Doping is a Labor Issue

I’ll admit that I didn’t pay much attention to the Professional Tennis Players Association when it was first announced a few years ago. Launched amid Covid-19, the PTPA seemed borne out of the confusion around how various tennis tournaments were handling the pandemic, a view that seemed to be confirmed when Novak Djokovic, one of the organization’s founders and loudest advocates, got all caught up in weird anti-vax stuff.

But it’s still around, and while not that much is known about the organization, it seems to have some promise and credibility, with leading players like Djokovic and Ons Jabeur on its Player Executive Committee. 

To be clear, the PTPA is not a union. Tennis players are independent contractors, not employees, and men’s and women’s tournaments are governed by the ATP and WTA respectively, which includes players as members. Both have Players Councils, which are supposed to represent the interests of players. But there have long been criticisms that players’ voices are not adequately represented by this structure, and players need an organization of their own to protect their interests. 

And recently, Djokovic has called out the tour for its handling of Jannik Sinner, who failed two steroid tests but has not been suspended. This is obviously a tricky issue, because nobody wants to accuse another player of cheating, and the tour concluded he tested positive because of a substance he consumed accidentally. 

But you can see why people might be suspicious. Sinner is one of the game’s biggest stars, and the tournaments have an obvious incentive to find reasons not to exclude him. Which is exactly why drug testing and doping policy is not something that players should cede to other people and organizations!

I have written many times about why steroid testing or doping regulations are bad for players — so much so that I know I have a tendency to come off as soft on doping. And, honestly, in this area I certainly AM more tolerant than the average fan. But I am not really pro cheating, at least in sports. Fair competition is good. It’s just that you can’t really trust leagues and tournaments to enforce it. When they’re in charge, then “enforcement” usually consists of looking the other way most of the time, then cracking down hard on people who are powerless when things start to look bad.

On the other hand, as the Professional Tennis Player Association shows, players really do have an interest in consistent and fair applications of the rules. After all, they are the ones who are really harmed, and if the goal is really to promote fairness — as opposed to just having a weapon you can selectively wield against workers — then it makes sense to let them set the terms of testing, appeals, etc. 

Of course, this is almost never how it works in practice. Virtually every sport’s drug testing regime is an opaque, confusing process that is mainly controlled by owners, leagues, and tournaments. Which is why I’m skeptical that people really care about fairness, and generally assume most drug testing programs are bullshit…