The Doping Dilemma (Scientific American)
How We Would Fight Steroids If We Really Meant It (Freakonomics Blog)
Two articles that attempt to address the question of how to combat doping (the use of performance-enhancing drugs) in sports. The first piece, from Scientific American, makes a case for why there is so much pressure to dope in the world of professional cycling, and then constructs strategies designed to change the incentives for doping such that there is a strong incentive not to dope. The second piece, from the Freakonomics Blog, provides a creative, remarkably simple solution for discouraging doping... I like it! (The commenters on their blog are far less enthusiastic about the plan, however, and provide some great commentary.)
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I'm a particularly big fan of Steven Levitt's idea. I love his ability to apply hard and fast economic principles to something like sports doping.
I likewise think the long term testing and long term payment strategy would indeed eliminate (or nearly eliminate) the use of steroids, though I also agree with many of the comments that getting any of the major sports' players associations to sign on will take a decade of back and forths and ultimately lead to something watered down.
Thanks for the post!
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