Testing Times
Link to
Article: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21582007-how-mathematical-logic-could-help-stamp-out-drug-use-sportsmen-testing-times
Before, I had never understood one’s temptation to intake
drugs as a means of improving his or her performance. I met a person last year
who had the same temptation. He sought to consume illegal products (illegal
according to the rules of the sport, not illegal according to the law, per se)
to enhance his growth and endurance so that he may be able to withstand more
physical pressure; albeit he never did it, he still had the notion.
His current strength did not please
him as other athletes’ strength does not please them. Despite many prohibitions
against the use of certain substances, many athletes continue to take these
illegal drugs.
Numerous people are skeptical about
whether drug testing among athletes should increase or decrease. Increased
testing will disqualify many members and even disappoint a large amount of
fans; however, decreased testing will lead to further abuse of such substances.
Mathematical logic supports the increase of testing procedures to benefit the
equality of sports in the long run.
I agree with that logic, considering
the fact that drugs no longer make it a competition about one’s effectiveness
in his or her sport but the effectiveness of his or her drug. In the short run,
there will be a collection of disapprovals towards the new system; even though
that may be the case, the long term effects of less athletes using prohibited
substances is more imperative. Decreased substance use will allow competitive
sports to be executed more fairly.
Now, I understand the desire to take
drugs-the longing to triumph over one’s competitor is overwhelming. At first,
my friend had sought a quick and effortless route to surmount his difficulty,
but, in the end, he chose the more dignified route of training endlessly to
achieve his goals. I hope that more and more athletes today will follow suit
and focus on training fairly rather than using illegal substances. A
competition is more exhilarating when one competes with those who are equally,
if not more, talented in the same sport.
Link to
Article: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21582007-how-mathematical-logic-could-help-stamp-out-drug-use-sportsmen-testing-times
Before, I had never understood one’s temptation to intake drugs as a means of improving his or her performance. I met a person last year who had the same temptation. He sought to consume illegal products (illegal according to the rules of the sport, not illegal according to the law, per se) to enhance his growth and endurance so that he may be able to withstand more physical pressure; albeit he never did it, he still had the notion.
His current strength did not please him as other athletes’ strength does not please them. Despite many prohibitions against the use of certain substances, many athletes continue to take these illegal drugs.
Numerous people are skeptical about whether drug testing among athletes should increase or decrease. Increased testing will disqualify many members and even disappoint a large amount of fans; however, decreased testing will lead to further abuse of such substances. Mathematical logic supports the increase of testing procedures to benefit the equality of sports in the long run.
I agree with that logic, considering the fact that drugs no longer make it a competition about one’s effectiveness in his or her sport but the effectiveness of his or her drug. In the short run, there will be a collection of disapprovals towards the new system; even though that may be the case, the long term effects of less athletes using prohibited substances is more imperative. Decreased substance use will allow competitive sports to be executed more fairly.
Now, I understand the desire to take drugs-the longing to triumph over one’s competitor is overwhelming. At first, my friend had sought a quick and effortless route to surmount his difficulty, but, in the end, he chose the more dignified route of training endlessly to achieve his goals. I hope that more and more athletes today will follow suit and focus on training fairly rather than using illegal substances. A competition is more exhilarating when one competes with those who are equally, if not more, talented in the same sport.
Before, I had never understood one’s temptation to intake drugs as a means of improving his or her performance. I met a person last year who had the same temptation. He sought to consume illegal products (illegal according to the rules of the sport, not illegal according to the law, per se) to enhance his growth and endurance so that he may be able to withstand more physical pressure; albeit he never did it, he still had the notion.
His current strength did not please him as other athletes’ strength does not please them. Despite many prohibitions against the use of certain substances, many athletes continue to take these illegal drugs.
Numerous people are skeptical about whether drug testing among athletes should increase or decrease. Increased testing will disqualify many members and even disappoint a large amount of fans; however, decreased testing will lead to further abuse of such substances. Mathematical logic supports the increase of testing procedures to benefit the equality of sports in the long run.
I agree with that logic, considering the fact that drugs no longer make it a competition about one’s effectiveness in his or her sport but the effectiveness of his or her drug. In the short run, there will be a collection of disapprovals towards the new system; even though that may be the case, the long term effects of less athletes using prohibited substances is more imperative. Decreased substance use will allow competitive sports to be executed more fairly.
Now, I understand the desire to take drugs-the longing to triumph over one’s competitor is overwhelming. At first, my friend had sought a quick and effortless route to surmount his difficulty, but, in the end, he chose the more dignified route of training endlessly to achieve his goals. I hope that more and more athletes today will follow suit and focus on training fairly rather than using illegal substances. A competition is more exhilarating when one competes with those who are equally, if not more, talented in the same sport.
While reading your article, I got a feeling this topic wasn't really in your comfort zone. Your other articles screamed confidence while this one seemed to be beating around the bush. However, your attempt at the hook was stellar and interesting. Your point of view was clear but your analysis is not as strong as the others. The things I'd suggest for you are to keep your articles strong with more analysis and less summary.
ReplyDeleteI agree-this article didn't captivate me the same way the others have. I found the other articles by chance and fell in love with its content; however, I didn't stumble upon another interesting article this time and discussed a topic that I did not find much interest in. This topic was rather difficult for me to comment on, and that was a bad move on my part. Thank you for your compliment on my hook though :) I shall try to experiment with that more and attempt to keep my commentary strong.
DeleteHonestely, I do not see any reason why there would be any negativity towards increasing the drug testing. You said that people would get disappointed, but I do not really think that is a strong negativity. Increasing the drug testing would only make it better and not worse. Even in the short run, athletes will play more fair and sports fans will trust the players more as well. So I have to disagree on what you say about the negative effects about increasing the drug testing.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason why I said negative effects is because people do not enjoy their favorite athletes being disqualified. People might be prone to think, "Oh, so many people do drugs anyway. Why do they even test for this kind of stuff?" I do believe that initial reactions like this is short term though, and people will appreciate a fair game, like you said. :)
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