Michael Bamberger and Don Yaeger

About the author: Michael Bamberger and Don Yaeger write for Sports Illustrated, a popular weekly sports publication.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs is prevalent in professional and amateur sports. While many people may associate drug use only with football players or athletes from Europe or Asia, drug use has spread to many sports and has become common in the United States. Many athletes will willingly risk future health damage in order to gain a competitive edge. Most pro leagues and sports organizations do little to prevent drug use, and those that do test for drugs find themselves in a losing battle with athletes and trainers who continually devise new drugs and methods of beating drug tests.

Ascenario, from a 1995 poll of 198 sprinters, swimmers, powerlifters and other assorted...