Athletes With Aids Essay, Research Paper

Athletes with HIV

Recently there have been more and more cases of professional athletes coming

forward to the public announcing their infection with human immunodeficiency disease

(HIV) (Cooper et al. 1). When the first few cases were brought to the public?s attention,

some athletes were not very willing to play on the same court or field, though; as new

information became available about HIV their opinions began to change. For example,

when Earvin ?Magic? Johnson informed the public that he was infected with the virus,

many players became very weary. No one wanted to play on the same court as him due

to fear of being infected, so Magic soon retired. However, four years later when he

decided to return to basketball, almost all the players who had felt that he should not be

able to play had different feelings. Within those four years, much new information about

the virus had been learned, resulting in Magic being very welcomed back to the sport.

Therefore, athletes who have contracted HIV should be allowed to play sports with the

same regulations and rights as any other athletes.

Earvin ?Magic? Johnson was one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the

game. When he discovered that he was HIV infected, he then retired. Some other star

players such as Karl Malone and Charles Barkley had very negative things to say about

playing on the same court with him after his announcement. However, he did return four

years later to play again. Malone, who had expressed doubts before, said he was happy

Gibson 2

to see Johnson back: ?We?ve all learned a lot? and Barkley?s attitude toward Johnson was

?we?re not going to have unprotected sex with him, we?re just going to play basketball?

(Tharp 65). Later that season during a hard-fought game, his arm was cut and began to

bleed. This was the night he decided to retire for good, not because of the sour media

attention, but because of his own respect for the rest of the players. There have also been

many other professional athletes who have HIV and still participate without ever

infecting another athlete. Another example is Greg Loughanis, Olympic gold medalist in

diving. He cut his head open when he hit it on the diving board during the Olympics, but

there was no risk to the other divers, because his blood was diluted by the large amount

of water in the pool (Sowadsky). The virus will not survive outside the human body for

more than a few minutes (Sowadsky).

In some sports, athletes have a greater risk of interaction with abrasions than

others. As in football the chance of interaction is much greater than in basketball. NBA

spokesman Chris Brienza states ?all of the doctors we?ve been in contact with have said

the chances of transmitting the virus on the basketball court are infinitesimally small?

(Tharp 65). In fact, the risk of exposure to HIV is greater for coaches and trainers

because of their interaction with the players opposed to members of the team (Pediatrics

). Although there is fluid interaction and blood is prevalent, as long as injuries are

properly handled there is no reason why HIV positive athletes should not be able to

participate in sports.

HIV testing in bloodier sports is understandable as long as all athletes are given

the same HIV requirements. The most prevalent sport to have blood to blood

Gibson 3

transmission is boxing. This is the only sport where there are some requirements. HIV

testing has started to become an issue in professional boxing, but it still is not done in

every state (Sowardsky). If HIV testing is going to become mandatory, then everyone

should have to take it, and all boxers from other countries should have the same

regulations as Americans if they want to box in the United States. In addition, athletes

who have contracted HIV should be allowed to play without stating his or her condition

to the coaching staff or the players. Each HIV infected athlete?s case should be judged

on an individual basis depending on the overall physical and mental health of the player

and the nature of the sport he or she plays; the athlete, doctor, trainer, and coach should

make this decision together (Cohis). There should also be no question in the mind of the

HIV-infected athlete as to if his or her confidentiality of health condition would be

spoken about to any other person besides the committy who decided if he or she was able

to participate. A physician should respect a HIV-infected athlete?s right to

confidentiality; this includes not disclosing the patient?s status of infection to the

participants or the staff of athletic programs (Pediatrics). As long as the patient is in good

enough condition and in a suitable sport, there should be no worry about the safety of

coaches and fellow athletes.

Although, there is a theoretical risk of HIV transmission from an HIV-infected

player to an uninfected player during athletic practice or competition, most experts agree

that the risk of sports-related HIV transmission is diminutive (Cohis). There is no

evidence that exists for a risk of transmission of HIV when infected persons engaging in

sports have no bleeding wounds; moreover, there has been no documented instance of

Gibson 4

HIV infection acquired through participation in sports (Cohis). Due to basic regulations

of any organized sport, when and if any player is injured where blood is involved, the

player is immediately drawn from the activity until the wound is fully cleaned and

covered. For example, in professional basketball whenever a player suffers a cut or

abrasion, the game is quickly stopped; towels, linens and uniforms are removed, tagged

and laundered in hot water and bleach (Tharp 65). These actions ease players, coaches,

and trainers of any anxiety of reusing any material that has come in touch with blood.

After the injury is cared for, he or she is then allowed to return to the activity and

participate.

In conclusion, the risk of transmittion from an HIV infected player is so very

remote that as long as regular precautions are practiced there will be no harm. Athletes

with HIV have been interacting in sports for nearly a decade, and there has never been a

single case where the virus had been transmitted. Many researchers have studied the

effects of athletes who are participating that have HIV, and the results have been

unanimously determined no risk. There has been so much new information acquired

from the last decade, and this information is still becoming updated on a daily basis. As

this daily knowledge is made accessible to the public, the misconceptions of risk are

becoming much clearer, giving these athletes the right to participate without

discrimination. Consequently, the resulting facts must lead to the enabling of all HIV

athletes to perform within the same guidelines as any other athlete.