final exam- Revised paper

ABSTRACT: The paper I choose to revise was essay three, the literature review. I made many significant changes to this paper. For starters I connected the opening sentence to Lance Armstrong so the reader could make connections to current issues. Throughout the essay I had some citation errors along with some grammar and spelling errors which I fixed. At the end of my introduction I added more detail to the stakeholder I presented. I also defined performance enhancing drug to give the reader an idea of such drugs that are used and why. My paper had some organization errors so I rearranged some paragraphs to make the flow better. My headings were bland and not so creative so I changed them around to be more original so it would add more to the idea of the paper. In my paragraph where I talked about past testing I added in more detail to support my argument and aid the reader in understanding the urgency of it. When I concluded my paper I didn’t provide much information and it ended very quickly so I went back and added more supporting information instead or just a bare conclusion it now has some great points that leave the reader thinking about the issue. Last but not least on my works citied page I didn’t use the hanging indent on two of my source which I also went back and changed. I did change and add a lot to this paper and now I see the great difference it made when I read it aloud. Kristen Ott Professor Thomas Composition 102: revised essay 3 May 2013 Lying to Win the Race Lance Armstrong always has all of the pressure of the whole world watching him, anticipating another title and waiting on his victory speech. He knows he’s fooled them for over a decade already so why stop now? I mean who’s actually going to win a Tour De France title without banned drugs anyway right? Wrong. Typically we look at athletes as clean competitors, however dating back to the 1968’s, doping cases have taken over the professional world of sports. (Dilger et al) Some of the largest names in sports have been caught for cheating by using illegal drugs. The most recent of these athletes was Lance Armstrong. He used banned drugs for many years and got away with it for the majority of time. Just because athletes have gotten away with it before does not make it right. No matter how you look at it, it’s a form of cheating. These competitors are looked up to by people around the world as heroes, when in reality some of them turn out to just be liars. The pressure for athletes to succeed should be a reason to push yourself even harder, not to take the easy way and use drugs that will help you to win. Doping in sports is an urgent issue because it affects not only athletes themselves but agencies and fans that stand behind these sports. Sports agencies are working on a way to prevent it but there are still debates about sufficient ways to end doping in sports all together. Lance was stripped of all 7 of his Tour De France titles but should it have to get to that point? We need to put an end to doping before the truthful athletes get second place. Not only are these athletes hurting themselves but they are causing other to be unfairly placed, disappointing fans, and making in hard on the anti-doping agencies. History of Doping The earliest records of doping in sport come from the Ancient Olympics games when athletes are reported to have taken figs to improve their performance. (Williams) As agencies grew more aware of the issue they decided to start testing athletes and put a ban of drugs. In the early 19th century athletes started experimenting with drugs to enhance strength and overcome fatigue. (Holt) Since it was not yet illegal there was no telling the extent of what these athletes would do to win. In Sports Illustrated Magazine Michael Rosenberg reports “In 2004 there were 26 reported cases of doping in the summer Olympics alone.” While sports began to grow larger so did the need to succeed. Time went on and athletes started realizing that using certain performance enhancing drugs would increase their chances of winning. More winning meant the more sponsors, endorsements, and of course, fans. As I hear these excuses or lack thereof it doesn’t make sense to me. Being an athlete myself I know that the pressure always fueled me. Just the fact that these athletes went years lying is astonishing, winning would not be the same knowing you cheated. In the article "Performance-Enhancing Drug Resources," a Performance enhancing drug is defined as any drug used by athletes to heighten their abilities in the performance of their sport. Often contains illegal or unethical use of these substances. Some of these drugs are amphetamines, androstendione, erythropoietin, hGH, testosterone that can be used as “steroids.” Performance enhancing drugs are as popular with woman as they are with men. In her article, Melissa Breyer gives the example of Marion Jones, who was “stripped of her medals in 2007, banned from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and sentenced to six months in prison and two years of probation” (Breyer) After pleading guilty in court for her use of the drugs prior to competition. Doping in sports has been around for many years and is only getting worse. Now that there are rules set in place it makes it harder on athletes, but not impossible yet, for them to cheat. Athlete’s Cheating game In 1949 Fausto Coppi, an Italian cyclist, admitted to using amphetamines to win races. He also said he had to use them to remain competitive in the sport. (Holt) Most professional athletes that are caught doping today claim to only use drugs cause without them no one would be able to do such things like the Tour De France race. Athletes don’t plan on getting caught, most see it as an aid to win the title. No matter how pressured you are, that’s not an excuse. Using banned drugs should not be an option. One of the most recent doping cases in sports is Lance Armstrong. After he admitted he was stripped of his 7 Tour De France titles and had to pay back all of his endorsement money. He would’ve never guessed he would be banned from the sport for life. Since there is no real consequences and most athletes get there bans shortened anyway more athletes are cheating. Without using banned drugs, Armstrong would not have won the Tour de France and without those titles, he would not be famous. Without all his career titles, he would not be have made millions in endorsements. Michael Rosenberg said “Lance Armstrong would have been nobody without the help of doping.” Athletes who dope may gain a few more titles but when caught they not only lose their fans but also have to deal with the agencies behind the sport. Agencies Rise up For every sport there are agencies that stand behind the athletes. Along with these agencies there are also anti-doping agencies which work to put an end to doping and deal with athletes that have been caught. Juliet Macur of the New York Times in the article "Armstrong in Discussion to Tell Details" said that after Lance was caught the United States Anti-Doping Agency set an appointment to meet with him and give him the chance to come completely clean but Lance refused. By Lance meeting with the agency he would be “part of the solution.” (Macur) In "Armstrong Refuses to Meet With Anti-Doping Agency” the New York Times explains by lance attending the meeting he could give the agency names of any