Supernatural – Are performance-enhancing drugs the next step in human evolution in sport?

Something the world has taught me in my short time as an adolescent is that bigger is always better. Not only can this be identified in everyday social situations, but it can unfortunately also be found in today’s sporting landscape. Bigger athletes. Faster athletes. Heavier weights. The introduction of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs has given team coaches and athletes to push their bodies past the limit of their capabilities and into a field of performance that can only be defined as supernatural. Now for the majority of sport governing bodies, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is strictly illegal and there are usually harsh penalties for athletes who are caught whilst using them. But with the interest in live sport fading and athletes beginning to reach the fringes of what is physiologically possible, do the use of performance-enhancing drugs have a place in saving sports' future? 

 

My first reaction was no. Of course not. Athletes are some of the most hardworking people on the planet and often train from a very young age to reach their goals, sacrificing childhood memories and putting friendships and relationships to the test in the process. As an athlete myself I never even considered using performance-enhancing drugs in any sport I played, purely objecting to it on a moral level. In addition to being illegalized by most sport governing bodies, the production, possession, and use of anabolic steroids are deemed illegal in the US, whilst in the UK just the production and distribution of steroids is illegal. This is due to the plethora of dangerous side effects that intake causes and its potential lethality when not used in moderation. 

 

However, after a little bit of research and in the spirit of controversy, I believe that the use of performance-enhancing drugs could have a place in the future of sport, but only if its effects touched each athlete equally. 

 

Under moderation and with the development of current technology, the effects of performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids and blood doping could push human evolution in sport to a supernatural level. With this in effect, this would create a brand-new platform and create renewed interest in the live sports market, in which popularity is definitely on the decline. If this method was then adopted by governing bodies, it would eliminate drug testing and the cloud of confusion around athlete success as it creates a more open and level playing field for all athletes to participate in. Furthermore, one common misconception over the use of performance-enhancing drugs is the elimination of hard work. This is not the case. Athletes using these substances still need to work hard in order to obtain the full effects of them and make them worthwhile. Therefore, if all athletes are using them, the sport is just as fair as it would be with no athletes taking them. 

 

So, in conclusion, there is still a lot of debating to be done over the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes. But one thing that cannot be debated is that as of right now, the use of these drugs is still taking place and there are many loopholes athletes and coaches can use in order to hide this fact. So, in my opinion, governing bodies have to choose one of two options. They can continue to sweep the use of performance-enhancing drugs under the carpet, creating a cloud of confusion and judgment on successful athletes. Or they can open up new physiological possibilities and breathe new life into the sporting world.