Imagine a drug that would transform anyone from a thin, lanky, fragile being to a muscular, muscle-enhancing male physique strength and endurance to help increase performance level in any sport. sport. Without knowing the side effects, would you take this medication? This drug known as an anabolic androgenic steroid has been used by many professional athletes to help them improve their performance levels. Anabolic-androgenic steroids are a synthetic derivative of testosterone, a male hormone used to build muscle mass. The anabolic effects, i.e. muscle building, help the body retain proteins and the androgenic or masculinizing effects cause an increase in muscle mass and aggressiveness (“Steroids”). In recent years, the use of steroids in professional baseball has seen a dramatic increase. Anabolic steroids forever changed the game of professional baseball, causing players to take them to increase their playing potential, but also destroying athletes' bodies; therefore, mandatory drug testing before every match should be imposed to prevent this problem from getting worse. By the 1990s, steroids had become a major problem. Professional baseball players abused steroids without knowing the harmful side effects. Steroids can cause serious health problems such as liver damage, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and blood clots. Other minor side effects include an increased risk of ligament and tendon injuries, joint pain, muscle cramps, sleep problems, and severe acne (“Anabolic Steroids and Sports”). Recent studies from 1989 to 1998 showed that the number of players placed on the disabled list in MLB increased by thirty-one percent and a thirteen percent increase in the average length of stay on the disabled list. The...... middle of paper...... themselves. Baseball was once a game full of talent and skill, now everything is changing due to the use of steroids. Works Cited “Anabolic steroids and sports: winning at all costs. » Ministry of Health. New York State Department of Health, October 2008. Web. January 29, 2014.Carise, Denise. "Baseball and steroids: what's the problem?" »HuffPost. September 12, 2013. The web. February 2, 2014. Lavine, Joshua. 'Juicin' in the majors; A History of Steroids in Baseball. NYULocal. February 18, 2013. The web. February 6, 2014. “Fast Facts on Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports.” » CNN. November 18, 2013. The web. February 3, 2014. “Steroids: Just the Facts.” » Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, nd Web. January 23, 2014 “Steroid suspension. » Baseball Almanac. and Web. February 6, 2014. Torre, Joe and Verducci, Tom. “The man who warned baseball about steroids.” » Temporal entertainment. Time Incorporated, February 23, 2009. Web. February 7. 2014