Database Lead-In
and Commentary
BISSINGER, BUZZ. "WINNING. (Cover Story)." Newsweek
160.10 (2012): 26-33. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Lead in: The media has slandered the reputations of
athletes. However, the general public may think differently. Bisner of
Newsweek, the international magazine which publishes the news and opinions of
the events worldwide state.
“Until I spoke to my son, I was all set to declare
Armstrong yet another fallen sports
idol, so many at this point they could fill the national cemetery.
To hell with that.
I still believe in Lance Armstrong. I believe his
decision had nothing to do with fear of being found guilty in a public setting
before an arbitration panel, but the emotional and mental toll of years and
years of fighting charges that have never been officially substantiated --
despite stemming all the way back to 1999.” (Bisner)
Commentary: Bisner gives a justification of Lance
Armstrong’s PED scandal. He commends Lance for showing no fear to the public
and admitting his wrongs. This admittance was due to fighting the charges. The
excerpt is a representation that the athletes aren’t fundamentally born
cheaters. The athletes are just pushed passed the edge which makes athletes
feel the need of PED’s to pull the up from their breaking point.
Duncan, David Ewing. "The Cyborg Olympic
Games." Newsweek Global 162.8 (2014):
110-114. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Lead in: Duncan and David Ewing writers for the
Neewsweek Global a popular magazine sold worldwide gives their opinion on the
use of performance enhancing drugs and what they could ultimately lead to.
“Some wondered if Vonn would have recovered more
effectively if she had taken human growth hormone and steroids -- both banned
by the International Olympic Committee and the International Ski Federation.
After all, research has suggested that these meds help injured athletes to
better heal.
That leads to an
intriguing question, one that has been playing out with Major League Baseball's
steroid situation. What if fans don't care if a player is using performance-enhancing drugs?
In fact, maybe that's what they want. After all, Vonn's withdrawal was a huge
disappointment to skiing fans, who hoped to see her defend her gold medal win
in 2010. Why not let Vonn take human growth hormone, or whatever she needs, in
order to recover quickly?
In fact, why not
push this thought experiment even further? What if Vonn decided not to repair
her torn ACL, but opted instead to replace her entire leg -- or both legs --
with advanced prosthetics better than her originals? She might add attachments
allowing her to jump higher, ski faster and perform stunts that are impossible
with legs made out of flesh, muscle and blood. Her legs would never suffer an
injury again.
Such a RoboCop
twist would, obviously, change the nature of Olympic competition. If Vonn was
allowed to use prosthetic legs, pairs figure skating competitors, for example,
might be assisted by low doses of Adderall. This stimulant is prescribed for
patients with ADHD to focus their attention, but is also used off-label by
millions of healthy people to improve their concentration and performance. Speed skaters could be
allowed to utilize low dose steroids to boost strength and recovery time. Sports authorities could
establish rules governing the dose and safe use of these and other drugs just like those that set
the strict parameters for size, weight and composition of skis, bobsleds and
other equipment.” (Ewing )
Commentary: This foresight into the future
of sports if they allow players to use performance enhancing drugs is
interesting. The author states that if we let athletes use performance
enhancing drugs that should lead to prosthetic body parts and then that will
lead to bionic body parts. This is an interesting statement to show how bad
using performance enhancing drugs could be. He makes his statement simple into
saying that cheating is cheating no matter how insignificant it may be.
Webster’s dictionary defines cheating as, to break a rule or law usually to
gain an advantage at something. The beginning of the quote refers to Lindsey
Vonn’s injury and how some think it should have been dealt with. He states that
some believe that she should have taken steroids to get better. He questions if
this is wrong then answers it by saying that is the same as being bionic. The
athlete has an unfair advantage in both cases so the author is stating that
both are basically the same. He uses the example to show how these forms of
cheating would drastically affect the games. He then states that the Olympic
committee could regulate the use of drugs in the Olympics and when it is
acceptable and when it is not.
Elliot, Diane L., et al. "Definition
And Outcome Of A Curriculum To Prevent Disordered Eating And Body-Shaping Drug
Use." Journal Of School Health 76.2 (2006): 67-73. ERIC.
Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Lead In: Diane Elliot a writer for the
Journal of School Health, A magazine for the American School Health Association
depicts the different struggles of temptations that male and female athletes
wish to avoid.
“Almost one half of male and female students participate in high school-sponsored athletics, and high school also is a
time when classroom health promotion curricula are less effective. The Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids is a sport
team-centered drug-use prevention program for male high school athletes, which have been shown to reduce alcohol and illicit drug
use. Just as anabolic steroid use is associated with male athletes, female sport participants may be at a greater risk for disordered
eating and body-shaping drug use” (Elliot).
