Other suggestions for solutions to this problem….
Check out these links and you’ll find some articles on possible solutions (or possible solutions that won’t work) to the problem of athletes using steroids…
1. http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/columnists/20020604cook0604p1.asp
(This article was written a few years back when steroids were first just becoming a known problem. I chose this because it shows how things have changed in a few years, but this writer was on to it earlier…It suggests that athletes may never learn and that there may be no quick solution to this problem. It also shows that people were taking for granted that steroids were being used in athletics. It seems as if everyone was so caught up in the entertainment value that no one bothered to think what was going on behind the scenes. From the athletes’ point of view, it would make perfect sense to enhance their own performance and earn even more money if they weren’t even going to get caught for it.)
2. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090202140211.htm
(This article talks about steroid testing within cattle. The animal testing has begun, which means that this may soon transfer to humans as well. This could be a possible solution to the problem of “masking agents”. This is a novel solution because it shows that people are taking steps towards fighting this problem. It also could be a message to athletes that if they cheat, they will soon be caught. I think that this is the first step in eliminating steroid use altogether because before we can stop it, we have to detect it.)
3. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E7DF113EF935A25752C1A9639C8B63&sec=health
(This one was from a few years back, but it’s actually important because this is the current system of penalties within baseball. Before these penalties, steroid use was much more. By imposing stiffer penalties, the idea is to curb steroid abuse. Manny Ramirez was recently suspended for 50 games….in my opinion he should have been suspended for the entire season. Alex Rodriguez wasn’t suspended at all….he should have been suspended too. It shouldn’t mean anything if the guy apologizes after the fact….the fact of the matter is that he still cheated and he should be punished. It’s quite widely known that many athletes retire with a shortage of money and a lengthy medical history, so if they were to risk losing a full year’s pay they may not temp fate.)
4. http://areyouwatchingthis.com/general/news/88423-Simple-solution-for-steroids-problem-legalize-them
(This is by far the most interesting article I’ve come across so far….It claims that steroids should be legalized within all sports. The argument is that since we always have doubts whether any athletic feat is “real”, we should remove all of it and just legalize steroids. I don’t neccessarily agree with this solution because it will just encourage everyone (even those who are clean) to take steroids and it will send the message that the only way to get into professional sports is by taking steroids. Plus, it will ignore the physical toll that steroids take on the body by saying that it is ok to take them…this obviously hasn’t been tested yet, but it’s still an interesting idea for a solution….)
