Class Reflection

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with everything I have learned in this class this semester. I appreciated everyone who spoke up in class and shared their opinions during discussion, because comments made by others often sparked new ideas and thoughts that I would want to share. 

The topic that stood out the most to me this semester wasn't a particular topic that we covered in only one lecture, but the topic of fairness in sports in general. For me, I noticed this was a recurring issue in many of our discussions, including the discussions about sexuality, sex testing, and performance enhancing drugs. I came into this class thinking that I had solid opinions (eg. taking steroids to enhance performance is totally wrong, that sport is an avenue where everything is set up fairly so that people can compete together, that sport is inherently good, etc.), but they were slowly broken down as we had deeper and deeper discussions. For example, on Tuesday I realized that for issues like steroid use, I don't really know what my opinion is anymore, and I'm just kind of confused as to what is the best option (legalizing performance enhancing drugs or not). And even if there was a "best" option, is regulation even possible in the reality of sport in US society today? Even if there is a "Jedi" side of sports, does the "dark side" prevent what seems good in theory from every being practically applied? I feel like my perception of sports now is not a fair competition of who has worked the hardest or has been blessed with the best talent: It seems to be more of a competition of who has the most access to resources. Athletes with the best access to performance enhancing processes (legal or legal, acceptable or unacceptable), the best coaches, the best fanbase, the best of everything, seem to be winners most of the time. Society does influence sport, but it seems like sports is also a reflection of society at the same time. The problems found in sports are also found in other aspects of society: People with access to more resources, money, and power, "win," even though it isn't the same kind of winning as in sports.

Another thing this class has taught me is that for every issue that may seem black and white, there is a whole other complex situation behind the issue. For example, sex testing may seem like a black and white issue, but behind the idea of sex testing is the ideology that has been present in society for a long time: that women cannot be as successful or athletic as men, so there is a fear of the unknown.

Something that surprised me about this class (probably because I have never taken a class with Killick before) was that the Vegas rule was actually real in our discussions. I've had many professors claim that nothing we say will be used personally against us or leave the room, but I've seen that rule violated. In this class, I felt like we were allowed to talk openly and express our opinions regarding many "taboo" topics. 

Something that I appreciated about this class was how it challenged me as a writer and helped me learn to better express myself with words. I would recommend this class to any friend who is willing to work hard to learn more and stretch themselves in the area of critical thinking.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

Common arguments used to support the ban on steroid use in sport is that it gives certain athletes unfair advantages (creating an playing field that isn't level for everyone) and that they have negative side effects that are detrimental the health of athletes who use them (Mazzeo, 2009).  The men interviewed in Bell's documentary, including his two brothers, use steroids to get bigger and perform better. For Mad Dog, taking steroids while playing D1 football "wasn't even a decision at all," because he "couldn't compete here" and "everyone who succeeded was using them." Bell's younger brother, Smelly, took them because he "just needed to get bigger," saying that as an athlete there is "no excuse for not being as strong as you possibly can be." 

This documentary was eye-opening in many ways, and it showed me that steroid use, like many other issues involved in sports, is not as black and white as it may seem. While Bell personally decided not to take steroids because he felt like he was cheating when he was taking them, the film presents the arguments for and against steroids in a way that does not seem to support or attack athlete steroid use. Bell analyzes how when people of power (eg. Olympic Americans, Arnold) use steroids and are caught, it doesn't seem as bad. I found it really interesting that steroids were the reason why the USA's olympic lifting team finally beat Russia, but in that case, their success was applauded because "ass kicking" is what we do here in America. I also found it very interesting that a lot of the negative talk surrounding steroids and its "detrimental health effects" might not even be true or research-based. One part that stuck out to me was the father whose son committed suicide, and the father blamed the death on his son's use of anabolic steroids. The statistics that Bell presented were surprising: The number of deaths caused by alcohol each year is much greater than the deaths caused by steroids (3 per year). 

Something else that stood out to me was that the man's reasoning for combating steroid use so adamantly was that "steroid use is illegal!" However, Bell showed that Congress did not listen to experts from the FDA or AMA when analyzing steroids as a drug, and Bell's interview with the Congressman who advocated the ban on steroids showed that the man was not very knowledgeable when it came to this area. 

Personally, I believe that before detrimental side effects on health can be used as a core argument against the use of steroids, more research has to be done. My position on performance enhancing drug use in sport is that it does give athletes an advantage over others. If steroids didn't have a performance enhancing effect, athletes wouldn't be taking them. Many athletes justify their use of steroids because they know that many other athletes are using them as well. In theory I believe that athletes should not cheat in any way, but I know that when it comes to regulating steroid use not cheating, it is difficult to find a practical system in doing so. 

Bell's discussion regarding sleeping in an altitude chamber as a possible unfair advantage reminded me of the research I came across when writing my paper about sex testing. Bell asks why the use of drugs in fields like music and war is acceptable, but in sports it is seen as cheating. I think it is because sports is a realm that is so public and deeply rooted in American culture, and we feel such a strong connection to it that when people cheat during competitions, we seem to take it personally, like something wrong has been done against us.

References:
Mazzeo, F., & Ascione, A. (2013). Anabolic androgenic steroids and doping in sport. Sports Medicine Journal / Medicina Sportivâ,9(1), 2009-2020