How do we decide what’s doping and what’s not? What constitutes a fair preparation or a fair piece of new technology versus something that is unfair or is considered cheating? There are a number of people who are naturally more talented at sport.
Why should it be any more fair or reasonable for me to play in the same league as someone like LeBron James when his natural talent is so much greater than for me to decide to take some substance that might improve my performance? Why is that any less fair or more of a form of cheating?
Ethics in Global Sports
All sports have to make decisions about the kinds of technology and the kinds of preparation that align with the essence of that sport. They consider what preserves and promotes the kind of displays and exhibitions of talent and skills that are essential to that sport itself. So beyond biology, we have these questions about what constitutes fairness or the kinds of technology that can be used in sports?
Online sports management education programs examine these vital questions in an ever-evolving global sports platform. Sports management education analyzes these ethics questions and works to level the playing field for athletes to train with acceptable enhancement and technology at all stages.
Assistive Technology
For example, when someone is going to run a race, should they be able to compete against somebody who doesn’t have complete legs and is using carbon fiber blades to actually run? This is a question that came up as a result of Oscar Pistorius, who was a dominant champion in the Paralympics.
He didn’t win all the time, but he won enough to make him question whether he should be able to compete against typical able-bodied people. This sparked debate among sports fans in deciding whether this would be a valid form of preparation, a valid kind of technology to use-in lieu of shoes. Questions came down to things like how quickly could he turn his legs over as opposed to a regular runner, and is this fair or unfair in terms of the advantage he would get?
What about the kinds of cramps that other runners have to suffer in their lower legs, which he wouldn’t get? Does he generate more power with each placement of his blades than a person in regular shoes? It’s not an easy question to answer, but it comes down to the qualities of the sport that we’re trying to protect or preserve. Does this technology support those qualities?
Specialized Sporting Equipment
People thought that it would be impossible to break the two-hour marathon for years and years. Nike took this as a challenge and designed the Vaporfly Elite shoe. They believed that if these shoes were worn by one of their elite runners they would enable them to break the two-hour mark.
The specialized shoes generated tons of media attention and interest. Some of the greatest runners of all time, including Kipchoge, put on the shoes and set out to break the record. Using this technology, with specifically placed bubbles, extra spring, and even a carbon fiber spoon in the bottom of those shoes to create more energy, they achieved greater results than previously possible.
The whole Breaking2 campaign was pretty awesome. But was that the marathon in a traditional sense? When we think about it, Kipchoge was running a completely flat course during that trial. He was wearing these hyperspecialized shoes, and the conditions–the location and weather–were perfect for breathing, and he ran 25 seconds over two hours. Even with specialized equipment, he still didn’t even achieve the goal.
This failure doesn’t mean it’s not possible, but it means that in even these optimal conditions it’s still pretty hard. We have to question, do those conditions align with the spirit of a marathon? No way. If he had run that, there would have been controversy if he had run the marathon in under two hours. Many would have said he ran a hyperspecialized fantasy version of the marathon. Many would have argued that it was more of an exhibition than a sport.
Consider athletes who are training to qualify for Boston: If they are running a race that has too much net downhill, they’re not going to be able to qualify because that’s not a certified course for Boston. Meanwhile, other courses must have a certain amount of hills because that’s a requirement of courses designed to meet the standards of a marathon. Thus, while breaking two hours using the Vaporfly Elite is pretty cool, it’s an exhibition. It’s not a true marathon.
