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| Yes | 54% | 323 votes | Total: 599 votes | |
| No | 46% | 276 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesOn the face of it,banned for life sounds like an extremely harsh punishment for an athlete who knows nothing else other than their sport.However,withou t this extreme,enforceable option available to all sporting authorities then the possibility of cheating through drugs can become a probability.
When an athlete takes a banned substance they know the implications. It is cheating as soon as the substance is in their body. Cheating in any form,particularly cheating through drug taking, is the complete antithesis of sport.Every sportsperson chooses to take part through a combination of their skill and a love of their sport. When they reach the point that they think or they are persuaded that drug taking is the only option to progress then they have sold their soul, their love affair is over.
Gaining an advantage over an opponent must be achieved either by having and utilising innate skills more effectively,training harder,choosing and implementing better tactics and strategies or by having a superior mental approach during the course of the contest.If drug taking becomes part of the mix then opponents are no longer theoretically on a level playing field. It goes without saying that drug testing must be infallible and undertaken randomly in order to eradicate the cheats from controlling the whole process.
Spectators,f riends,trainers want to see competition where ideally their favourite wins, but if that is not possible they want to know that defeat was not as a result of drugs.It is not a contest between doctors with the best drugs. Indeed,I would ban the "administerer",as well as the athlete,for life if it was proven that they were implicit in the cheating procedure.
In a world of many shades of grey,to have the black and white of drugs equalling life ban would once and for all put an end different outcomes,put an end to re-instatements and once and for all put the clean athlete back in control of their deserved destiny.Successful sportspeople act as role models to children and if that success can only be achieved without the crutch of drugs then the whole of that part of society will have taken a massive leap forward.The penalty for using drugs must be the ultimate deterrent.The ultimate deterrent in this case is being banned for life without any if's,but's or maybe's.The recent barring of former drug cheat Dwayne Chambers from the British Olympic team to go to China was an important step on this path and will hopefully signal an adherence to a strict policy in the future.
Learn more about this author, Tim Carter.
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No
In my own personal opinion, the answer is absolutely not! I have read some of the other responses to this debate, and like with most opinons, I agree in part, with some points, both sides. Thats why I thought my own opinion should be voiced.
Should there be harsh penalties for steroid and HGH use? ABSOLUTELY, but not lifetime bans!
Anyone can make a mistake when using they're own judgement. This happens in all phases of life.
Whether in personal, professional or otherwise. Mistakes are enevitably made. Even with the best of intentions.
To ban someone from something that may have been a life long dream and motivator, is extreme to say the least! This is Not the Spanish Inquisition! Hefty fines. Two year bans. On the spot drug tests. All this and more should be the order of the day. Lifetime bans should not!
In response to why it seems that it's just athletes, we all know this is not the case. Anyone who is in the market for a new job, or even in the act of being able to keep the job you have, drug testing is common place.
The simple fact that people who are professional athletes, means they are in the public eye at ALL times. That is why this story is so news worthy. They absolutely have to be kept at the highest standards of morality and fairness that we have in our society! No other profession expects it's members to be on world-wide television 24-7 and thats why this particular topic is so important to us as a society, and the world wide population as a whole.
Back in the sixties and seventys, when I grew up. Everyone in my family were athletes and cheating of ANY kind was totally forbidden! Those were the values of that time and SHOULD be the values of today, but if you did make a mistake, you were given a chance to make amends. That same mind set worked very well then, and if given a chance, I believe it would work just as well today.
I don't believe it would serve any purpose to ban someone from they're particular sport for the rest of they're life for making a mistake in judgement.This would not serve the common good in any shape, form, or fashion. Of course any and all situations would have to be looked at on they're own merit. If this was a continous problem that was on-going with one particular player, then a lifetime ban could and should be warranted, but as I stated, each and every instance would have to be looked at on an individual basis.
So, in conclusion. I do not believe in life-time bans for mistakes in judgement. Regardless of who they are!
Learn more about this author, Jonathan Clayton.
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