"A Clean Amateur Makes a Good Professional": On deviance, professionalism and doping in elite sport - illustrated by the case of Danish cycling

"A Clean Amateur Makes a Good Professional" examines why athletes who are using (or are alleged of using) illegal drugs notoriously are labelled as deviant outsiders by the media as well as by the sporting authorities. By contrasting today's situation with previous times where the professional athletes enjoyed a tacit exemption from the ethical standards of the amateurs, the article discusses the application of potentially contradictory sets of norms of behaviour to present day athletes. By using the current situation in Danish elite cycling as example, it is demonstrated how these contradictory norms are reflected in today's professional and amateur riders' attitude to doping. With the analysis of the labelling of drug-using athletes as deviant outsiders new light is introduced to the debate of the relation between the use of drugs in elite sport and the expectations and demands of the surrounding society to these athletes.