The 29-year-old Russian tennis player admitted that, for the past decade, she had been taking a performance-enhancing drug called meldonium, known to increase oxygen uptake and endurance. This means that the highest grossing women’s tennis player, Maria Sharapova, has been using steroids since she was 19 years old, in which she labeled “an innocent mistake.” Sharapova broke the news to the public, of her knowledge of meldonium’s status on the list of banned substances as she neglected to open the e-mail from the World Anti-Doping Agency revealing its prohibition.
“Tennis’s most bankable star” uses rhetoric that causes those with privilege to start a conversation where cheating is not considered cheating due to an enhanced platform of wealth, as many athletes are often entitled to. One of the sport’s most edified athlete seemed sincere sharing her experiences at the International Tennis Federation, announcing her struggles with threatening hereditary diabetes and chronic sickness and her family doctor who has simply been treating her for each ailment.
The fascinating aspect of this discovery is the way in which Sharapova was treated after these allegations became true. Her sponsors, celebrated brands including Nike, Porsche, Evian and TAG Heur all turned their backs quickly and firmly. This led me to conclude that those brands, which often endorse athletes that have undergone PR nightmares worse or equally bad as Sharapova’s, create a double standard. Serena Williams, who has publically supported Sharapova, telling press that, “in sport and in life there’s always a double standard.” She praises Sharapova in regards to taking full responsibility for her actions.
I think it is important to note the support between the two athletes support rather than animosity and blame. As we see often with male athletes, steroids are basically legal in the NFL, like everything else. As we often direct blame upon those in the public light, we forget that they are people like us. Yes, the NFL is unfortunately full of rapists, dopers, and violent abusers. And there are also good people in the NFL. But that doesn’t mean that good people could never commit a crime. It is unfortunate that punishments within the system are, when given at all, inconsistent. I mean, A-Rod is still playing. Yeah, he’s a piece of shit, but he’s still playing.
Athletes are athletes because of a mindset that was molded from athletic culture that engrossed them throughout their lives. I cannot imagine the physical discipline an athlete such as Sharapova can manage in order to win. After all, it’s what they get paid to do.
Sharapova acknowledged her use of the banned substance and admitted with a sincere excuse as to why she continued its usage. She remains underneath the notion that she did not use the performance-enhancing drugs to gain an unfair advantage over other athletes, but because it made her healthy while still helping her gaining an unfair advantage over athletes.
