Beyond scapegoats: Doping and the myth of the level playing field

Abstract

This work began from our concerns about the misuse/overuse of the concept of a “level playing field” when arguing that those who are guilty of doping are violating the ethos of equal and fair sport especially when blanket bans are called for. These often scapegoat vulnerable athletes and violate the rationale for doping controls. In particular, we have been troubled for many years by the cases such as those of Andrea Răducan and Kamila Valieva which we use to dig under the surface of a dysfunctional global sports system. Our purpose is thus two-fold: to interrogate the framing of doping as cheating even when a substance is not performance enhancing to the turning of girls into scapegoats for a wider agenda of “clean” sports at all costs, and secondly to argue that those who then state that all alleged or actual dopers violate a perceived “spirit of sport” which is predicated on the myth of a “level playing field” which does not exist. To conclude, we explore options that might lead to meaningful change that global sport needs.