Title: Steroids use in sports and their effects Word Count: 622 Summary: With the development of society, competition grows harder in every aspect of life. Competitive sports are no exception. Athletes, bodybuilders, models etc. are always looking to enhance their performance in their respective fields, naturally or otherwise. Driven by their obsession to reach higher levels in their careers, many sportspeople are willing to use any means necessary to make sure they gain the competitive edge. Keywords: steroids in sports Article Body: With the development of society, competition grows harder in every aspect of life. Competitive sports are no exception. Athletes, bodybuilders, models etc. are always looking to enhance their performance in their respective fields, naturally or otherwise. Driven by their obsession to reach higher levels in their careers, many sportspeople are willing to use any means necessary to make sure they gain the competitive edge. The use of steroids in sports has been recorded as early as 2000 years ago. Back then, athletes were known to consume various herbs and even ram testicles. Apparently, these were sources of testosterone, from which the modern-day anabolic steroids are derived or processed. Today, due to the advent of these anabolic steroids, overdose and wrong usage are the major problems concerning steroids. Many athletes fail to consider the side effects and abuse these substances. This leads to a variety of health-related repercussions, including chronic diseases. Due to this form of abuse, major sports bodies of the world have now explicitly banned the use of anabolic steroids. These bodies include the Olympics, FIFA, NHL, NFL etc. These organizations require athletes to undergo various doping tests before they are allowed to participate in any events. Athletes found guilty of steroid intake are immediately banned from competition. It has been discovered by various surveys that steroids are used in large quantities by high-school athletes who are barely over their adolescence. This, combined with popular abuse, forced governments around the world to impose severe restrictions on these substances. The United States now reserves anabolic steroids under “controlled substances”. It is illegal for anyone to purchase them without proper medical prescription. So, you must be extremely careful if you wish to buy or use anabolic steroids, as any illegal dealings can potentially land you in prison. You must also consider the harmful effects and be responsible when considering these drugs. Steroids in sports Steroids are used in almost all levels of bodybuilding and competitive sports. These include baseball, basketball, track and field events, cricket, boxing, wrestling, soccer and even the Olympics. Recent studies show that a high concentration of steroid usage has been found in high schools and amateur sporting events. This means that athletes are ready to do whatever it takes to take achieve success in their athletic careers. Until the 1950’s anabolic steroids in sports were relatively unknown. Ancient athletes stuck to using special herbs or meat to increase their hormone levels and give them the athletic boost they wanted. In recent years, sportsmen have taken to anabolic steroids, although they know how harmful these substances can be when used without proper guidance. The first instance of steroid use in sports was discovered in the 1954 Olympics. Immediately, hordes of athletes caught on to this trend, and recognizing the dangers, the Olympic committee banned their use. But, the savvy sportsmen weren’t ready to give up yet. They began using disguised or stealth steroids which could not be detected by the standard doping tests. This was when all major sports bodies began banning anabolic steroids. Hence, the battle began to make sure that doping was stopped. Even today, athletes continue to cloak their steroid usage and benefit from them in competition. Despite many attempts by activist organizations to increase public awareness, sportspeople, including aspiring high-school athletes still use anabolic steroids without realizing the deadly side-effects. These range from heart-diseases to emotional imbalances to infertility. Thanks to all the controversy created by these substances, major world governments have now imposed serious bans over the usage of anabolic steroids. They are now considered “controlled drugs” and are no longer available for purchase without proper medical prescription. It must also be noted that once purchased, steroids must be consumed or injected only with professional guidance.