Steven Monteleone Emilia Grant English 1102 3/25/2014 Inquiry Topic Proposal My topic for my inquiry project is sports

and marijuana. I want to look into the relationship of the two and see how they play a role in society together. This topic is very interesting to me because it is very new. Sports and marijuana as recently become popular talk because of the Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. The reason these two teams brought light to this topic is because of their location. Both Denver and Seattle are both places where the use of marijuana has recently became legal for recreational and medicinal use. The big issue for the NFL is should players be allowed to use it. Currently players are prohibited to use marijuana whether you live where it is legal or not. The NFL regularly drug tests their players for marijuana. Talk has been coming up that the players should be allowed to use marijuana to help with injuries, soreness and stress. With marijuana being a touchy topic but slowly becoming more recognized as a medicine and not as a harmful illegal substance, people want to know why cant the NFL just lift the ban and allow their players to use it. My sources are mainly just articles or interviews with NFL players and coaches giving their opinions on the topic. Many say the NFL should realize the good it could do to players 1

and the benefits for the league. Players are even coming out and admitting to using or have used marijuana and saying how it helps them with the tough job of putting your body on the line in order to play a game. In my paper I want to look in depth of marijuana and how it affects the sports world and if athletes should be allowed to use it or not. From here more questions arise leading me on a journey of research to see what the future holds for sports and marijuana.

I.

Introduction a. Professional Sports Policies b. Marijuana Legalization

II.

Marijuana a. Medicinal use i. Stress and Pain reliever 1. Iversen, Leslie L. The Science of Marijuana. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. b. Side Effects and Risks

III.

Benefits For Athletes a. Helps with injuries and concussions b. Safer than other prescribed medicinal c. Less addictive than other pain killers i. Bryant, Howard. Smoke Screen. ESPN The Magazine. 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 Aug. 2014

IV.

Personal Experience a. Relatable story of Athlete and Medicine

V.

NFL Point of view a. Players i. Ricky Williams 1. Chiari, Mike. Ricky Williams and Ryan Clark. BleacherReport.com. 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. ii. Antonio Cromartie

1. Cromartie, Antonio. Interviewed by Ashlee Ray. This is 50. Jan. Web. 25 Aug. 2014 b. Coaches i. Pete Carroll Graziano, Dan. Carroll Weighs in on Medicinal Pot. ESPN.com, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. c. Commissioner i. Roger Goodell Burke, Chris. Roger Goodell: NFL May Allow Medicinal Marijuana if it Helps With 2014, Web. 25 Aug. 2014 Concussions. SportsIllustrated.com, 23 Jan.

VI.

Lifting the Ban a. Fair or Unfair

VII.

Legalization a. Denver and Seattle b. Who is Next c. Future for NFL

VIII.

Conclusion