Merrell Noden

About the author: Merrell Noden is a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated and the author of Home Run Heroes: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and a Season for the Ages.

The sport of track and field has been tarnished by the use of performance-enhancing drugs among its leading competitors. Each new world record raises suspicions that the record-breaker was using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. To reduce the temptation among athletes to use drugs and foster more realistic expectations from fans, competition should be emphasized over record-breaking as the measure of an exciting track meet. Reliable drug testing must also be put into effect to further deter athletes from using drugs.

Idon't remember when I first heard about steroids. Probably it was around 1972, when they were first banned by the International Olympic Committee...