Understanding Doping and Anti-Doping: A Study of Trust and Legitimacy

• In Event: Control, Punishment and Rehabilitation: Investigating Balanced Justice and Anti-Doping Regulations

Abstract

Research across a range of regulatory institutions consistently demonstrates that actors tend to obey rules they view as legitimate, fair, and consistent. Nowhere is this maxim more evident than in the world of international sport, where despite considerable increases in funding and punishment,performance-enhancing drug use remains a social concern at all levels of sport. As with other regulatory institutions, achieving widespread compliance requires anti-doping policies to be designed and applied in a manner broadly consistent with the cultural values of the athletes subject to regulation. Research indicates that athletes broadly support existing anti-doping measures, but find them mildly intrusive and largely ineffective. The goal of this project is to uncover the relationship between athlete attitudes towards anti-doping regulation and sporting culture. Data were collected from in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations with male and female professional, elite, and collegiate cyclists. Early findings indicate a wide variation in perceived legitimacy and effectiveness of current anti-doping policies. Athletes with extensive experience with anti-doping regulations were more likely to view existing regulations as discriminatory and inconsistently applied. Experienced athletes often have a strong influence on sporting cultures, and thus regulators should acknowledge and address athletes' concerns when crafting anti-doping policies.

Author

• Ophir Sefiha, Western Carolina University