Cramer 1

Page Cramer
Wilson
Hela 10
19 February, 2016

Cheating Goes Nowhere

If your dream is a big dream, and if you want your life to work on the high level
that you say you do, theres no way around doing the work it takes to get you there.
(Chapman). Joyce Chapman once said that there is no possible way around the high level;
in this case, the level that professional athletes all around the world train and preform at.
Maybe times have just changed, or possibly a persons morals and values have. They
have changed to the point where it doesnt matter the amount of cheating it takes, the
only thing that matters is to be the best on the score board and in peoples eyes, even
though what they see is a deception. Drug use and blood doping are a negative part of
professional sports because they are illegal and looked down upon. These substances are
unfair, expensive, and dangerous; and its time that the law punishes strongly on this
world issue.
Blood doping is a problem in the professional athletic world because it defeats the
fairness. Doping gives athletes an illegal unfair advantage on the other athletes. Some
athletes cant afford the expensive costs it takes to preform this task, letting the wealthy
take an unfair advantage on them. Athletes are starting to open up on their true feelings
on drug use in their athletic world and their motives on why they do it. Lance Armstrong
recently accepted an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013 to admit to all of his
wrongdoings involving illegal drug use during his cycling career and multiple wins of
the Tour de France. Oprah Winfrey reads off a set of around 5 yes or no questions to
Armstrong, with one of them being very significant. In your opinion was it humanly

possible to win the Tour de France without doping, seven times in a row? Lance then
answers no by saying, Not in my opinion. (Winfrey). The reason this question is so
significant is because it outlines the fact that all seven wins were due to cheating. This
means that even though with his extreme athletic capability he believes that he himself
could not have won as many times as he did, nor could any human, if they werent using
illegal performance enhancing drugs and blood doping. Athletes around the world within
all varieties of sports are admitting after getting busted their knowledge on the dangers of
their use of drugs and how their success came from all of the cheating.
The question as to whether blood doping and the use of EPO is dangerous or not
can be argued multiple ways, due to the fact that it can be done in many different forms.
But the ways sports organizations and the majority of the people see it, these methods are
dangerous, and can kill an athlete. Blood doping, the injection of oxygenated blood into
an athlete before an event in an attempt to enhance athletic performance. (Murray).
Some reasons blood doping is dangerous is because the longer someones blood is out of
a persons body, the more oxygen it is absorbing, and so when it is injected back into the
persons body, all of the new oxygen will make the blood viscosity thicker, making the
heart have to pump harder and harder to push the blood through, thus making a large
possibility of a heart attack, stroke, or pulmonary embolism. The reason this is so illegal
and looked down upon is because the extra oxygen put into a persons body, the more
unfair it makes it because that new oxygen is not normal, giving a person extra and illegal
stamina, and stronger muscles. (Froneman). Other arguments can be made that there is
nothing wrong with blood doping and EPO, that it is completely safe, and/or shouldnt be
illegal of ones own blood is used. A good argument is made in a paper defending blood

doping. This argument states that it is natural because it is ones own blood, and its only
the transfusion that isnt natural, but people still get transfusions anyways for purposes
other than the purpose for use in sports. The argument continues to state that sleeping in
tents in high altitude isnt natural, but it is legal, so why should blood doping not be?
(Noe). Many arguments can be made to legalize or keep blood doping illegal, but the fact
is, is that it is dangerous and illegal.
Agencies and organizations around the world are involved in banning blood
doping and EPO. They have the right to drug test athletes, and look into suspicious
activity with drug use during any type of professional event. These organizations work
with the law to prevent drug use as much as they can, making all events as safe, fair, and
legally fun as possible. The World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, has a set mission. Their
mission is to, Lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport.
(WADA). These organizations are government funded and whose job is to test national
professional athletes in- and out-of- competition, and also test any other nation competing
with that nations borders. All over the world steps are being made to eventually stop all
forms of drug use and blood doping, and right now many of these world known
organizations are doing a great job at it.
Lance Armstrongs admittance to cheating during his competitions opened an
entirely new prospective and realization of how blood doping, EPO, and illegal
performance enhancer drugs really affect athletes. These drugs were a major cause in the
winnings of a lot of athletes. The use of EPO and blood doping is dangerous and can lead
to a heart attack, or a stroke. Even though there have been people to defend the use of
these drugs, it is proven that all of the banned substances and actions are illegal,

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dangerous, and unfair. Organizations across the whole world should take a part in
banning the drugs and catching the guilty. Their goal is to one day get rid of all the
illegal substances in the world of sports, and create a safe, fun, and fair environment for
all sports.

Works Cited

Chapman, Joyce. "30 Inspirational Quotes About Hard Work MotivationalWellBeing." MotivationalWellBeing.com. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Froneman, Amy. "The Dangers of Blood Doping." Health24. 2013. Web. 28 Feb.
2016.

Murray, James, John Simpson, and William Craigie. "Oxford Dictionaries Dictionary, Thesaurus, & Grammar." Oxford Dictionaries - Dictionary, Thesaurus, &
Grammar. Oxford University Press, 04 Feb. 1984. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

"National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADO)." World Anti-Doping Agency.

2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Noe, Alva. "Legalize It: An Argument For 'Doping' In Sports." Cosmos & Culture.
NPR, 06 Aug. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Vapnek, Daniel, Ph.D.,Sr. Vice President-research. "Drugs, Athletes."

Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. 1991. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Winfrey, Oprah. "Lance Armstrong's Confession." Oprah.com. Web. 28 Feb.

2016.