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Should performance enhancing drugs be allowed in professional sports?


In the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, a baseball with an asterisk is one of the main attractions. It represents Barry Bonds’ record breaking 756th career home run, but the asterisk commemorates the controversial use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), steroids, and other substances that helped Bonds and others break numerous records and compete at their physical peak. But baseball isn’t the only sport where PEDs are commonly used by athletes to get ahead in competition. In the Olympics, and at the highest levels of athletics, PEDs are a controversial subject and issue for sports organizations around the world.

investigate

What Does It Take To Get A Drug Banned For Enhancing Athletes' Performance?

Dutch Cyclist Thomas Dekker's Misadventures In Blood Doping

Additional resources to think about

Russian official levels new charges in 2014 Winter Olympics doping scheme

An interview with one of the NYT reporters who broke the allegations of Grigory Rodchenkov, a former Russian anti-doping agent, who says that Russian athletes were using PEDs and doping at the 2014 Olympics.

Kayaker Admits To Setting Up A Rival Who Was Banned For Doping

The story of a Japanese kayaker who spiked his rival's drink with steroids to get him banned from competition.

Should Testosterone Be Regulated in Female Athletes?
From NOVA, the question of testing for PEDs and doping hit a snag in 2014, when a female sprinter was found to naturally produce more testosterone than her competitors. This article addresses the difference between natural advantages and artificial ones.

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Should performance enhancing drugs be allowed in professional sports?

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