The purpose of this poster presentation is to study the PGA Tour’s lack of transparency when it comes to its drug testing policies, and the Tour’s use of a lesser standard than that of the World’s Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
In 2016, golf was added to the Olympics. The PGA Tour drug testing policy standards are well below the WADA standards used by the Olympics. David Howman, WADA’s Director General, has been trying to persuade the Tour to strengthen its Anti-Doping Program Manual in order to meet WADA’s code. Howman met with former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem about strengthening their policies. Finchem, however, decided to not take any necessary steps to change the Tour’s drug testing policies. The Tour’s failure to announce disciplinary actions against players who test positive for recreational drugs and PED’s is a major conflict with WADA. There has been speculation that stars such as Dustin Johnson and Vijay Singh have been suspended for cocaine and deer antler spray respectively, however the tour has not confirmed this. And further, this has led to speculation that the stricter standards are the real reason why the top players in the world like Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy, did not participate in the Rio Olympics.
This poster will examine the PGA Tour’s drug testing policy, the comparison to WADA standards, incidents and suspensions, and also examine future implications as a new Commissioner for the Tour, Jay Monahan, steps in. Will Monahan upgrade Tour policy? Is the policy affecting the popularity of the Tour or marketing opportunities and strategies? Are there ethical concerns in terms of fair play? The Ribbon that applies is “Thinking Critically.”
References (Partial)
Madden, P. (2016). WADA chief says PGA Tour’s drug testing policy has ‘gaps.’ Golf Magazine. Retrieved from golf.com/tour-and-news.
Petchesky, B. (2103). Deer antler spray panic: Vijay Singh is dumb, but he’s not a doper. Deadspin. Retrieved from Deadspin.com 486201268.
