Blog #1: How advanced medical treatments and increased technology use contribute to cheating in sports

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I will be writing about how advancements in medical treatments and technology use in the last few decades have enabled cheating in sports. 

I am interested in this topic because I am a massive sports fan and want to dive into the concept of a level playing field in athletics. In one of my communications classes, I have learned that one of the crucial roles of a sport is as a meritocracy where “Superior performance under fair competition wins” (Karen & Washington). This is a crucial aspect of why people consume sports, so I want to discuss how cheating changes the consumer's experience of them.

The two fields I have chosen are the best manner of examining the topic of cheating in sports because they are the most prevalent ways that athletes and teams have cheated. Body enhancement has accounted for most of the high-profile cheating scandals, from the MLB's steroid era to Lance Armstrong's blood doping. The most notable cheating scandal of today, on the other hand, is the Astros' use of illegally-placed cameras to pick up pitchers' signs ahead of pitches, giving batters an unfair advantage of knowing what the pitch would be.

However, I also believe that these two topics can delve into lesser-known cheating scandals and offer a look at how different cheating stories are covered. For example, I will be researching the flagrant use of Adderall, a banned substance in the NFL, by the Seattle Seahawks at the beginning of last decade.

Finally, I will use these focuses to delve into less popular opinions on the subject. The video below, for example, describes the steroid era as the "Most Exciting Time In MLB History." I am also interested in looking into how marijuana has become more accepted as a medical treatment for athletes.

Citation: R. E. Washington and D. Karen, "Sport and Society," Annual Review of Sociology 27 (2001): 187-212.

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