Explain the important biological knowledge and concepts that relate to the issue of drugs in sports?

Question

its a question as part of my biology human awareness assignment

Answer 1

steroids belongs to baseball

marijuana belongs to basketball

i did a project on the history of meth...meth is not in sports at all if youre wondering lol

Answer 2

I'm not sure that I really understand your question. If you're asking the scientific basis for wanting to stop drug use in sports I can help.

Sports are all about physical and mental skill and control.  Athletes are supposed to be the epitome of physical achievement.  Drugs can result in serious long-term health effects - the opposite of what sports are intended to do for you.  Additionally, drugs can allow some people to perform at levels that are impossible to attain naturally.  Basically, this is cheating.  Finally, it wouldn't be ethical for a sport to condone the use of substances that are illegal in the general population.

Answer 3

I have some interesting input on this subject.  To understand how they test for synthetic testoterone in atheletes you need to understand:

   how gas chromatography works....how synthetic  testosterone is made....the trophic levels of ecosystems....photosynthsis in plants (yes its true!) ..... isotopes of carbon...statistical analysis of the data.....scientific method.  Essentually the interesting story here is that synthetic testosterone is ALMOST identical to your own testosterone.  Synthetic testosterone is made from chemicals found in plants.  Therefor even though it is chemically identical to our own, there is a difference in the percentage of carbon isotopes used in making organic molecules in plants and in animals.  These diferences can only be shown using carefully carried out controlled experiments comparing the mass of testosterone molecules using a gas chromatograph.  Why does the difference exist between plants and animals?  Well, it has to do with the FACT that all carbon molecules start their synthesis in plants using solar energy to power the construction.  Then the carbon molecules are passed to animals as food.  The food is used to make all of the molecules in our bodies.  Plants get all of their carbon from CO2 in the air.  We get it all from plants and animals we eat.  This difference in this source of carbon results in a slight difference in the isotopic ratios of carbon in plant made carbon molecules and animal-made carbon molecules.  Are you still with me????!!!  If gas chromatography shows that an atheletes testosterone looks like it came from plants, then he losses the legal battle.  The problem is that this technique is so delicate and measures such small details of atomic structure, that if a sound scientific method is not used, then the results can be disputed.  Without having samples of the athletes blood before and after alleged doping it may not be a sound technique.  This is where statistical analysis comes in.  If the data does not have convenient controls for comparison, then the scientist must compare testosterone profiles of the accused to many other atheletes.  Statistics is needed because these atheletes are not lab rats with all the same great grand fathers and mothers, and the are not raised in the same lab eating and drinking the same things.  I could go on and on about pitfalls and triumphs of scientific endevours but I will stop here.  Have fun with your education.  Never stop asking questions and be skeptical.