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Would they dope? Revisiting the Goldman dilemma
James Connor1, Jules Woolf, Jason Mazanov
1School of Business, University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. James.Connor@adfa.edu.au
British Journal of Sports Medicine
|January 25, 2013
Summary
Few elite athletes would risk death for guaranteed success, unlike earlier reports. However, removing consequences like death or illegality significantly increases willingness to use performance-enhancing drugs.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Doping in Sports
- Ethics in Athletics
Background:
- The 'Goldman dilemma' suggests elite athletes would risk death for guaranteed success.
- Previous studies on the dilemma have not been replicated in the post-World Anti-Doping Agency era.
- This study aimed to re-evaluate the dilemma with contemporary elite athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the validity of the 'Goldman dilemma' with current elite athletes.
- To understand athlete's willingness to use performance-enhancing drugs under varying conditions.
- To compare contemporary athlete responses to historical findings.
Main Methods:
- Elite track and field athletes were surveyed at a North American meet.
- Participants were divided into interview and online response groups.
- Three variations of the 'Goldman dilemma' were presented, with conditions on consequences and legality.
Main Results:
- Only 2 out of 212 athletes (0.9%) would accept guaranteed success if it meant death within 5 years.
- If there were no death consequence, 25 out of 212 athletes (11.8%) would use the substance.
- If the drug use was illegal but without death, 13 out of 212 athletes (6.1%) would accept.
Conclusions:
- The original 'Goldman dilemma' findings are not replicated in this contemporary sample.
- A small percentage of athletes are willing to dope, and an even smaller subset would sacrifice their life for success.
- Further research, including larger online surveys, is needed to explore doping variations across different sports.
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