Athletic competition has been a part of society since the dawn of man. Gladiators, wrestlers, and sprinters are some of the first types of athletes who competed. It seems that humanity was born with the desire to compete; every man feels the need to dominate another man. These facts are also evident in today's society. Now there are all kinds of sports to choose from, and many of these sports are played at a professional level. These sporting events give individuals the chance to be better than another person, just as previous ones did. That innate desire to dominate will lead men to do almost anything for victory. This is positive in many cases because it shows courage and perseverance; on the other hand, many have gone to the extreme of resorting to external agents to increase their chances of domination. By this I mean that a large number of athletes use performance-enhancing drugs. “Athletes have taken natural or synthetic aids since the earliest days of organized sports competition” (Clark, Cooper, and Griffen, 525). The use of performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids has become too widespread and must be stopped. Illegal production and distribution of steroids should be stopped. The sports community as a whole despises the use of such drugs. Many rules and regulations have been created to reduce the number of athletes using mats to improve their performance. The Olympics exemplify this strategy very well. If an Olympic competitor admits to or tests positive for steroid use, he or she may be stripped of any medals won or may be disqualified from all competitions. A well-remembered example of this happening was when sprinter Ben Johnson won the gold medal in the 100 metres, but not long after being denounced from his position as the fastest man in the world. Professional and college football in the United States also takes this approach to athletes caught using steroids. Football players can be fined or suspended from playing if they test positive. Just last month three National Football League players were suspended from the final four games of their season after testing positive for steroid-like substances. These are not the only events where testing and sanctions occur. Many other sports test their athletes for steroid use.