Platform : If Sports Build Character, Why Test High-School Athletes for Drugs?

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that high-school athletes may be tested randomly for drugs without any prior suspicion of drug use, as long as all members are subject to the same test. The four dissenting justices argued against allowing any kind of wide-scale suspicionless searches. The majority argued, however, that student athletes choose a role with reduced privacy. KATHY SEAL talked with athletes, non-athletes and high-school principals about the ruling.

NIKHEY HARRIS

18, graduate, Crenshaw High School, non-athlete

It would be OK just as long as it wouldn’t be a surprise. They should tell the athletes way ahead of time, or even when they first join a team, “You’re going to be tested.” So if they do have a problem, they could say, “Coach, I have a problem. The drugs are still in my system, but I’m not doing this anymore.”

Once you’re an athlete, everyone is going to know who you are. So it’s not a private thing anymore. So I don’t think it would be an invasion of their privacy, because whether they like it or not, people are going to look at them as role models.

I don’t think it’s fair for athletes to use drugs if that’s what they need to make it. If that drug is what’s making them shoot that three-pointer or tackle that person that was going to make the touchdown, then they shouldn’t be on that team anymore.

ADAM BOGORAD

18, graduate, University High School; played varsity basketball

I think it’s a good idea. Even though it might seem like an invasion of rights, I think it’s necessary to keep everybody on a level playing field, because some schools do have people who cheat, and this is a way of stopping them.

Athletes should want to do it to show that they’re clean and to weed out the people that aren’t clean. You don’t want to play against someone that’s just up on steroids. If you don’t use drugs then you have nothing to hide, anyway. Everyone can do a urine sample. It’s not like taking blood. It’s a painless process that shouldn’t be a problem for anybody.

JACQUES BELL

14, graduate, Carver Middle School, plays basketball in park league

I think it’s a bad idea because why should I get tested just to play a sport? You should be clean to play a sport, but I don’t think you should have to be tested. I just wouldn’t feel right about it. They should know that you don’t take drugs, because you act a particular way when you take drugs--out of this world or whatever. When you’re drug-free, you act regular.

It would be kind of embarrassing. I already know I don’t take drugs, so why should I have to take a drug test to prove it to somebody else? I shouldn’t have to prove it to anybody.

ALEXSIS GLENN

19, graduate, Dorsey High School, has athletic and academic scholarships to Paine College in Augusta, Ga.

For those who do use drugs and have a good athletic career, if they test positive, then they don’t have a chance to go on to college. It’s already hard enough to graduate from high school and college. But putting regulations on that would be even worse, because there are so few black kids who want to go to college anyway.

I know they want to make sure kids don’t bring drugs into school, but that’s going to happen regardless--not just black kids, but white kids too.

The Principals’ View

YVONNE NOBLE

Crenshaw High School

No. I wouldn’t want to institute mandatory drug testing on athletes. It shows a lack of trust in our young people. It’s almost like saying, “We know that the majority of the young people take drugs, so we want to make sure that you guys are not making an unlevel playing field.” Our children are bombarded with so many negative statements about young people that the last thing I want to do is something that sends a negative message. The majority of our young people do the right thing. I’d venture to say that 99.9% of our athletes don’t fool with drugs. They’re into health. They’re into keeping their bodies clean, because they know that otherwise they don’t have the stamina, concentration and focus they need to be a good athlete.

We encourage young people to participate in athletics because we tell them it builds character. We’re saying, “It builds character, but I’m going to test you for drugs.” Well, that’s a double message. If participation is supposed to build character, they must allow participation to be the guiding force in terms of what they will or will not ingest into their bodies.

EILEEN BANTA

Cleveland High School, Reseda

When I came to this state 30 years ago, it was one of the top states in the country in terms of resources [for schools]. Now we’re one of the lowest. I think drug testing would tax the resources even more, unless the court also passed money down along with this decision, which we know didn’t happen. The thing that would come to mind immediately is that it’s going to take time and personnel to do it. We do random searches now for weapons--that’s time, money and resources.

BEA LAMOTHE

Banning High School, Wilmington

We had a drug-testing program in the 1980s with our varsity football program. It was voluntary. The coaches met with the parents and the students and said, “We’d like to deter athletes from using drugs.” They were all in agreement. Students signed to do it and were randomly selected during the week. That in itself was a deterrent.

It was in conjunction with Peninsula Hospital in San Pedro. We didn’t pay for it. We couldn’t afford to do it today if we had to do it on our own. It lasted a couple of years and expanded from football to several other teams. It was voluntary and confidential. The results were sent to the parents, so if there was a problem the parent took care of it.

There’s been some talk in the last couple of years of reinstating it. But all the players have changed, so there would need to be some meetings and preliminary work to get it going again, as well as some financing.

MERLE PRICE

Principal, Palisades High School

We have our own programs on campus to determine if there’s anybody engaging in any type of substance abuse. We are pretty much on top of any drug activity that involves students, so we haven’t found it necessary to do urine testing.

Our athletes are the least likely to be involved in substance abuse problems, quite frankly, because they are engaged for much longer parts of the day. They don’t have a lot of free time. When you combine their academic commitment, their practice times, etc., they’re under supervision of school personnel and parents most of the day, and aren’t likely to be the kids with lots of free time who are involved in drug use. There also tend to be many student leaders among the athletes. Our student body president this year was on the basketball team. They also tend to be kids who are more self-disciplined and goal-oriented.