1. Summary of article:
Peter Martin isn't concerned about the sport, he's concerned about the athletes. He argues a different point rarely considered when the topics of athletes and cheating are raised He is not thinking about the sport and it's precious records. The author all but laments in the end of his article that the long term health of the athlete is what is really being cheated.
The point he chooses to highlight is not the the effect that cheating has on the sport. He understands that rules aren't meant to be broken. These athletes who are taking PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs) in order to gain any edge they can on their competition are putting their health in jeopardy. Sports have taken on a new meaning to the world. They are no longer a means to appease the Gods. But these athletes are still people who at the end of the day need a voice. As the author states, "sports fans and commentators bemoan their beautiful games lost to artificial enhancers...but what about the players? (Martin, 582) The author suggests that the problem is bigger than the sport and no one is saying it.
The tragedy isn't whether or not the game is tarnished or an athlete's reputation is questioned. The real issue at stake is the long term health of the athlete. It is an interesting argument taking the focus away from the sport and putting it on the athletes suffering the health consequences. He emphasizes this as he states, " it is the players, much more than the games, that we must protect" (Martin, 582).
Ultimately, the author puts the reader into the shoes of the athlete who makes the mistake of cheating. He relates to the mistake as he notes that athletes are humans who are free to make mistakes and suffer the negative outcomes. The purity of the sport may be lost but the real loss is the long term health of the athlete willing to roll the dice and possibly pay the ultimate price.
2. Paraphrase paragraph #10:
As the fans and sports announcers skewer the athletes that their precious sports are being tarnished, no one is speaking or caring about the health of the athlete. Who cares that the athletes are cheating the sport. Doesn't anyone care that the athlete is cheating their own life (Martin, 582)?
3. "Athletes are as free as other people to make mistakes and suffer the consequences; in short, they are humans like the rest of us" (Martin, 582). I chose this quote because it puts the argument into simple layman's terms. I have often found myself arguing for a young athlete doing something stupid or selfish to jeopardize his or her career and lifestyle. I have made many mistakes in my life and find a sense of humanity in the fact that others before and after me will also make them.
I commented on Cathy's blog and Brittany's blog.
Kennedy, X.J., Kennedy, Dorothy M., and Aaron, Jane E. The Bedford Reader. Bedford/St Martin's.
2003. 580-582. Print.
