In class on Tuesday, we talked about how there are athletes that participate in their sports and have been diagnosed with AID’s. This is a very serious topic and needs to be addressed. The fact that this is a deadly disease and athletes want to keep on competing against others and I am not very sure if it is okay for this to be done.
First, I think that Magic Johnson did the ethically right thing to do and also the most logical thing to do because of his health by retiring. However, I think that the controversy is within players that are in physical sports or for players that are still hiding the fact that they have been diagnosed.
I think that it is very unethical for a person to want to continue to play their sport without telling that they have been diagnosed. When talking in class, Greg Louganis was an Olympic Diver and I believe that we talked about how he did not tell people that he had the disease. This is very controversial because the disease can be transmitted through the contact of an infected person’s blood. What would happen if another diver came into contact with Louganis and he happened to have a cut on him? It seems as if it would almost create some sort of legal action to be brought against Louganis because he is in a worldwide sport and he is not informing of the possibilities that could happen to other athletes.
I am do not by any means know what the AID’s virus is all about or what the big ways that it can be developed in another person, but I do know that I would not be happy if I found out that I was playing against a person that had AID’s after the fact. I am not saying that they are not allowed to play sports, but the need to take precautions to keep others safe.
The other big case is with Tommy Morrison. He is a big time boxer and I think that this is a huge situation because people get cuts all the time in this sport, obviously. I would not want to be a person that would have to box him. In fact, I would probably just simply say no to any fight with him, just in fear or any possibility of contracting the AID’s from him. It would be a terrible way to put your life in jeopardy.
If I am wrong about any of this information, let me know, but I do think that most of it is right. What do you think though? Would you really want to fight or play against an athlete that has AID’s?
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I would really have a hard time competing against an athlete with AIDS. I just wouldn't want to put myself in that situation. Even if the risks were low they are still higher than usual. I think Magic Johnson's diagnosis has brought more awareness to the disease however. Since then I think people have realized how serious the disease is and treat it with caution. Before Magic people had major misconceptions about how to contract the disease and how awful of a disease it really is. I think with the awareness now professional sports would probably go to great lengths to make sure athletes are safe and protected from any kinds of viruses or other threats while playing.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you remember what happened with Greg Louganis but here is a story on ESPN Classic that tells about it: http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Louganis_Greg.html
ReplyDeleteDuring the preliminary dives, Louganis hit his head on the diving board, which could have caused bleeding. As a result, he later realized that other divers might have been exposed to hiv, but he had not announced that he had it. In this article, he reflects about what could have been the consequences of that incident.