History of Performance Enhancing Drugs

By banwukah

  • Vin Mariani

    Drug use in sports was first recorded around 1890. Recipes were processed from coca leaves, the source of cocaine. Vin Mariani was the premiere recipe for French athletes and was later used in the United States under different names. (Image: "Vin Mariani", 1896.)

  • Enhancer Use in Marathon

    Thomas Hicks used strychnine sulfate at the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Games to attain first place in the marathon. It became a common use for most athletes before the drug became prescribed in 1920. (Image: Sherman, Ross, "A Cheated History", 2007)

  • Setting The Tone

    The International Association of Athletics Federation was known as the first sports organization to prohibit doping by athletes. (Image: "IAAF Logo", 2000)

  • Introduction: Steroid Sales

    Dr. John Ziegler introduced the anabolic steroid Dianabol which met FDA approval. It manipulated muscle-building properties of testosterone, but had negative health defects. (Image: Willis, Richard. "A Day In The Office", 1958)

  • Mass Withdrawal

    Modern-aged drug testing began during the 1983 Pan American Games and would set a landmark for American sports. A new method was developed for drug testing that resulted in many withdrawals from competition. (Image: "Pan Am Logo," 1983.)

  • President's Response

    Ronald Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 which prohibited the use of non-medical steroids to excel performance. (Photograph, 1988.)

  • "Banning" of Steroids

    Fay Vincent, former commissioner of MLB, sent a neglected, seven-paged note to all of MLB addressing the prohibition of illegal drug use. (Photograph, 1991)

  • A Fallen Victim

    Former NFL defensive lineman Lyle Alzado died at 43. He believed that his disease came from his long use of steroids/HGH. (Image: Sports Illustrated, 1992)

  • Mark McGwire Exposed

    St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire admitted to using a steroid precursor in the beginning of the 1998 MLB season, where he broke Roger Maris' single-season record with 70 home runs. (Photograph, 2002.)

  • The "Steroid Era"

    For Sports Illustrated, Ken Caminiti revealed his steroid use during his 1996 season with the San Diego Padres. He then stated an estimate of half the league to be doping. (Photograph, 2000)

  • Instituting Penalties

    After 5-7% players in MLB were tested positive for steroids after randomized testing, the league instituted penalties of counseling and suspensions. (Image: Zyglis, Adam, "Field of Bad Dreams", 2007)

  • American History's Largest Steroid Scandal

    Federal law launched Operation Raw Deal which involved international trading of anabolic steroids and HGH. 143 federal search warrants occurred and 56 steroid labs (worth almost $7 million) were discovered, resulting in 124 arrests. (Photograph, 2007)

  • Barry Bonds Indicted

    San Francisco's federal jury accused Bonds for lying about his trainer Greg Anderson injecting steroids. Anderson was imprisoned for refusing to testify against Bonds. (Photograph, "Cheaters", 2007.)

  • Alex Rodriguez Tested Positive

    For Sports Illustrated, Alex Rodriguez revealed that he was tested positive for banned subtances in 2001-2003. (Image: Sports Illustrated, 2009)

  • A Tarnished Legacy

    Armstrong was stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles after refusing to fight allegations of using performance enhancing drugs. (Photograph, "Winner of Seven", 2011)