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The Dark Side of Sports – Taking the Sport Out of Sports
The crowd roars as the ball is sunk into the basket. Spectators cheer vociferously as the batsman executes a glorious stroke and sends the ball scurrying to the boundary for four. The athlete is unable to hold back the tears as he stands on the podium to receive his medal and listen to the National Anthem of his country being played. Sports have always brought fame and glory to the athletes and their countries. But behind the glorious feats, adulation and fanfare, there is a dark side. There are many dishonest acts being committed in sports, chief among them being the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Many professional athletes use various forms of anabolic steroids illegally in most sports and admit they believe that they are bigger and stronger and perform better, when they do. This undoubtedly influences young athletes who think that they too will be bigger, better athletes if they use supplements and In the 1960 Olympic Games, a cyclist who used amphetamines, collapsed and died during a race. The use of drugs in
Sport has reached epidemic proportions. Coaches encourage athletes to use performance enhancing drugs. Gymnasts are given growth suppressing hormones to keep their bodies small and childlike. Even racehorses are doped to help them run faster. The situation has become so serious that Anti Doping Organisations and Agencies have been set up worldwide. The sporting world is rocked by scandals on a regular basis. Before and after sporting events, there are numerous reports of bribery, dishonesty and greed. Sport executives are accused of lining their pockets with money obtained from overselling of tickets and high priced package deals. The image of the game of cricket which has been dubbed the “Gentleman’s Game,” Has been sullied by ball tampering, pitch fixing and match fixing scandals. This resulted in the much admired captain of the South African cricket team being heavily penalised and forced to leave the team in disgrace. Violence during matches, especially Soccer and Ice Hockey, is common. There are regular skirmishes among players on the field of play. Referees are sometimes attacked if players do not agree with their rulings. This violence on the field spills into the crowd. Violent confrontations among fans of opposing teams have resulted in serious injury and even death. Many serious crimes have been committed by fanatic followers of sports and even athletes who wish to maintain superiority in their field of sport. In 1994, in three different countries, three athletes were the victims of heinous crimes. A Columbian goalkeeper who scored an own goal in the World Cup in the United States of America, was shot and killed by a gambler when he returned home. A top tennis star was stabbed on the court during a tournament in Hamburg, Germany. Her assailant said that he did it because he was a fan of her rival. In the third incident, the United States of America’s best female skater and top medal hope was attacked by a baton – wielding man who hit her on her right knee. Her main rival admitted to conspiring with three men to maim her in order to keep her out of competition. Innocent athletes representing their country were victims of terrorism and kidnapping. September 05, 1972 will always be remembered as the day the worst tragedy in modern Olympic history took place. People refer to it as the “Munich Massacre.” On thatmorning, eight Arab terrorists stormed into the apartment building housing the Israeli contingent, killing two athletes and taking nine more hostage. Their unsuccessful demand for the release of over two hundred Palestinians serving time in Israeli jails resulted in a deadly gun battle between them and German sharpshooters.
All nine hostages, one policeman and two terrorists were killed.
Sport is now political as Governments use the Olympic Games to spread their ideologies and to get public support. They ride the backs of successful athletes, who before they became famous, were unable to get any support from the state. Governments also use their athletes’ successes in sports as a vehicle to “put their country on the map” and to lure overseas tourists to their shores. The sense of nationalism is lost as players from all over the world are drafted into foreign teams just to ensure victory. Players are “bought” and “sold” by teams based on their ability to play or to draw the crowds to the games. Today, in sport, there is a lack of commitment, integrity and fair play. The standing of heroes so many of us look up to has been undermined. Medals have been forfeited and athletes thrown out of competitions because of drug use. A person watching his favourite sport on television has no idea if what he is seeing is the athlete’s true ability or drugs on display. Young athletes must be taught about healthy competition. If steroids were harder to obtain, fewer athletes would take them and sports would be fairer. Harsh punishments should be meted out to coaches who encourage athletes to take drugs. Sport administrators and players should display exemplary behaviour in both their public and private lives. Addressing these issues would return sport to its proper place of respect in society and put the sport back into sports. (900 words)