The use of performance-enhancing drugs is an ongoing issue in sports today.
There are multiple athletes who use drugs like Anabolic-androgenic steroids
(AAS), stimulants, and peptide hormones. These drugs increase muscle protein
formation and inhabit muscle tissue breakdown as athletes started to break records
at remarkable rates, people started to get suspicious. Athletes were caught using
Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’S) when they were out through a series of
tests. The tests require an athlete’s blood sample or urine sample to track their
biological markers over time to identify their drug usage.

This is not the first time humans have identified this issue, studies show
ancient people also using drugs to enhance performance. They would extract
substances from derived plants, animals, and even humans. So, there has been a
history of doping for a while, even in the 1904 Olympics games. Marathon runner
Thomas Hicks took strychnine multiple times during the race. This caused Hicks to
have an erratic performance, multiple hallucinations, and pass out after crossing
the finish line. But in recent times, there has been a rise in doping in high school
and college students. A recent statistic shows one in every five males from ages
18-25 consider taking PED’s (https://nfhs.org/stories/infographic-steroid-abuse-in-
high-school-and-college-athletes). Furthermore, a NCAA test during the regular
season for athletes showed drug usage during championships/playoffs.

Once again, the use of PED’s is an issue in athletics, but there are ways
coaches and educators can reduce this issue. If I were a coach of a sports team, I
would have consistent regulations and tests if necessary. Hopefully, this trend will
decline in the future.