The War Against Athletes

A detailed Summary of The War Against Athletes

In schools around the country, many athletes are being subjected to a great indignity. They are being stripped of their personal privileges. They are scorned and questioned of their morale, without cause or evidence. The trust once shared between students and teachers, the bond between children and parents has been torn apart. Athletes ranging from middle school to high school are being subjected to tests for drug use. Drugs that only thirteen percent of the student populations are responsible for. (Brecher, n.pag.) The remaining eighty-seven percent of the students are being accused of, and unrightfully suspected of drug use. But why just athletes? Why not the rest of the students? In their quest for a more civil society, administrators have forgotten their true goals - equality for all students. If an athlete is to be stripped of his rights, why not another student? What makes an athlete more susceptible to drug use than a non-athlete? A clear level of discrimination is evident in the Supreme Court decision to make drug testing of athletes legal in the United States. (no author, 4). It is wrong to suspect a person more likely to do drugs than another person solely on their extra-curricula

In Don Nardoıs Drugs and Sports he goes to explain that an athlete might use drugs to enhance their athletic ability. (Nardo, p.65) Steroids, muscle enhancers, and other performance drugs have been suspected of playing an important role in many athletesı careers. A small portion if any at all, of athletes have ever encountered these types of drugs, their use is illegal and unfair to "clean" athletes. But the small percentage does not justify the testing. Sometimes athletes get carried away and focus only on winning at all costs. This can eventually lead to illegal drug use. But in most cases, this can be avoided. Coaches, parents, teachers, and even fellow students usually recognize the signs of drug use. Some of them even recognize it and choose to ignore it for the better cause. These people are partially responsible for the atrocities being committed against athletes today. A student using these drugs is cheating themselves and their colleagues. These problems arise in schools far and wide. But where there is a problem, there lies a solution. The solution can be found through friends and family. If the schools themselves dealt with the problem, the need for government would be totally unnecessary. The individual schools can deal much more directly and appropriately with their problems than can a generalized government policy. A few schools refusing to care for their own problems do not justify the nation-wide search for drug-positive athletes. Involvement by teammates, family, and faculty can solve the problem of muscle enhancing drugs much better than the Supreme Court decision.

Athletes are subjected to conditions most students are not. They go through more training

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Approximate Word count = 1148
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous