Whatever it Takes: Health Compromising Behaviors in Female Athletes

Athlete learning in Olympic sport

“…On the other hand, the logic of high-performance sport, as well as the characteristics of sporting cultures, coachathlete relationships and coaching practices, have been found to be detrimental to athletes' social development, and wellbeing. In particular, athletic participation has been linked to narrow athletic identities (Curry, 1993;Jones, Glintmeyer, & McKenzie, 2005), self-health risk behaviour (Martinsen, Bratland-Sanda, Eriksson, & Sundgot-Borgen, 2010;Waldron & Krane, 2005) and distorted self-image (Barker-Ruchti & Schubring, in press;Douglas & Carless, 2009;McMahon & Penney, 2012. While these effects may differ in severity, none are desirable, and conflict with sport organisations' goals to develop healthy, independent and generally well-rounded citizens (see for instance policies by IOC, WADA and national sports bodies).…”

Sexual Coercion Risk and Women’s Sport Participation

“…If alcohol use is the norm of the group, athletes may feel pressured to conform. A strong desire to fit in with their peers may persuade the 9 athlete to partake in risky behavior (Waldron & Krane, 2005). In addition, the athletes may have learned to use alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with elevated stress from athletic competition, training, and other external factors (Wilson et al, 2004).…”

“…For example, Wilson et al (2004) found that female athletes drank in lower quantities and to intoxication less often than female non-athletes, male athletes, and male nonathletes. On the other hand, Waldron & Krane (2005) suggested that female athletes binge drink at higher rates than in the past due to overconformity to the culture of sport. In addition to alcohol use, some studies have found that female athletes have elevated levels of self-esteem (Dodge & Jaccard, 2002;Ellis, Riley, & Gordon, 2003;Hall, Durborow, & Progen, 1986).…”

“…While some studies have shown that college female athletes use alcohol less than other student populations, others have found that female athletes may be at a higher risk for binge drinking due to a strong need for social approval (Evans, Weinberg, & Jackson, 1992;Ford, 2007;Prichard, Milligan, Elgin, Rush, & Shea, 2007;Waldron & Krane, 2005;Wilson, Pritchard, & Schaffer, 2004). For example, Wilson et al (2004) found that female athletes drank in lower quantities and to intoxication less often than female non-athletes, male athletes, and male nonathletes.…”

An Alternative Solution to Lifting the Ban on Doping: Breaking the Payoff Matrix of Professional Sport by Shifting Liability Away from Athletes

“…The excellent movie "The program" by Stephen Frears (2015) based on David Walsh's book "Seven deadly sins" (2013) ends with a sentence from Lance Armstrong defending himself in front of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after his demise: "From a fan perspective, you need to have a winner, and I feel like I won those 7 titles" (Tour de France 1999to 2005). …”