PED in Sports Performance-enhancing drugs have long been a problem in sports. Not only does it deteriorate the honesty of the game, but it can also have broader social effects that you don't even realize. The use of performance-enhancing drugs is especially evident in Major League Baseball. This problem can be traced back to the 1980s, when baseball was going through one of its first “dark ages.” During the 1980s Major League Baseball was experiencing a home run drought. Home run totals were down as low as they had been since Babe Ruth, and it seemed fans were growing bored of the sport. The lack of home runs was a growing concern for players whose salaries depended on home run totals. Players needed to find a quick way to increase their power and performance to keep the sport alive and continue to earn a paycheck. This desire for fame and fortune introduced steroids to Major League Baseball in the 1990s and 2000s. Home run totals increased dramatically during these decades, and players were willing to risk getting caught using illegal substances to shine above others. New idols and role models began to pop up from these exceptional home run statistics, and kids began to take notice. This all came crashing down when these new idols and role models who were making big bucks and hitting the ball out of the park tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Herein lies the effects of a growing social problem in sport. These famous athletes become advertisements and promotions for the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. The influence professional athletes have on aspiring young athletes is very powerful and these role models make the use of performance seem acceptable... middle of paper... om/Does it pay to be unethical? The case of performance-enhancing drugs...-a0270809865 (accessed 6 December 2013). Sampson, M. “Growing Pains: Steroid Use Among Professional Athletes Affects Young Adults.” Growing Pains: Steroid Use Among Professional Athletes Affects Young Adults. http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-your-health/health-conditions-library/childrens-health/Pages/steroid-use.aspx (accessed December 6, 2013).Simons, C.” Result filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/152 (accessed 5 December 2013). Solberg, J and R Ringer. “Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Baseball: The Impact of Culture.” Ethics and behavior. http://go.galegroup.com.libproxy.howardcc.edu/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=c (accessed December 5, 2013).