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The Olympics, The World Cup, Wimbledon, The World Series,

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The Olympics, the World Cup, Wimbledon, the World Series, the Final Four, March Madness-all of these events draw in thousands of diverse people, worldwide every year. But what are these crowds there for? The athletes. Pro, semi-pro, and collegiate athletes unite sports enthusiasts that have a common passion for competition. However, watching and participating in these heart-pounding and lively displays of athleticism are not always as unified as they appear. Two sides emerge when one concept is mentioned: should athletes be tested and punished for recreational drug use. Due to the fact that testing and punishment are two different areas of this debate, this paper will only be focusing on the former, punishment, in order to narrow the focus …show more content…

Athletes, as well as other American citizens, know that these substances are banned and users who are actively choosing to partake of these recreational drugs are committing a felonious act. All laws, from driving over the speed limit to homicide, have to be enforced, otherwise there would be chaos. Consuming drugs such as the aforementioned are detrimental to the health of these athletes and with testing any future health concerns related to recreational drug use in athletes may be prevented.
On the other hand, these athletes, from collegiate to pro, are of an age that they know that there are right and wrong choices. Although these drugs are illegal, athletes are aware of the risks they are taking when choosing to use drugs; they are also aware that, in the long run, using drugs could prematurely, end their careers. In the United States, there is a “strong legal and moral tradition of individual liberty…”, says Doctor Thomas Murray a former director of Case Western Reserve University’s Center of Biomedical Ethics, this means that athletes, as well as any other citizen has the “…right to take risks if we so desire” and to “…do with our own bodies what we wish” (Murray 27). There are other options available to athletes and citizens that are just as harmful for a person’s health, but are not regulated within athletic communities. Options, such as fast food, alcohol, and other behaviors that can be deemed

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