Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

I was recently skimming through an article about why the United States isn't as interesting in soccer as many other countries in the world are. The article was interesting but what stood out to me was a comment made by a reader. They discussed the usage of performance enhancing drugs in the soccer league. The commenter brought up national soccer player Lional Messi and discussed his alleged drug use. They concluded , "We wouldn't have the world's best player if it wasn't for these kinds of drugs."

I think this statement is interesting because it seems to show how people view pro athletes. I'm not sure how an athlete can be considered the best when he or she is taking drugs to reach the level they are at. In my opinion, if an athlete is using drugs, they are in no way the "best player" since they are enhancing their performance the easy way. No work is necessary to become the best when you have an unfair advantage by taking drugs to enhance your game. I think it is more admirable to reach a level of athleticism on your own, without the use of illegal drugs. However, many athletes decide to use them anyway. Wikipedia states that "in 2009, nearly 1 in 10 retired NFL players polled in a confidential survey said they had used now-banned anabolic steroids while still playing"

Why do you think athletes take these drugs? Do you think there should be more pressure on them to not take drugs or is the pressure to be the best too high to stop them? What is your take on athletes like Micheal Phelps or Barry Bonds taking drugs and still being thought of as great athletes?