As an athelete myself, I think that taking performance enhancers are cheating to get better than the rest of the competition. I would never take them because I want to see how far I can get without using steroids and other medications to help my muscles develop faster and mature quicker. That would just be cheating myself and the hardwork that I have, but it would be wasted if I took steroids. As I see other athletes taking steroids to get better at what they do. I just sit there, look, and nod my head to see that some of the top athlets that little kids look up to are cheating themseleves to no where.

"That was enough to satisfy the nation's sportswriters and talking heads. When Sports Illustrated named McGwire and Sosa its 1998 Sportsmen of the Year, the story didn't mention androstenedione. ESPN the Magazine, which had launched that spring, put McGwire on its cover twice in its first 13 issues. This was the magazine's take on McGwire and Sosa on Oct. 5, 1998: "All the downsides -- the andro revelation ... had less to do with them than with us. Besides, what they gave us will far outlast the controversies ... Everywhere men were laughing. Everywhere children shouted ... Thanks to them, we escaped." http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=steroids&num=8.

As we seen the cases on television about the baseball players being assumed that they were taking steroids to enhance performance so they can hit the long ball and this other stuff. It didn't just happen in baseball. it also happened on the track and field area of sports. I have learned that about 6 athletes have been banned for life from the sport of track because they have been taking steroids. The one that I rememeber the most was Michael Johnshon's teammate from the Olympic Winning 4X400 meter relay from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Where he ran even though the IOC told him not to. So when the IOC found out, they stripped the whole entire teams medals and he was banned from running for the USATF. If you want to use steroids or any other performance enhancers, just look for your career to coming crashing down on you.

Sports enhancers or ergogenics, which include everything from steroids to hormones to over-the-counter supplements, can improve athletic performance and help muscles work more efficiently, but are the people taking them playing a dangerous game? Physicians at the University of Michigan Health System say there is no telling what long-term effects these powders and pills can cause. However, a recent study found that when the body processes creatine it forms formaldehyde--a toxic substance that can damage everything from artery walls to muscle.

Athletes taking steroids or growth hormones are at a greater risk. "Growth hormone is found in your body in limited amounts and [disrupting] that delicate balance is not a good idea. There are legitimate uses of growth hormone, but the potential side effects are concerning, therefore monitoring by a physician is [imperative]," says Wojtys.

Steroids, in addition to the well-publicized tendencies toward anger, cause altered hair growth throughout the body, acne, other cosmetic problems and a significant change in a person's voice. "Keep in mind that for males some of these side effects are reversible after short-term use, but in females, it's thought that most of these effects are not reversible," Wojtys says.

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