INCREASED PERFORMANCE
GAVIN KEETON: Money promotes unfair competitive advantages in sport
Widespread outrage at ball tampering in cricket shows the importance most fans attach to sport being played in a "fair" manner. Overt cheating or taking illicit advantage, by players or officials, conflicts with our notions of "sportsmanship". Yet sport is actually "unfair" in many ways. The advantage genetics give certain individuals is only sometimes countered by, for example, weight categories. In most sports, advantages such as height in basketball or big feet in swimming are regarded as acceptable. Artificial aids to boost performance, such as drugs or sandpaper, are not. Surprisingly, the considerable advantage money often adds to performance is seldom questioned. In rowing and cycling, for example, access to ultra-expensive equipment often sets the elite out of reach of unsponsored opponents. In all sports, money provides only some athletes with access to the full-time, year-round scientific training that has become the prerequisite for international success. It is probably i...
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