5 top athletes who used performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)

Lance Armstrong is arguably the most well-known athlete on this list and certainly the biggest "winner" in terms of titles. He won the Tour De France a remarkable 7 times. Rumors of PED usage dogged him his entire career. In early 2013, he admitted that not only had he used PEDs during each of his Tour wins, but he had used them long before he was even racing in the Tour. In fact, he was using PEDs prior to his cancer diagnosis. Barry Bonds is the most prolific home run hitter in the history of the game. Owner of both the single season and career records for homers, Barry retired in disgrace after stories of failed drug tests from the early 2000s. He was long rumored to be on steroids as his body grew in cartoonish proportions late into his 30s. The irony of his story is that soon after his retirement, his team (San Francisco), became one of the most dominant teams in baseball and has won 2 of the past 3 championships. Barry never won a championship during his career.Jake Shields (left) and Nick Diaz are mixed martial artists (MMA) who are both currently signed to the UFC. Jake fought for the welterweight title in 2011 (he lost) and Nick is scheduled to fight for the same title in 2013. Both have served suspensions for PEDs. Jake failed a test in late 2012 and is currently serving a suspension. Nick is an admitted user of marijuana and has failed multiple tests for the drug. He is coming off a year-long suspension heading into his title fight.View the list »
Marion Jones was a true star. She was the starting point guard for a North Carolina women's basketball team (as a freshman) that won the NCAA championship. She went on to win five medals in the 2000 Olympic games in track. She later admitted taking PEDs and was stripped of all of her medals. She even spent time in jail relating to a check-cashing fraud scheme that she participated in.

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Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) seem to be everywhere in the world of sports news these days. Reportedly even Oscar Pistorius was found to have boxes full of syringes and testosterone in his house after the recent murder of his girlfriend. For sports fans, the links to PEDs by so many athletes is upsetting. Sports are supposed to be entertaining and inspiring, yet knowing that that these athletes are getting an artificial proves to be just the opposite. Even Bill Simmons, the "Sports Guy" of ESPN fame, wrote an article recently about how upsetting it is to have knowledge of this side of sports and what it is like to realize that sports "heroes" are anything but.

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Here is a list of 5 athletes that have all tested positive for PEDs.

View the list
  • Marion Jones was a true star. She was the starting point guard for a North Carolina women's basketball team (as a freshman) that won the NCAA championship. She went on to win five medals in the 2000 Olympic games in track. She later admitted taking PEDs and was stripped of all of her medals. She even spent time in jail relating to a check-cashing fraud scheme that she participated in.
  • Jake Shields (left) and Nick Diaz are mixed martial artists (MMA) who are both currently signed to the UFC. Jake fought for the welterweight title in 2011 (he lost) and Nick is scheduled to fight for the same title in 2013. Both have served suspensions for PEDs. Jake failed a test in late 2012 and is currently serving a suspension. Nick is an admitted user of marijuana and has failed multiple tests for the drug. He is coming off a year-long suspension heading into his title fight.
  • Barry Bonds is the most prolific home run hitter in the history of the game. Owner of both the single season and career records for homers, Barry retired in disgrace after stories of failed drug tests from the early 2000s. He was long rumored to be on steroids as his body grew in cartoonish proportions late into his 30s. The irony of his story is that soon after his retirement, his team (San Francisco), became one of the most dominant teams in baseball and has won 2 of the past 3 championships. Barry never won a championship during his career.
  • Lance Armstrong is arguably the most well-known athlete on this list and certainly the biggest "winner" in terms of titles. He won the Tour De France a remarkable 7 times. Rumors of PED usage dogged him his entire career. In early 2013, he admitted that not only had he used PEDs during each of his Tour wins, but he had used them long before he was even racing in the Tour. In fact, he was using PEDs prior to his cancer diagnosis. 
View the list

, LA Cycling Fitness Examiner

Jay has a Bachelor of Arts in English from West Virginia University and a Master of Arts in adult education from the University of Rhode Island. He is also a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist (CFNS). ...

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