Doping Disparities and Global Sport's Ambiguity Around Repercussions

Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) have been consumed by athletes in organized sport for as long as the games have been around. Regulation of PEDs began at the turn of this century for many sports, but specific rules vary for each organized body. The inconsistency in regulations has resulted in different length suspensions, even for the same doping offense. What follows is an analysis of the current PED suspensions among the three major sports in the U.S., the MLB, NBA, and NFL, and all other amateur sports that fall under WADA. Various reasons for why the major U.S. sports are not signatories to the World Anti-Doping Code are discussed, along with an in-depth examination of each organization’s banned substances list. A survey collected further data to explain the effect PEDs have on sports fans and non-sports fans alike. A recommendation is made for harmonization of sanctions across global sport. Although it is very unlikely that U.S. sports will ever fall under the jurisdiction of WADA, an independent anti-doping agency for major American sports would be feasible, transparent, and effective at treating athletes more fairly. Furthermore, if this agency focused more on increasing monetary fines for doping violations, rather than increasing suspension lengths, they may be more successful than current policy at lessening PED prevalence.