The Ethics of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

It may be a popular opinion that sports and ethics are incongruent or contradictory, but ethical principles in sports are in fact integral for its protection. Because of this invalid popular opinion, a new conversation on ethical principles and issues in sports is warranted. This should start here with a philosophical investigation into the areas of epistemology and autonomy with an effort to address ethical issues associated with the use of performance-enhancement drugs (doping) in sports, fair play, equity, and responsibility.
Readers are introduced to a new theoretical approach to addressing ethical issues in sports. These issues are based on arguments advanced on responsible freedom, perspective knowledge, and duties that can be utilized by sports stakeholders (athletes, team doctors, fans, sporting organizations, coaches, etc.) as they strive for success and minimize unfair practices.
Important questions are posed concerning respect for others, respect for rules, respect for the game, and respect for self. Also, an investigation into ethics and doping is conducted to unravel whether doping athletes impose undue limitations on their freedom. Thus, the idea of absolute freedom is questioned, and “privileged freedom” is explored.

Sandra McCalla holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. She has published several articles in refereed journals, as well as book chapters. She lives in Orlando, Florida.

Sandra A. McCalla
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 209
Bibliographic Info: bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9090-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5334-1
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 3
1. The Business of Sports 11
1.1 Sports and Games  12
1.2 Sports as Competition  17
1.3 Sports as Business (Careers for Athletes)  28
2. Drugs in Sports 38
2.1 A Brief History of Doping  38
2.2 Substance Use and Abuse  43
2.3 Sports Rules and Testing Methods  50
3. Epistemology or Knowledge Acquisition in Sports 60
3.1 Skepticism and Epistemology  60
3.2 Athletes and Coaches as Knowers  65
3.3 Knowledge Justification in Sports  67
3.4 Perspectival Knowledge  75
4. Fairness and Justice in Competitive Sports 83
4.1 The Principle of Fairness  83
4.2 Fair Sports Rules  87
4.3 Fairness as Duty  94
4.4 Just Punishment  99
5. Revisiting Morality and Ethics in Sports 109
5.1 The Moral Duty  109
5.2 Obeying the Moral Code  121
5.3 Moral/Ethical Dilemmas  125
6. Responsible Freedom 134
6.1 Types of Freedom  134
6.2 The Paradox of Freedom  137
6.3 Athletes’ Right to Freedom  142
6.4 Responsibility—A Marker of Freedom and ­Self-Duty  153
7. Gender Concerns (­Anti-Doping and Gender Rules): The Case of Intersex Female Athletes 163
7.1 Understanding Intersex  165
7.2 History and Justification of Sex Testing  168
7.3 Gender Rules as Discriminatory and Unfair  175
7.4 Unjust Intersection of Sex Test/Verification and ­Anti-Doping Tests  180
Conclusion 187
Index 193

“In her scholarly exploration of sports doping, philosopher McCalla concentrates on ‘respect for others, respect for rules, respect for the game, and respect for self.’ …McCalla offers a sensible analysis of the competing attitudes of win-at-all-costs versus always ensuring a fair playing field.”—Booklist