Despite vows to fight drug abuse in professional sports, it seems that such abuse still occurs and isn’t ending any time soon.

In April, 2017, Major League Baseball (MLB) suspended Pittsburgh Pirates star Starling Marte eighty games for using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). More specifically, he tested positive for nandrolone, a synthetic steroid related to testosterone.

Marte apologized for the suspension and said that it was due to “neglect and lack of knowledge.” Others argue, however, that doctors and trainers typically administer these types of substances by injection.

Marte clearly knew he was receiving some sort of substance. Did he think he was receiving a vitamin, supplement, or legally prescribed medication? It does seem hard to believe that Marte was totally ignorant about the injections.

This is yet another example of a high-profile athlete connected to drug use. Marte isn’t the first, and he certainly won’t be the last. Baseball fans are still debating whether admitted steroid users Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa should be inducted into the sport’s National Hall of Fame and Museum.

This begs the obvious question, did Marte, McGwire, and the others really need to use performance-enhancing drugs? In his rookie year, McGwire hit forty-nine home runs. His slim body didn’t show evidence of steroid use or abuse, but the power was still there.

Performance-enhancing drugs aren’t limited to baseball, either. We all know how elite bicyclist Lance Armstrong lied about his use of PEDs for years. Armstrong, too, paid the consequences. The International Cycling Union stripped Armstrong of the seven consecutive Tour de France titles that he won from 1999 through 2005.

Although athletes might think that steroids and PEDs can help them hit a baseball farther or pedal a bicycle faster, these advantages are just momentary. Their temporary victories ultimately result in permanent defeats.