C.: d.c. was going to send me a script to review via email. This must be it
A well-known athlete, Lance Armstrong, was found guilty of blood doping. How does blood doping enhance an athlete’s performance? Do you feel that blood doping should be legalized?
“Cheating to get ahead” is accepted, for the most part, in the business world, but not in competitive sports. Many businesspeople “stretch the truth,” or just plain lie to get a goal accomplished. Many are rewarded handsomely for doing this. When athletes cheat, though, it’s public knowledge and everyone thinks of the athlete as a pariah.
I’m a retired amateur endurance athlete who competed against people who were faster and had more endurance than I had. I competed against smaller, faster athletes when I was training for and competing in six marathons, two ultra marathons, and when I competed in four one-half-Ironman distance triathlons and one full one. I used supplements and my asthma inhaler (because I have a medical diagnosis of mild to moderate persistent asthma) to help “level the playing field.” The great Miguel Induráin, considered the G.O.A.T. of cycling now that Lance Armstrong has been disgraced, admitted to doing the same thing. Induráin won more stages of the Tour de France than anyone else. He said that he didn’t believe that anyone could finish this grueling race without pharmaceutical help. That casts some doubt, in my mind, about his four Tour de France wins and his record of stage wins in the toughest cycling race on Earth.
“Leveling the playing field” is what Armstrong was accused of doing, in his own mind. He had recovered from testicular cancer that had spread to other parts of his body when he won his seven consecutive Tour de Frances. He is accused of “blood doping,” or using an extra dose of his own blood to accomplish this in addition to using EPO and testosterone injections. Armstrong’s testosterone was depleted when he underwent chemotherapy and radiation for his cancer and the EPO boosted his red blood cells, increasing the amount of oxygen in his body. He also had blood drawn out of his own veins eight weeks before the bicycle race and then had it injected into his veins just before beginning the Tour de France. That increased his already incredible VO2 max, or how efficiently one’s lungs turn oxygen into ATP to provide energy for the entire body (Healthline, 2022). As someone who formerly performed drug tests, I seriously question if the proper chain of custody was followed with his tainted B samples for seven years.
It’s perfectly legal for athletes involved in team sports to come to the sidelines and consume oxygen from a respirator during a game. Many professional athletes admit to having used steroids or other illegal supplements after retiring from their sports. In conclusion, I believe that, if every athlete is allowed to use the same processes or supplements to improve performance, it should be up to the individual as to whether or not s/he wants to take a risk on harming him or herself. Since blood doping has proven to be only minimally effective. I think that it is up to the individual as to whether or not sh/he wants to take a chance with blood doping. All decisions in life carry risks, and this is no different.
REFERENCE
Healthline (2022) What is VO2 max? https://www.healthline.com/health/vo2-max#about- vo%E2%82%82-max. Recalled 3/4/24.
C.: d.c. must have gotten confused and sent me his homework for his class
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