May 14, 2013
Drug Use by Role Models is Ruinous

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Athletes and administrators are fallible angels and it might seem harsh to expect them to be any more pure than those from other walks of life. Further, in the quest for supreme performance, it is to be expected that fine lines will be trod. But fine as they are, there must still be a line. A line that might be tested and adjusted over time, but adjusted formally through appropriate and thorough measures not by the ad hoc means of those administrators, athletes and trainers who at times recklessly lead ambitious, personal crusades.
Harsh as it might seem, elite sport must judge itself by a higher standard than that by which society judges itself. And this is made even more difficult when you consider some conundrums it confronts: Such as sponsorship – whose money should and shouldn’t sport take? Performance – where do you draw the line in the pursuit of perfection? And celebrity – some personalities are bigger, have more means and are more influential than the sport itself.
It is too simplistic to ban supplements or alcohol and gambling’s sponsorship of sport. But, if we allow them inside the tent, we must be aware of the consequences, for just as peptides may lead to steroids, the others can lead to addiction or antisocial behaviour. Perhaps it should not be so much a question of what to ban as what to promote and that starts with modelling the right behaviours. In the case of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigations, particularly of AFL club Essendon and NRL club Cronulla, the horse has bolted, so the administrations must leave no stones unturned in bringing out their dead before starting with a clean slate.
I feel for the athletes. Whatever they have taken, it seems to have been prescribed by those who have been entrusted to look after them. As an athlete you don’t double guess your doctor or your conditioner, you assume they know what’s appropriate and have your best interests at heart.
Yet as much as sport and its stars inspire positively, there will always be impressionable fans who skew to the negative. So I suspect there could be more bad news before there is good news.
While we cannot hope for perfect examples at every turn in sport, there is more to be done to ensure a safe and fair field of play in all sports. There are a few matters on which all sports should unite and this is one. And the quicker it is cleaned up, the better. We at least owe that legacy to the next generation.
John Eales is a director of Australian Rugby Union but the views expressed in this article are his and not necessarily representative of the ARU.