Sport enthusiasts like heroes and villains. They like to see bigger, faster, athletes and exciting sporting contests. No one likes to go to an event and see a low score, slow times, or feeble athletes. We demand constant action worthy of a highlight reel. At the same time, an athlete who has taken drugs makes every headline news outlet and raises the questions of the purity and fairness in a sport.

When the stakes are high, and the potential to make astronomical money is present, what will deter an athlete from taking a drug to advance their performance and better their career? Perhaps we are to blame by demanding our athletes play at such a high caliber rate 100% of the time, or look a certain way in order to be accepted. Money talks, and we we speak loudly by supporting teams, athletes, and their sponsors only when the athlete provides us with entertainment in the form of exceptional performance.
 
Most levels of competitive "physique" sports are filled with athletes using steroids, growth hormones, insulin, and other drugs. Many people at the gym look at the big guys or girls and wonder what it takes to get that big. There is no question that those people train hard, eat right, and make a commitment to their sport. Part of this commitment is the use of anabolic drugs, and unless we change our judging standards, it will not be abolished. Taking the drugs alone will not make this athlete great, but not taking them will often result in a “no podium, no trophy” finish at the competition.
  Looking at the highest ranks of Mr. Olympia or Ms. Universe, we cannot claim that they would not make it to the professional level without outside assistance. When one or more athletes up the stakes and take drugs, what choice do other athletes have but also seek similar assistance? There is usually a sharp contrast in competitions when the athletes are truly “all natural” or drug free. A friend of mine has placed at least Top 5 for many years in all-natural shows, yet he failed to make Top 10 in a recent show that does not test its athletes.
 
Some competitions structure their rules in such a way to allow athletes to use drugs, but then mask them. A few competitions simply require a polygraph test to prove being drug-free. Others maintain the right the test athletes at any time, yet they never do. We need to understand that we are the driving force behind these athletes' choices. They are often forced to alter their body's chemistry by using drugs to improve performance, and then using more drugs to mask their use. A look at the Olympic Committees list of banned substances makes it evident that no sport and no athlete is exempt from the temptation to improve their performance. The list bans substances such as androgenic steroids and even tranquilizers. Recent research shows that the majority of steroid use is among recreational users who use them for for vanity's sake. They take drugs to look better, not to perform better. Are our standards of attractiveness encouraging drug use? Are we breeding the next batch of artificial athletes?  

 Manny Escalante, Jr. MA, ATC, CPT has a Master's Degree in Sports Medicine,
Certified Athletic Trainer, and Certified Personal Trainer.
Competed in bodybuilding and a 3 time Ironman Triathlon Finisher