Winning is everything in sports. At a young age, children are taught to improve and have fun participating in sports. Though winning does feel great, they are taught that sportsmanship and progress are more important. This idea, however, is very different in the world of professional sports.

To professional athletes, winning means everything, and that is how they make a living. They are paid to produce, and failure could cost them their job, while success could bring them fame and glory.

This puts a lot of pressure on professional athletes, some of whom will do whatever it takes to win. Such actions may include anything from using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to violating basic league rules.

In today’s sports world, the most prominent form of cheating comes from the illegal use of anabolic steroids and other PEDs. This problem is most common in baseball, in which many players are commonly suspected of using PEDs. Perhaps the most prominent example is Barry Bonds, whose homerun record many fans believe to be tainted because of steroid use. Both his and the actions of others have raised questions of personal integrity throughout the sports world.

The rise in PED usage and the increasing success of today’s athletes has also caused many to question those whose longevity has defined their careers. For example, cycling great Lance Armstrong, who overcame cancer to win seven Tour de France titles, has recently been faced with accusations of former teammates concerning the use of PEDs.

The use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs also throws a cloud over many of today’s biggest sports stars, whom are constantly under suspicion by the media and sports fans as to whether they have taken to the use of illegal substances in order to heighten their athletic abilities.

However, the use of PEDs is not the only form of “cheating” in the sports world.

It seems that everyone understands the concept of sportsmanship, but do all professional athletes practice it? To put it simply, no. In fact, many professional athletes regularly violate the unspoken rules regarding sportsmanship. When it comes down to it, they will do whatever it takes to win, whether or not it is against the rules.

Such unsportsmanlike conduct occurs almost daily in the world of sports. In fact, just last Thursday, in a game between the AL East leading Yankees and second place Rays, shortstop Derek Jeter acted as if he was hit by an inside pitch in order to reach base safely. He then scored the game’s tying run when the following batter blasted a two-run homer.

Had the Yankees won, there would have been even more debate over the decency of Jeter’s “act,” which itself caused much commotion among fans and analysts.

Some people believe that this is only part of the game and that as long as they are not directly violating the rules of a sport, professional athletes should do all they can to increase their chances of winning. Many players and coaches agree with this belief, and thinking themselves beyond the ideals of sportsmanship and fair play, will do anything they can to win.

Others believe that this unsportsmanlike conduct is wrong and should not be tolerated by sports officials and commissioners. The players and coaches that take part in these acts, however, do not care whether they are penalized or disliked throughout the sports arena because to them, the only thing that matters in sports is winning.