Commentary: In Elliot’s writing Elliot
points out that male athlete are prone to turn to anabolic steroids to become
better athletes while women turn to eating disorders and body-shaping drugs.
These insecurities are all caused by the media. The media makes adolescents
believe that the perfect male is this tall and muscular figure that is great at
all sports. The image that the media is giving to women is this thin porcelain
looking figure whose skin is flawless. These stereotypes on men and women make
young adults believe that they should be like people in the media. When an
individual does not reach the depicted “perfection” they turn to extremes
(usually drugs) to become the ideal male or female.
GILLIS, CHARLIE. "How To Build A
Better Athlete."Maclean's 126.41 (2013): 55-57.Academic Search Premier.
Web. 1 Apr. 2014
Lead in: Gillis and Charle writers from Maclean’s a Canadian
weekly news magazine state
“No longer content
to build on what the genetic lottery gave them, athletes are increasingly eager
to reprogram and redesign themselves down to their molecular building blocks,
drawing on a range of scientific advancements that, by comparison, make
old-school performance enhancers
like anabolic steroids seem down-right primitive. At the conventional end of
this spectrum are "cognitive training" tools like the NeuroTracker:
its calisthenics for the brain are safe, non-invasive and relatively
inexpensive. At the other lies the long-feared threat of genetic doping,
technology that remains decades off due to recent setbacks in clinical testing.
And in the space
between are technologies and procedures close enough to commercial viability
that athletes might already be using them. New drugs that block the protein that suppresses muscle growth,
for example, are currently being tested to treat muscular dystrophy. The World
Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has added them to its list of prohibited substances.
Also in the pipeline are so-called HIF stabilizers, which activate genes
responsible for producing red blood cells. They're being developed to treat
anemia, but could conceivably boost the performance of athletes in endurance sports such as cycling” (Gillis,
Charlie ).
Commentary: This protestation of drug use in sports explains
how athletes of today are using more drugs than the conventional anabolic
steroids. The athletes are using the drugs because they are unsatisfied with
their god given abilities and amp them up with drugs. Anabolic steroids have
become an old style of cheating and athletes are using protein muscle growth
and drugs that activate genes. These are the small steps moving closer to a new
form of cheating outside of muscle growth hormones.
Kotler, Steven. "Juicing 3.0."
Popular Science 273.2 (2008): 38-41. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Lead in: Steven Kolter a writer from
Popular Science, a magazine that reports technology, science, gadgets, space
and green tech addresses the early uses of drugs in sports.
“From Roman gladiators hopped up on herbal
stimulants to distance runners downing brandy-and-strychnine cocktails (a
combination that helped American Tom Hicks win the 1904 Olympic marathon)”
(Kolter)
Commentary: Steven’s article excerpt
verifies that cheating with drugs in sports has gone on since the beginning of
sports itself. The earliest forms of drug use in sports were herbal stimulants
which would increase the pain threshold of the gladiators and they would
continue to fight instead of replying to the cuts and bruises given by
opponents. This piece permits the public to gain an understanding and a
baseline to present the uses of drugs used in the past which have evolved into
a new form. The final evolution of performance enhancing drugs is the mix of
biological redesigning drugs used today.
LaFee, Scott. "Steroids: To Test Or To
Educate?." School Administrator 63.6 (2006): 47. ERIC. Web.
3 Apr. 2014.
Lead in: Scott LaFee a writer for School
Administration, a magazine given to school superintendents all over the United States
“Just months after the newspaper stories appeared, the Grapevine-Colleyville school board approved a random drug-testing plan for students who participate in
sports and other extracurricular activities, from drama and debate to cheer-leading and choir. Testing, which began with the 2005-06 school year, includes
screenings for illegal steroid use.
What happened to the Grapevine-Colleyville school district was singularly painful, but its reaction -- implementing a drug-testing program -- is becoming
increasingly common. More and more educators and policymakers are beginning to consider randomized drug testing as a way to stop student abuse of steroids
and performance-enhancing drugs, hopefully before it becomes a significant and entrenched problem”
(Lafee).
Commentarty: Laffe’s report on how schools
are hoping to combat the use of performance enhancing drugs apprises the
readers on what measures the schools are doing to suppress the use of
performance enhancing drugs. This excerpt also demonstrates the mindsets of the
students who are using performance enhancing drugs. The students who are using
the drugs are aspiring to be like their idols. Most idols to these adolescents
use some sort of performance enhancing drug to stay on top of their game. Young
people of today now believe in order to be like their idols they need to be on
these same drugs. The use of PED’s is not only a problem in the professional
and college world but also in the high school world.
