Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports: The Destructive Effects (Joanna Zecha)

Typically athletes use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to gain an advantage against their opponents and ensure that they are competing to the best of their ability. However, these actions are very serious, as they drastically impact the game. Players using PEDs receive an advantage, leaving other players who play fair and work hard in an unfair position. In addition it detracts from the clean image and the rules of the game. It has been perceived that PEDs are used less often in soccer than in other sports; however, cases in recent history prove otherwise. It is evident that perhaps it is not as prominent, but it still goes to show that it is a major issue in nearly every type of sport. Doping has a large societal impact as well. For one, it is a bad influence for the youth population because it promotes cheating and poor sportsmanship at an age when it is vital to teach the importance of such things. Also, just in general it makes the fans lose faith in their favorite athletes and clubs, which is extremely detrimental given how much influence sports have on the lives of it’s fan base. Sports are more than just a game for many people; they are a way of life and it gives people something to believe in. So if they become aware of people cheating, it drastically changes the image of the athlete and the sport especially when that athlete can be considered a hero. Read more…

The Positive and Negative side of Globalization: Glocalites and Distanceless (by Jaime Surace)

Globalization today is hindering the experiences we as people once cherished. Traveling and becoming enriched in new cultures and ideas is what a cosmopolitan person strives for, yet globalization has inadvertently played a role in obstructing this goal. People no longer need to go somewhere to experience something; they can simply research images of it on the internet. Read more... 

Women Versus the World: Discrimination in Sport (by Molly Byrne)

Throughout history, women have been discriminated against in many countries. Historically, women are frequently denied opportunities for participation in sports. Furthermore, in an effort to discourage women's participation in sports, societies often label female athletes negatively or interpret a woman's athletic participation as a source of gender role conflict (Schell 2000).  But over the years, there has been an effort for more equality between men and women. Some places have even passed laws forcing equality of women, like America. But, just because laws exist doesn’t mean there is less inequality. And, even though there have been some major legal changes in recent months, Italy is still suffering more than other places in terms of inequality. Read more...