In the world of sports in the 21st century, skepticism is king.

Every world-class athlete this side of Michael Phelps is surrounded by cynicism. From Albert Pujols to Brock Lesnar, Lance Armstrong to Usain Bolt, breathtaking achievements seem to always be followed with one simple question: Are steroids involved?

Anabolic steroids have been a part of American culture for much of the past 20 years. Look no further than Major League Baseball for proof. But until recently, steroids were seen as something that could only be obtained underground or on the black market, similar to other street drugs.

With the rise of the visibility of steroid use in MLB came a rise in curiosity. In 1998, Mark McGwire chased Roger Maris' single-season home run record, all the while knowingly taking an over-the-counter supplement known as andro, or androstendione. Pro-hormones burst into the public consciousness.

The American Heritage Medical Dictionary defines pro-hormone as a precursor to a hormone. This essentially means pro-hormones are supplements that, when ingested, are converted by the human body into anabolic hormones that produce effects similar to anabolic steroids. But because they are precursors and not synthetic steroids, pro-hormones could be purchased over the counter by anyone over 18 years of age up until recently. In July, the FDA added all pro-hormone products to the banned substance list, essentially making them illegal to distribute, but like any substance, it can still be obtained by those with an agenda.

This created an interesting dilemma. Skepticism will surround world-class athletes inevitably. But if pro-hormone products could be purchased over the counter and have the efficacy of steroids, how much skepticism should surround high school athletes who are not subject to stringent regulation? The prevalence even here in Missoula is a concentrated problem at best, but exists nonetheless. Will the recent ban eliminate the problem, or will they be available in the same underground channels as other banned substances?

For reasons ranging from privacy to the negative connotations associated with anabolic supplements, two Missoula men agreed to go on record about their use of pro-hormone products under the assurance of anonymity. One of the men (who will be referred to as the player) plays college football. The second man is a University of Montana student (who will be referred to as the student) who took pro-hormones simply to improve his physical appearance. Both helped shed light on the psychology, prevalence, and efficacy of these products.

It was the spring of the player's junior year. Summer training for football was about to begin. The player knew it was make or break time if he wanted to play college football.

Talk of a new pro-hormone known as Tren that could be purchased over the counter at various outlets in Missoula was spreading. Gossip of potential users also became the subject of many conversations. It was confirmed that a friend of the player's, a senior about to graduate, was taking Tren. Cosmetically, Tren seemed effective. One guinea pig turned into 10, then 20. Soon, Tren became the new trend.

Anything that effective raises concerns for safety. There was also the assumption that Tren was nothing but a glamorous steroid.

"When I first heard about it, I said I would never do it," said the player. "We thought it was just 'roids, we thought it was terrible. When you realize you can buy it at the store, it's a whole new ballgame."

Just like many before and after him, the player became convinced lesser athletes were gaining ground because of their use of pro-hormones.

"I wanted to play college football and I knew I needed something," the player said. "There were guys that weren't as athletic as me achieving more, guys about to play college football. I knew I needed that edge. So I bought a cycle and started working my ass off."

That hard work paid off almost instantly, as the player put on more than 30 pounds of lean muscle mass in a little more than one month. Not only was he bulking up, he was also incredibly strong and his speed was off the charts. By football season, he was a specimen ready to display his new-found size to college scouts. By the following summer, his dream of playing college football was a reality.

Jeff Kovick, who runs the Max Muscle franchise with his wife, Kati, said his store had a strict policy of never selling any pro-hormone products to anyone under 18. Even with the FDA's recent ban on pro-hormones, the Kovicks have seen no dip in total sales of other products.

"Our last big sale in July, right after pro-hormones had been pulled off the shelves, was our biggest sale to date," Jeff said. "Pro-hormones were popular, but they made up less than five percent of our total sales."

Jeff Kovick hopes the recent removal of products like Tren from shelves will encourage athletes to return to the bare bones of training; simple things like eating right and working hard in the weight room.

"(Pro-hormones) do work, they probably work a little too well, and that's why they're gone," Jeff said. "We discouraged young people, even if they were of legal age, to stay away from pro-hormones because your hormone levels are peaking until you are 26. People who got the best results from those products were in their 40s or 50s."

Consequences for high school athletes exist almost exclusively in the court of public opinion. Drug testing is rare, so the only consequence for a high school athlete on pro-hormones - if they're able to find them since the FDA ban - is how both peers and parents perceive them.