McEvoy, Dermot. "The Wrongs Of
Spring." Publishers Weekly 256.10 (2009): 20-23. Literary Reference
Center
Lead in: Dermot
McEvoy a writer for the most famous sports magazine states that the personal
lives of athletes are exploited by the press and they follow around athletes
hoping to find an amazing story.
"Alex
Rodriguez is universally regarded as the best player in baseball and his life
off the field is often as interesting as his day job," (Dermot)
Commentary: McEvoy’s statement is shows
that Alex Rodriguez’s life is in the microscope of the public eye. McEvoy shows
how the public wants more from A-Rod than his talent and makes stories that may
not exist. He gives a visualization of how Rodriguez’s life is as interesting
as the game of baseball. This takes away from his game because the public eye
is focused on his life, his flaws and worries about those subjects rather than
focusing on his performance and the performance of his team. His stories
overshadow the team and the league.
PIORE, ADAM. "CHEMISTS IN THE SHADOWS.
(Cover Story)." Discover 33.2 (2012): 36-43. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Lead in: Adam Piore a writer for Discover,
a magazine who publishes science, news articles, current events and views on
topics such as technology, space, environment, health and medicine narrates a
story where a young athlete turns to steroids in desperation.
It took months to find the way out, but the
path was there in front of him all along. Arnold Arnold had majored in chemistry at the University of New Haven
Commentary: This narration envisions a
situation where a man has tried to work as hard as he can and wants to be a
weight lifter so bad but can not peruse his dream. This failure has led him to
believe that anabolic steroids are the answer. In the gym they were only
joking. However, the man in the story believes that this is a realistic option.
Athletes of today have turnd to the use of performance enhancing drugs in order
to keep up and surpass their competition. The use of anabolic steroids is the
cause of many athletes being so good and these same athletes are also accused
of using the drugs. Athletes who do use the drug believe they are leveling the
playing field when they are really elevating it to their advantage.
Socher, Abraham. "No Game For Old
Men." Commentary 125.3 (2008): 55-58. Literary Reference Center
Lead in: Abraham
Socher writer for the Commentary, a magazine on the opinions of American
topics show the advantages of PED’s
“PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING drugs are most tempting to
players at the margins of talent, health, and, perhaps most of all, age. A
minor leaguer — especially one who is not a power hitter — can muscle up to get
to the majors. A good pitcher can move into the superstar category by throwing
a faster fastball. With the use of anabolic steroids, a great hitter can build
extraordinary muscle mass, increase his endurance, and prolong his dominance.
For older players, human-growth hormone (HGH) can speed the healing after an
injury, help tired bodies bounce back from workouts, and prevent the muscle
deterioration that comes with age.” (Socher)
Commentary: Socher writes about how
athletes who are on the border are prone to use performance enhancing drugs.
The athletes have some talent but the drugs will give them the boost they need
in order be on the next level. The
younger player will use anabolic steroids while the older one will use human
growth hormones. These players on the border are using the drugs to reach their
potential quicker. Coaches, teammates and other outside influences talk about
how they are almost there and to be the athlete they are expected to be they
use the PED’s.
Suggs, Welch. "Deadly
Fuel." Chronicle Of Higher Education 49.27 (2003):
A36-A38. ERIC. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Lead In: Welch Suggs a writer for the
Chronicle of Higher Education informs readers on the lengths that college
athletes go to become successful.
“The reason colleges and other sports federations ban stimulants, steroids, and other performance-enhancing supplements is simple:
Athletes should never believe that they have to risk their health to win.
However, the risks--suspensions, jail time, side effects, and even death--are worth it to players who see drugs as their way to the top,
whether that be the professional ranks, the Olympics, or just a conference title.
"It's hard. It's like you're addicted to [steroids]," says Vince Manuwai, who just finished his senior season as an offensive lineman at the University of Hawaii
Commentary: Sugg’s report on this issue is
informative to readers. This information gives the public knowledge of the
mindset of athletes who use performance enhancing drugs. Once athlete are on
the athlete is hooked there is nothing that can be done. The athletes love the
feeling that the drugs give them and can’t stop using the drugs. The athletes
are willing to risk everything to be glorified for only a few moments of life.
The statement also informs the readers that colleges do not believe athletes
should risk their lives to be great athletes. Colleges want athletes to work
hard to become an athlete and not take any shortcuts. Athletes know the risks
of taking banned drugs but do the drugs anyways. This shows readers that
athletes believe in order to be at the top of the game they need to take drugs.
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