Topic Proposal for Essay #2

Issue: What negative affects have blood doping and the use of EPO had on the sport of professional cycling?

Terms of Issue: The issue is concerned only with blood doping and not the issue of anabolic steroids or HGH. The issue is however concerned with EPO or Erythropoietin, which is a protein hormone normally produced by the kidney that stimulates the production of red blood cells. Also by “professional cycling” I mean those athletes who are sponsored by teams and compete in professional races.

Sources:

1. “The Circus Formerly Known as Cycling” Author: Austin Murphy. Sports Illustrated. Academic Search Premier.

The article, written in May of 2007, goes into details of the current state of the sport of cycling. The article discusses former riders who had been caught cheating and goes into the troubles that they have faced. The article talks about how the personal lives of the athletes were splashed across the media amidst the blood doping scandal.

2. “Cycling Team Loses Another Sponsor” Author: Sal Ruibal. USA Today. Academic Search Premier.

The article explains the financial problems that have come as an aftershock to the numerous blood doping scandals that have recently rocked the world of professional cycling. Team that had been sponsored for 16 years were forced to drop because they had their sponsorship pulled.

3. “Zipp Speed Weaponry tied to tainted sport: recent blood doping allegations in cycling could spill onto Speedway accessories manufacturer.” Author: Anthony Schoettle. Indianapolis Business Journal. Health & Wellness Resource.

This article explains how a manufacturing company, of bike parts, is in danger of being pulled into the blood doping scandal. The products of the company seem tainted since the spokesman for the company was implicated into the abuse scandal. The article brings up the issue of tainting the image of the company by sponsoring riders to get their product seen, but at what cost, since some of their riders have been implicated in the scandal.

4. “Tour of California Ramps Up Testing” Author: Sal Ruibal. USA Today. Academic Search Premier.

The article talks about the recent crack down in Tours other than the Tour de France. The Tour of California is happening in the next coming months and the article talks about the stricter testing for doping that will take place.

5. “Anti-doping Agency Seeks a Better EPO Test” Author: Elizabeth Rosenthal. New York Times.

The newspaper article discusses how the test being used for EPO has been deemed faulty, and do not always work properly. It now has to fund projects to create a new test and must work quickly.