Steroids and Standardised Tests: Meritocracy and the Myth of Fair Play in the United States

Steroid use in professional sports continues to receive much media attention in the United States. The predominant response to the use of steroids in professional sports is negative. Much of the opposition to steroid use focuses on the critical importance of fair play in American society. To the degree that steroids provide some players with an unfair advantage, the use of steroids is said to undermine fair play. This paper provides an analogical analysis of SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) coaching services, and the manner in which these services similarly undermine "fair play" in college admissions competition. Ultimately, our national commitment to fair play is context-specific. If one looks closely, it further reveals the troubling possibility that fair play as a core value is not a core value at all, but little more than an empty mantra.