Essays / Doping in sports - Toulmin model essay [4]

Hi,

I have a final paper due in three weeks and I'm having trouble getting started. It's supposed to be a Toulmin Essay with at least 5 academic sources and address a debatable topic.

So far what I have is this for my outline:

1. Research question (consult the document following this template if you are unclear about research questions):

Why are athletes using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sports?

2. Three major areas of investigation/focus
- Reasons for using PED?
- Benefits/Positive and negative for doping in sports.
- Regulatory bodies for anti-doping and governance.

3. List of major points to be made in the paper

a. History of doping and anti-doping systems.
b. Benefits such as fame and fortunes of doping
c. Doping for recreational use
d. Adverse negative side-effects of doping
e. Current regulatory bodies for doping and improvements.

4. Your thesis (answer to your research question) based upon your readings and your annotated bibliography:

Athletes are using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) because they believe that it gives them a competitive advantage which will provide them with potential financial success, social status, and aesthetic appeal.

I would love to get some feedback or hear some other suggestions on the topic and how I can improve on my thesis. I feel that it is very weak right now. I'm horrible at writing essays and this class is difficult for me because writing doesn't come to me. I'm a lot better with mathematical courses where there is a right and wrong answer.