The widespread use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and the associated drug dependency have altered the perception that steroidal use is cheating in sports. Kirkwood argued this point out from the perspective of cheating as an advantage-seeking behavior (485). This argument followed the example of doping, where sportspeople are allowed to use banned substances as long as there is medical verification. On a similar note, AAS addiction has become a problem among sportspeople. This addiction has caused athletes to become dependent on regular doses of steroids to keep them from developing withdrawal symptoms and becoming ineffective in sports. The question then becomes whether steroidal use becomes cheating, now that sportspeople are not seeking an advantage in the game itself but rather a relief from the effects of the drug addiction problem. McGrew also upheld this view in his research, when he propositioned that the medical community has effectively discredited myths revolving around the effects of AAS (234). For instance, steroid users do not exhibit destructive rage as many believe. From this angle, AAS have risks but are safe as long as they are administered properly.
Even though the previous articles view the
use of steroids as not cheating, others have differing opinions. Dodge et al. contended that it is all a matter of perspective and demonstrates using two scenarios, i.e., representing the athletic and academic domains (678). On the one hand, an athlete abused steroids to succeed in a sports event while on the other, a student used AAS to pass midterm exams. The participants of the study were asked to select which of the two cheated and compared the responses. The findings revealed that most of the participants believed the athlete to be a cheater and many more believed that the student was justified to use AAS to pass exams. From this angle, the circumstances will define whether people will view drug abuse as cheating or not. One way to explain the percepts in the presented case regarding a student and an athlete is the fact that many would have believed the latter to be a frequent user, which is the characteristic of many sportspeople (Dodge et al. 68). As such, the student was more justified because it was probably the first time to use AAS. Despite taking a different viewpoint from the rest, however, this article only enhances the ambiguity that surrounds the concept of cheating in the context of AAS use in sports.