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The Pros And Cons Of Drug Testing In Sports

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Eugene Robinson from the Washington post once stated “Most fans watch sports…to see people unlike themselves perform extraordinary physical feats. The superhuman quality of professional athletes is precisely what Americans admire about them” (CITE) Drug testing was created to stop the use of performance enhancements as artificial stimulants for physical and mental enhancements. (CITE) Drugs which are used by athletes in all types of sports have many advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, laws were created to keep an equal playing field.
The use of drugs date back to the ancient Olympic games. This is where the word doping originated from which was the Greek word “doop” (CITE). Performance enhancing substances also known as steroids are used for the improvement of human activity. Because drug use is also a huge thing outside the United States the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) was created as the first international governing body to prohibit doping. However, at the 1960’s Olympic the first athlete to die of doping was of the name Knut Jensen. He was a Danish cyclist who was found with narcotics in his system which resulted to his death. In result, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established to fight doping. The United States created their own anti-doping agency called United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Therefore, drug testing is an important factor in professional sports world-wide.
Drug testing is used in many sports. For

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