with joel Crosskill

THE OLYMPIC mantra of 'Faster, Stronger and Higher' was never meant to have drug-related connotations - but in the advent of medical science's merger with sports performance, those Greek ideals have been corrupted. The admission of steroid use by sprinter Marion Jones got me thinking about performance-enhancing drugs in the world of football. Where, in such a skeptical age, soccer has seemingly escaped the public's rage with 'roids. The ultra-competitive world of sport has been witnessing a dangerous injection of steroid usage and other performance enhancers. Drug use and abuse represents, perhaps, the most profound, widespread and high-profile issue facing sport today. The emphasis on performance - driven by the outlandish schedule and marketing of the sport, has largely substituted the notion of fair contest that sport is supposed to promote.

How hard are they looking?

Hardest hit has been athletics, cycling, professional baseball, American football and the list goes on. Interestingly though, the premier league is yet to find any such cases of steroid use.

An unusually high number of on-field deaths has prompted calls for better controls in the sport. The year 2002 was the last time a player died on the field of natural forces, or rather a force of nature, as he was struck by lightning. However, in the six years since, 12 of 14 players have died from heart-related conditions. A rather high percentage considering one of the major side effects of prolonged steroid usage - the swelling of the heart muscle - without the growth of the capillary system that provides the heart with oxygen increases the risk for heart attack! But, that doesn't mean there haven't been instances of banned substance use being detected within football. There have been some high-profile drug busts, like Edgar Davids and Jaap Stam in 2001 for taking Nandrolone. Also, in 2007, defender Sergei Sokolov was suspended for 18 months as well as SL Benfica midfielder Nuno Assis.

Where is football's Mitchell Report?

But what is misleading is that according to Paul Kelso of The Guardian, "Footballers in England get tested more than any other sport, however, there seem to be fewer tests done on elite sides than on lower-league teams." Kelso also notes there have been a "rash of doping cases and tales of drug abuse" within the sporting fraternity. However, he says sports like football are "reluctant to admit to the doping problem, and the public tends to turn a blind eye because of the popularity of the sport."

Drug-related controversy

Yet, none of these players is as big in their sport as a Marion Jones or Roger Clemens; and I suspect it will take the naming of a big premiership star as a steroid user to finally juice the premier league's campaign to give drugs the red card. But with each major international sport drip-delivering a new drug-related controversy, isn't it about time that sport administrations around the world unite in their efforts to eradicate the scourge of steroids in sports?

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Contact Joel at jcrosskill@sportsmax.tv