Traditionally the diverse range of sporting events falling under the category of athletics have been associated with integrity, honour and honest effort, however the changing face of today’s contemporary society and the attitudes, morals and standards existing within it has brought with it many changes to this ancient sport. From these changes the following hypothesis was formulated. “The modern day perception of athletics is one that, for me, is very detrimental to the sports high popularity, ancient rituals and traditions. Due to the commercialisation of the sport, the financial incentive for athletics to succeed far outweighs the motivation for personal achievement and fair competition. This has lead to unfair means being adopted by athletes in order to succeed, such as the use of performance enhancing drugs. It is because of these ‘cheats’ that this once noble sport, based on hard work, individual achievement and sportsmanship has been degrade into a sport of greed and winning at all costs. The increase in the number of athletes using these drugs is inversely proportional to my personal interest and participation in the sport.”This hypothesis accurately summarises athletics current state and the opinion held by more and more members of the general public.Commercialisation has brought with it many positive aspects to athletics including higher recognition for talented athletes, increased financial rewards and increased media coverage but commercialisation, sponsorship and media involvement have also contributed largely to the demise of the sports good standing. All of the above topics are derived from monetary involvement and this can be related to the common saying ‘money is the root of all evil’. The weak character of drug-using athletes is not the sole reason for the gradual destruction of athletics image, increased pressure to succeed resulting from the huge financial incentives involve...
