Musclebound: A Novel

Abstract

Athletes have been taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) since the ancient Olympics in Greece, but in the last thirty years, doping in sport has become a frequent topic in the media. Musclebound is a novel that explores the moral implications of athletes using PEDs to recover from injuries. The story follows Tyler Horton, a twenty-three-year-old sprinter who is close to qualifying for the Olympics. He tears his Achilles tendon and takes Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to recover in time to qualify. Even though he is healing at an inhuman rate, he begins to doubt if he made an ethical decision. Tyler is influenced by the opinions of his girlfriend, whose brother died in a PEDs related overdose, and his best friend who begins selling PEDs as a way to fund the drugs he is taking to become a professional bodybuilder. Tyler confesses to his PED usage when he realizes that even if HGH will help him heal quicker from his injury, he’s getting an unfair advantage. Musclebound also explores the inability of athletes to cope with the ending of their careers as well as the fragility of the male ego in sport by following the careers of athletes through a range of sports.