Physical Privacy in Many Sports Essay

In his preparation for a career in sports, an unethical coach or teammate may present the boy with steroids to enhance his physical performance, with the claim that Rodriguez advocates the use of such substances.

Furthermore, Rodriguez's apparent lack of remorse and his adherence to the claim that he was "young and stupid" creates a poor image for both the sport, its stars, and its followers. It furthermore indicates that being young precludes a person from making wise choices, and that only a maturity in years could bring the wisdom necessary to say no to performance-enhancing drugs.

This also has an effect upon parenting, and the ability of parents to influence children for their best benefit. Stars such as Rodriguez indirectly promote drugs by means of their behavior. Jeopardizing good parenting in this way also influences the stability of the family and hence of society as a whole. It is a danger to public health and safety and should be taken very seriously from a utilitarian perspective. The public health and safety certainly should take precedence over any deontological consideration in terms of privacy rights. Certainly, Rodriguez has the right to jeopardize his own health if he sees fit to do so. However, he is influencing the public within which he functions to the detriment of their own health.

Another point that is highlighted by the utilitarian approach is the fact of professional relationships. By using drugs, Rodriguez is indirectly disadvantaging other players on the field. He has an unfair opportunity to perform better than others in his profession and is hence influencing fair competition to the detriment of baseball players.Finally, the image of the sport itself suffers by means of such actions. If stars involved in the sport abuse substances, it creates a very detrimental view of baseball in terms of the fact that it encourages such actions. From a wider perspective, this could discourage potentially talented players from entering the sport. Baseball itself will then suffer, as talented and ethical players will seek other outlets for their endeavors.

In conclusion, I do believe that Axel Rodriguez should be banned from baseball, at least for a time. His talent has brought him a large amount of well-deserved fame, but his actions leave much to be desired. The press conference he gave leaves the impression that he is somewhat loath to take responsibility for his actions. For this reason, disciplinary action is in order to force him as it were to take due responsibility. Taking disciplinary action will also create a precedent of due punishment for disregarding basic ethics. In terms of influencing young people, banning Rodriguez from the sport will also show them that unethical actions have unpleasant consequences. On the other hand, baseball will suffer a loss from banning Rodriguez permanently. He should therefore be banned only for a limited time.

Sources

Inman, Cam. (2009, Feb 17). Candid Cam: A*Rod, steroids and "My Cousin Vinny." http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1646806551&SrchMo de=1&sid=21&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1236294835 & clientId=29440

Schneider, Angela J. (2007) Doping in Sport: Global Ethical Issues. Routledge......