Fisher, Allison

Seeborg, Faculty Advisor, Michael

Digital Commons @ Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan UniversityDigital Commons @ IWUJohn Wesley Powell Student ResearchConference 2008, 19th Annual JWP ConferenceApr 12th, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AMAn Economic Analysis of the Effect of Steroids onSeason Best Performances in Track and FieldAllison FisherIllinois Wesleyan UniversityMichael Seeborg, Faculty AdvisorIllinois Wesleyan UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/jwprcThis Event is brought to you for free and open access by The Ames Library, the Andrew W. Mellon Center for Curricular and FacultyDevelopment, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the President. It has been accepted for inclusion in Digital Commons @ IWU bythe faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@iwu.edu.©Copyright is owned by the author of this document.Allison Fisher and Michael Seeborg, Faculty Advisor, "An Economic Analysis of the Effect of Steroids on Season BestPerformances in Track and Field" (April 12, 2008). John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference. Paper 8.http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/jwprc/2008/posters/8THE JOHN WESLEY POWELL STUDENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE - APRIL 2008 Poster Presentation PI5  AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF STEROIDS ON SEASON BEST PERFORMANCES IN TRACK AND FIELD Allison Fisher and Michael Seeborg* Economics Department, Illinois Wesleyan University This paper investigates the relationship between steroids and season best performance statistics in track and field over the period from 1949 to 2007. Certain event groups have seen a faster drop in season bests than others. Medical research on the effect of steroids on slow and fast twitch muscle fiber indicates that certain event groups (e.g., sprinters, distance. throwers, jumpers) would benefit more than other event groups (e.g., distance runners) from steroids. The theoretical framework underlying my research is production theory from the economics literature where inputs such as coaching, facilities and steroids produce season best performances. Based on this theory and scientific research on muscle fiber. I hypothesize that steroids allow sprinters to improve their season bests more than other event groups. As expected. the regression analysis shows that the effect of steroids on performance varies across track and field events. 

An Economic Analysis of the Effect of Steroids on Season Best Performances in Track and Field

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An Economic Analysis of the Effect of Steroids on Season Best Performances in Track and Field

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