Better, Stronger, Faster Explaining the Variance Between Professional and Amateur Anti-Doping Policies

The world of sport has recently been inundated by stories of doping. These reports are not limited to a select few individuals or sports, but seemingly are spread across sports. At first, it was mostly members of the sports community voicing their discontent, but soon actors outside of the sports community, such as government committees, became interested. Anti-doping policies were created to reduce doping; however, these policies were created independently of government and vary in effectiveness. The most visible variances are between professional and amateur sports. Accordingly, this paper investigates why there is variation between professional and amateur anti-doping policies. This investigation is done in a qualitative fashion and employs the Most Similar System of Design (a comparative method) to identify that factors result in the differences. The paper also contributes to the field by creating and organizing the ethics of doping. Furthermore, it compares the various existing approaches to anti-doping policy by analysing the anti-doping policies of the PGA, IOC, WADA, and the MLB. Subsequently, the paper identifies seven obstacles facing anti-doping regulators and identifies new policy tools that could aid anti-doping policies. Finally, it closes with policy recommendations for the future. This paper is comprehensive: it introduces the topic of anti-doping, the subsequent definitions, explains the ethical considerations, answers why there is variation between professional and amateur anti-doping policies, and provides policy recommendations