"When you start talking about drug testing, you are talking about privacy issues and you are making an issue out of nothing," said Missoula Sentinel head football coach Pete Joseph. "If anything, that will only spur curiosity. The most important thing is to not plant the seed. We encourage our kids to work hard, that's it. We don't tell them they have to be a certain size or anything. Just work hard."

Privacy and drug testing aside, Joseph thinks Montana is still somewhat isolated. He said he doesn't feel the problem is widespread, but the skepticism that has become commonplace in sports still lingers.

"I don't think it's a rampant issue here in Montana, I really don't," Joseph said. "Sometimes I think about it because we work really hard and I know where our kids bodies should be at, and you look at other teams, other athletes and wonder, 'Wow, what are they doing that we aren't,' because you can't work harder than my players work."

Gary Ekegren has been coaching football for more than 40 years and this fall begins his 20th season as head man at Missoula Big Sky. Supplements are a new phenomenon in Ekegren's world, and one he worries about.

"You put any of that stuff in your body that's foreign, it ain't real," Ekegren said. "We really push against all that stuff. I tell kids that are spending their money on those protein shakes they are just throwing their money away, just go eat more. I really worry because I care about high school athletics so much and everything filters down eventually. If you think it doesn't happen here, you have your head in the sand.

"I've been suspicious of guys over the years and it worries me, but I have no proof," Ekegren added.

For athletes, pro-hormones can be a leg up on the competition, an extra step in an already stringent training regime. But for many other consumers who are just looking to get cut up in the weight room, pro-hormones are simply a way to achieve results more immediately.

The student had always been a gym rat. Physical fitness was an important aspect of his life. He first came upon pro-hormone products while shopping online. He knew a little bit about the products and their effectiveness so he decided to supplement his workouts with a product known as Havoc. The same psychology that influences athletes not subject to drug tests influenced the student. Public perception was the only battle he had to fight.

"What bothers me the most about the use of pro-hormones is that observers tend to give all the credit to the use of the supplements," said the student. "But I work extremely hard and I credit that for the results I gain over time, not to the supps. If these products are available and you understand how to safely cycle and they work, why wouldn't you take them?"

In the world of over-the-counter supplements, the use of rhetoric is influential. Pro-hormone products are anabolic in nature, but anabolic steroid has a much harsher connotation. Deca-durabolin, Winni-V, Dromostanolone, Dihydrotestosterone; all are steroids that sound like harsh chemical compounds. Tren, Havoc, Spawn; all names of pro-hormones that manifest images of supplements that produce miraculous gains.

In reality, the human body converts the chemical compound in each pro-hormone product into a steroid-like substance. But many people who use pro-hormone products have a false sense of safety because the products could once be purchased over the counter. The language used to talk about the products keeps users from considering it an extreme risk.

"The rhetoric tricks your mind 100 percent," the player said. "You convince yourself it is fine, that is it not cheating at all, it's not steroids. But if you are an athlete, it's cheating. It works for everybody. To different extents with certain people, but no matter who you are it works."

And with the deceiving rhetoric comes consequences many fail to weigh. Kovick explained pro-hormones are converted in the liver into an anabolic compound. This conversion puts an enormous amount of stress on the liver so taking a liver support supplement is essential. It also alters your hormone levels and sometimes even has estrogenic effects, making post-cycle therapy supplements necessary to help regulate hormonal balance, Kovick explained.

"It messes you up," the player said. "You can't sleep, it makes you so, so hungry. After I started taking my post-cycle therapy, I got terrible body acne. I thought it was being a teenager, but it was from my testosterone levels."

An aura of invincibility is nothing new to young people in America. Many who purchase over-the-counter supplements fail to educate themselves about the most effective and safe way to cycle pro-hormone products.

"I knew Tren could mess me up, but I didn't care," said the player. "I didn't worry about that. I couldn't play college football when I'm 30."

The short-term results outweighed the long-term consequences for the student as well.

"If anything, it contributes to higher levels of motivation," said the student. "I discovered what my body was capable of at the peak of the cycle and I fully accepted the challenge of reaching that again. I am not consumed with the results, I simply view pro-hormones as a training aid."

The use of pro-hormones by young people no doubt played a role in their ban. Only time will tell if that ban reduces the use, especially among high schoolers and collegians. Until then, coaches like Ekegren will have to hope players use sound judgment and weigh potential pitfalls.

"It might be safe if you administer it properly, but a kid has to drink about 16 barrels of water a day," Ekegren said. "That stuff just isn't real. You think these kids aren't going to go get a burger and fries and a soda? If they can't resist that, how are they going to administer this stuff safely?"