprinter from England, and he was once one of the most celebrated athletes in the United Kingdom. He was once considered the "poster boy" of British athletics (Charlish), until he failed drug tests. He was given a two-year ban from regular competition and a lifetime ban from the Olympics. This case has impacted the sport of track and field, and it exposes the corruption in the sport. Dwain Chambers had an affect on others because he beat many people who were clean. Many athletes were frustrated with these events because he got a lot of attention for winning, and they believe that he doesn't deserve it. Also, he affected the fans of the sport. It made many fans upset because it is just another example of how it is hard to trust people in this sport. Now, people don't know whether to congratulate a great performance, or question whether or not it is legit. Dwain Chambers also had a ton of fans who looked up to him, and he let them down by his actions. With all of this being said, I agree that the necessary steps were taken here. There is no room for behavior like this in the sport, and I concur that a lifetime ban from the Olympics was a reasonable punishment. Steps like this is what it is going to take to get track back to what it used to be. 

Unfortunately, doping continues to hinder the sport of track and field. It affects the athletes, fans, and sport all together. A scholarly article documents the amount of cases reported in recent years. Thousands of drugs and nutritional supplements were used by track and field athletes. Nutritional supplements in track and field were used more than twice as often as other sports, such as soccer (Tscholl, Alonso, Dolle, Junge, Dvorak). This increases the risk of positive testing for doping. Although, nutritional supplements aren't directly doping, I still feel like the amount of stuff going in the sport like this is just insane. If supplements are going to make people fail test, then I feel those too should be banned. It is time to start cracking down on things and making rules stricter. 

Many people will try to counteract my previous statements and argue that doping should be allowed. They argue that it makes the sport more competitive, and only good can come from it. A magazine article from Runner's World published a piece that had sports medicine experts debate doping. One sports ethicist thinks doping should be allowed for a variety of reasons. He believes that the methods for catching dopers has not worked. He thinks that too many people have already gotten away with it, and nothing they do will resolve the issue. Therefore, he thinks it should just be allowed. Also, he argues that there are other items and substances that are allowed, so he doesn't see why doping shouldn't be legal as well. He says that things such as sports drinks, anti-inflammatories, and altitude devices enhance performance and are encouraged. On the opposite end of the spectrum, two hospital physicians completely disagree with Mr. Savulescu. They say that doping is a moral issue. Many athletes want to do things the right way, and have a problem with cheating. They believe if doping were allowed, it would only make things unfair. The people who don't care about morals and living a healthy lifestyle would only get better, and the playing field wouldn't be equal (Runner's World). Doping may help someone's performance, but it is not good for their health. Eventually, it will take a toll on the body.  This is a very interesting source that has several different stances on the matter. I agree with the second viewpoint. We cannot come to the conclusion that doping should be allowed based off of statistics. Just because people haven't been caught in the past and something isn't successful right now, doesn't mean that it won't be in the future. People have to keep pushing for a cleaner sport. Mr. Savulescu says "many legal practices and devices, from sleeping in an altitude chamber to consuming sport drinks to taking anti-inflammatories, improve athletic performance, and are not only allowed, but encouraged by corporations and sport federations." (Runner's World) I say that he his wrong because none of the above are detrimental to health, and everyone has access to them. Anyone can intake sport drinks, take anti-inflammatories, and sleep in an altitude chamber. It is all legal and on an even ground. Not everyone has access to the materials necessary to blood dope. Also, I argue that the other things don't give you as much of an advantage as blood doping does. All of these reasons add to my argument and are why I stand by the theory that doping should not be allowed in track and field. 

I believe that this argument matters for a variety of reasons. The sport of track and field depends on what will be done about this issue. This is a huge issue that has been going on for a long time, and it is the biggest problem the sport faces. It affects the sport drastically. Doping and being dishonest corrupts track and field, and it makes it less fun for the fans and other athletes. Athletes do not want to compete if they feel it isn't fair. A lot of athletes do not see the point anymore, and they don't want to be in a sport that isn't doing much about the cheating. Fans like me have become uninterested, and question what is going on. I enjoy watching the sport, but it has gotten to the point that when I see a outstanding performance, I question whether or not it is legit. There is always the chance that the athlete is dirty and dopes. It is unfortunate that there is so much dishonesty and uncleanliness in today's sport. I feel like all of this explains what is at stake here. A lot of bad things are happening in the sport, and something needs to be done. It is not right to sit here and do nothing about it. The only way things will improve is if action is taken. I feel that whatever is necessary to make things better needs to be done, no matter the consequences. Doping should not be allowed in the sport of track and field because it hinders everything about it. 