coaches, officials, or team mates that helped cover up or hide his doping which would help them to clear the industry of cheating. Catching the athletes that are using banned drugs is very important to these agencies. Whether it’s considered a high ranking sport or not the cheating isn’t okay and needs to be put to an end. The Canadian government has renewed its 957,729 contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency for 2012. (Kondro) The more athletes that are willing to give information the easier it will be to come up with a better solution for this problem. These agencies are committed to finding a solution for this issue and holding those athletes responsible for their actions. In the eyes of the Cheering Section Is it okay for your children to cheat in “Duck, Duck, Goose” or lie to get ahead in a game of tag? It’s hard to teach children not to do these things while their favorite sports player is doing just that. These athletes are looked up to by families, children, and even younger athletes from around the world. Using to get you ahead in sports sets a bad example for all the people who look to you as a role model. In the article titled “Lance Armstrong Doping Confession: In Any Sport, Drugs Are Drugs." It brings up the possibility that these younger athletes may think it is okay to dope if they don’t believe that talent and determination is no longer sufficient enough. The families and their children now see someone who once was seen as a hero as a fake and a cheater. “These athletes are televised and so is the dishonesty of the crime” said the Christian Science Monitor. The fans of these athletes suffer just from witnessing the scandal. The Fans, whether in the stand of in front of the TV are a huge part of sports. They cheer on these professionals and stand behind them in whatever they do. Athletes aren’t just competitors but they are inspirations to people watching everywhere. Finding out someone you believed in has been lying and cheating to win all those titles is devastating. The Monitors Editorial Board say that young future athletes may want to imitate them to receive the same amount as praise and families will no longer be as invested in sports. In "Lance Armstrong Doping Confession: In Any Sport, Drugs Are Drugs" they critique that testing rules are often weak and unable to keep up with the latest chemical inventions which allow some athletes to get away with it. Screening needs to be improved to catch the cheating before the fans watch their “favorite” not only cheat but lie about it in the process. Putting an End to Doping Just as the athletes and fans, agencies want this stopped also. Many agencies are working to find a new solution that is going to catch athletes much faster. Tests are already in place such as urine sampling but a countless number of doping scandals shows that even with such test there is no guarantee for a drug free race. (Callaway) This test breaks down particles in the urine in search for anything suspicious such as banned drugs. (Callaway) Most of these athletes end up finding way to avoid detection and get away with doping. For example, Lance Armstrong was doping for over a decade before he was eventually caught. (Rosenberg) With things such as taking pills to wash your system and even falsifying urine samples athletes have found a way to avoid being detected through urine sample so this test is no longer bullet proof. As agencies work to find new ways to narrow the chance of doping many different ideas have come up. The strongest so far is the biological passport. This was created in hopes of putting an end to cheating, let alone getting away with it. The urine testing became unsuccessful because all it did was break down the products in it for traces of drugs. There are ways to avoid detection such as taking pills to wash your system and even falsifying urine samples. In the article "Racing just to keep up: anti-doping researchers are looking for new ways to catch cheaters. Can a biological passport help to save the sport?" Callaway says “The new idea of the biological passport builds up a profile for each athlete over time to try and detect biochemical changes that might indicate doping.” Some researchers say that the passport offers the best line of defense against performance enhancing drug use, which has fooled inspectors for the past two decades. Biological passports to detect steroid and growth-factor doping are the upcoming solution that could end doping in sports. (Callaway) Another way that could decrease the amount of use is by using the samples in a spectrometer. This is a more efficient way of urine testing. (Zachar) The spectrometer breaks down every particle in search of traces of illegal drugs. The number of doping cases has created an enormous problem in professional sports today. All of the races Lance Armstrong cheated in, all of the people he lied to, Lance would have never gotten away with it for so long if the testing had been able to detect him the first time. Michael Rosenberg said “Lance Armstrong would have been nobody without the help of doping.” Should it even get to that point though? A more efficient test could solve the issue of doping in professional sports and clear the minds of the athletes, fans, and anti-doping agencies. The athletes who succeed will beat other because of hard work and skill; there will be no more lying to win the race. Works Cited Breyer, Melissa. "7 Remarkable Athletes Stripped of Their Honors." Mother Nature Network. . 2(2012): n. page. Web. 29 Mar 013. Callaway, Ewen. "Racing just to keep up: anti-doping researchers are looking for new ways to catch cheaters. Can a biological passport help to save the sport?" Nature 475.7356 (2011): 283+. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. Dilger, Alexander, Bernd Frick, and Frank Tolsdorf. "Are athletes doped? Some theoretical arguments and empirical evidence." Contemporary Economic Policy 25.4 (2007): 604+. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. Holt, RI. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. Kondro, Wayne. "Anti-doping allocation." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 15 May 2012: E414. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. "Lance Armstrong Doping Confession: In Any Sport, Drugs Are Drugs." Monitors Editorial Board. The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Macur, Juliet. "Armstrong In Discussion To Tell Details." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2013 Macur, Juliet. "Armstrong Refuses to Meet With Anti-Doping Agency." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. "Performance-Enhancing Drug Resources." Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Anabolic Steroids, Steroid Use in Sports. Drug Free Sport, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. Rosenberg, Michael. "Here's the Truth: Without Doping Lance Armstrong Would Be Nobody." SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Williams, Armstrong. "The true scandal of Lance Armstrong: Enough free passes for role models." New York Amsterdam News 24 Jan. 2013: 13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. Zachar, Gergely. "Determination of Stanozolol and 3.sup.'sup.-hydroxystanozolol in Rat Hair, Urine, and Serum Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry." Academic One File. (2012): 162. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.