by Young Se Choi ‘18 and Samantha Keller ‘19, Sports Editors

How often do you turn on the TV to watch your favorite athlete win the big game, only to see them begin vaping once the game is over? Probably never. That’s because all in all, despite being a supposed improvement from actual cigarettes, almost nothing about the action of vaping contributes to an athlete’s performance on the field or court.

Most notably, athletes suffer from the use of vaporizers or Juuls because of the effects these products have on their lungs and the amount of oxygen that can reach this system. Dr. Norman Edelman, senior consultant for scientific affairs at the American Lung Association, explained, “For people who exercise to the full capacity of their lungs, then of course any decrease in lung function will impair the ability to exercise.” Although tobacco is not directly found in vaporizers or Juuls, when other harmful fumes such as carbon monoxide or nicotine enter one’s system, the body becomes incapable of producing the sufficient amount of energy needed to perform at a high level. Additionally, because the vape phenomenon is so novel to modern society, scientists and doctors are not yet aware of its long-term effects on athletes or any individuals who choose to handle these products.

Beyond this, the public perception of vape and Juul products have a negative impact on any athletes who involve themselves in these actions. Those high-level athletes with endorsements from major companies must be particularly mindful of this as their public image is constantly scrutinized.

The history of athletes consuming nicotine products dates back to the early 1900’s when soccer players used chewing tobacco before, during, and after games in their locker rooms. Flash forward nearly a century; vaping has hit high school locker rooms across the nation. But instead of using chewing tobacco, products such as Juul and Phix have become popular and the use of such products seems to be growing. In some high schools, such as Newton High School in Massachusetts, incidents of vaping in the bathroom and locker room have happened with enough frequency that faculty members have sent out emails to parents regarding the health risks of e-cigs.

But how has vaping in particular become so popular in locker rooms? For young athletes who are worried about hard drugs affecting their performance and health but also are curious and want to experiment with substances, vaping seems to be an ideal option for them as it is marketed as a much safer and cheaper option than cigarettes. The recent vaping epidemic has affected sports teams in particular. According to Doctor JJ Menuet, a sports medicine doctor in France, there is a high prevalence of nicotine usage within team sports; hence, a snowball effect occurs as when one athlete starts vaping, his or her teammates tend to follow. Additionally, a recent study performed by researchers at the University of Dijon in France cited that athletes consume nicotine in order to reduce anxiety and perform rituals.

Youth is a time in people’s lives in which individuals want to experiment and follow the crowd to fit in. Add this to the fact that high schoolers often congregate in the locker room, a compact area filled with teens sharing the same sentiments, and it becomes a locus for shifting trends and norms within youth culture. And now in 2018, vaping has become a part of this trend.