Thursday, September 24, 2015

Blog Post #1: "Destroyed" by Peter Martin

Summary:

The use of performance-enhancing drugs is a serious problem that has become too common in many of today's athletes. Sports that used to be made of pure players have now become contaminated with the use of enhancers, leaving one only to guess who's cheating and who's not. Not only are fans enraged that the true skill involved in sports is being abused, but many performance-enhancing drugs are a threat to their users. Although these drugs may seem like the quick answer, the long-term effects are fatal to many athletes at a young age. Now we have to hope that once again competition will be played naturally and lives will be saved.

Paraphrase:

Performance-enhancing drugs are a menace to the original idea of sport. When started long ago by the Greeks, sports were intended to be a test of human skill and ability. It has stayed this way up until recent decades when enhancers were introduced to the game. Not only have enhancers cheated the system, but they have also cheated the athletes and their good health.

Quote:

"They've made their way into almost every professional sport, and even created a new sport in the process. Now we all get to guess who's doping and who's clean" (Martin 582).

This quote stood out to me because it gives awareness that those who are using performace-enhancing drugs should be considered as a whole different type of athlete all together. I think it puts out a strong message that those drug users are no longer equally a real person in the context of sports, which makes the game unfair and unethical.

Works Cited

Martin, Peter. "Destroyed" The Bedford Reader.  X.J. Kennnedy, Dorthy M. Kennedy, 
     and Jane E. Aaron. Eleventh edition. Bedford, 2012. 580 Print.

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