Overview of Major Assignments in CO150

Sample Topic Proposal

Elizabeth Albrecht

Topic Proposal

 

  The topic I am interested in has to do with professional athletes and sports enhancing drugs. I want to learn more about this topic because I am an avid sports fan, and I love to play sports. I think that people in the United States need to know more about this because sports are such a big part of our culture. And with the Olympics coming up, this topic will become even more important.

  More specifically, the question I pose is this: How do sports enhancing drugs affect the way we view athletes and sporting events? I have not done much research on this issue yet, but I have come up with four different “voices” that have an interest in this: athletes, the general public, the business aspect of sports, and the medical field. Each voice has an opinion not only on the drugs themselves, but also on the different testing methods, as well as the consequences for using these drugs.

  The athletes obviously have the most interest in this issue, and there are two views among them. There are those who use these drugs in order to succeed, and there are the athletes who do not use them and want those who do to be punished.

  The general public is basically divided into those who are following this issue with great interest and others who could care less about this topic. But in this group there are also the children who look up to these athletes as role models. These children probably have mixed views on what they think about the issue, if they even know about it.

  The business side of sports is invested heavily in this issue, especially team owners and sponsors of athletes. Most likely this view is based on money and money only. Team owners want their teams to do well in order to make more money, putting pressure on the athletes. Sponsors do not want their athletes to portray a negative image, because that will result in fewer sales for their company.

  The medical field may be the most neutral voice of all, since it has no real connection with the athletes. The doctors probably have a lot to do with what drugs are legal or illegal based on how safe they are for the athletes. Team athletic trainers are an exception to this neutrality, since they actually work with the athletes. Trainers may be swayed by the owners or the athletes to hand out a certain drug in order to “help out the athlete.”

  I am interested to see what I find regarding this issue, and I think it will be beneficial to me as a fan of sports to know everything I can about this topic.