Featured Resources
| 1-Minute Overview |
| Should performance enhancing drugs (such as steroids) be accepted in sports? |
| Top 10 Pros and Cons |
| Did You Know? |
| Historical Timeline |
Pros and Cons by Issue
Issue: Core Question
| Q: | Should performance enhancing drugs (such as steroids) be accepted in sports? |
Issue: Performance Enhancing Drugs
| Q: | What are performance enhancing drugs? |
| Q: | Why are some performance enhancing drugs legal while others are banned? |
| Q: | What are some examples of legal performance enhancing substances that athletes are allowed to use? |
| Q: | Is a potential negative impact on the athlete's health a valid reason to ban performance enhancing drugs in sports? |
| Q: | What are steroids? |
| Q: | Should steroid use be accepted in sports? |
| Q: | What are "blood doping" and erythropoietin (EPO)? |
| Q: | Should "blood doping" and erythropoietin (EPO) use be accepted in sports? |
| Q: | What are stimulants? |
| Q: | Should stimulants use be accepted in sports? |
| Q: | What is human growth hormone (HGH)? |
| Q: | Should human growth hormone (HGH) use be accepted in sports? |
Issue: Testing
| Q: | Drug Tests Used in Sports |
| Q: | Are the laboratories used to test athletes for performance enhancing drugs credible and reliable? |
| Q: | Are existing testing efforts effective in detecting the use of performance enhancing drugs? |
| Q: | What are some known methods of cheating to pass performance enhancing drug tests? |
| Q: | Is the 2009 WADA "whereabouts" rule (requiring professional athletes to report three months in advance where they will be for one hour every day) an unfair invasion of athletes' privacy? |
Issue: Public Policy
| Q: | Should the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports be legalized? |
| Q: | Should the US Congress be involved in setting drug policies for professional sports? |
| Q: | Would allowing performance enhancing drugs in sports decrease fan turnout, revenue, and corporate sponsorship? |
Issue: Moral and Ethical Issues
| Q: | Does the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs by some athletes coerce other athletes to also use them to remain competitive? |
| Q: | Does the use of performance enhancing drugs violate the "spirit of sport"? |
| Q: | Is there an ethical difference between using performance enhancing drugs and using performing enhancing technologies in nutrition, training, and equipment? |
| Q: | Do athletes gain an unfair advantage by using performance enhancing drugs? |
| Q: | Should baseball players who have used banned substances be voted into the Hall of Fame? |
Issue: Olympics
| Q: | How many athletes have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in the Olympics? |
| Q: | Is there widespread systemic use of banned performance-enhancing drugs by Olympic athletes? |
| Q: | What performance enhancing drugs have been or are banned in the Olympics? |
| Q: | Should the teammates of athletes who are found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs in the Olympics also return their medals? |
Issue: Drugs and Teens
| Q: | Do teens use performance enhancing drugs to emulate their professional athlete role models? |