An Ethical Analysis of Doping in the Amateur Bodybuilding Community
Open Access
Author:
Mason, Ryan Daniel
Area of Honors:
Kinesiology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Francisco Javier Lopez Frias, Thesis Supervisor Jinger S. Gottschall, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
ethics doping sports bodybuilding amateur
Abstract:
The thesis provides an ethical analysis of doping in the amateur competitive bodybuilding community. It starts with a historical overview of the sport in general, a description of bodybuilding as a sport, the various branches of bodybuilding, and the doping practices of bodybuilders. It continues with current ethical analyses regarding doping in sports – the determination of a treatment versus an enhancement; the harms to the user, other athletes and society; the interference with the “spirit of sport;” and cheating/fairness arguments. Ending with an ethical analysis of drug usage in the amateur competitive branch of bodybuilding, the thesis draws on arguments related to fairness, medical misinformation, and the intrinsic nature of bodybuilding to argue that doping practices should continue to be banned and drug testing practices improved and strictly enforced.
