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The media has been on a war against steroids for 25 yrs now. The recent confession of Lance Armstrong is just the latest in a long string of shamed athletes who used the evil drug. Like most in bodybuilding, I think the war and laws against steroids are silly. If we are going to fight back we first need to know how and why the other side has been kicking our ass. Here are the topics that the media wins with and how we can fight back : 1. *Steroid use is cheating* - If you want to get a good idea of how effective the cheating argument is, look at how the media demonized Jose Conseco for being honest about steroid use in MLB , during his era. In his book, Conseco explains what he did and was quick to point how common steroid use had become in baseball. Jose was being 100% candid and honest and pulled no punches. For this, he had to be thrown under the bus. It was one thing for baseball to admit they had a few rogue 'roid users. It would be a lot bigger nightmare to admit that most of stars in 1990's baseball were taking steroids . If EVRYONE was using steroids , then how could it be considered cheating? Hmmm, it couldn't! That wasn't good PR for baseball. Now, if they could make Jose Conseco into the evil drug user that cheated and got caught , that was better. Conseco and his kind were a rogue element trying to point the finger at all the other good "clean" ballplayers to avoid looking guilty. The media ,baseball and even congress, thru Conseco and a few other candid honest athletes under the bus for damage control. They used steroids, they were cheaters and this wasn't really that common in the great game of baseball. > We fight this cheating charge by saying that steroid use is just one part of the game in bodybuilding and many sports. It is common as using wts and video analysis. The public must realize that PED's are just another tool to enhance performance along with a host of other modern sports training methods. ( 2 ) *The muscles are all from steroids * Many within bodybuilding are the worst ones when it comes to making the " its' all drugs" myth seem true. The media loves this, as it makes steroids seem like some magical ,dangerous potion. Roid Rage can turn a mild, happy guy into the Incredible Hulk. Once again, we must calmly remind everyone that steroids are one tool to enhance the growth of muscles. To be on the Olympia stage or hit homeruns, requires incredible natural talent for the sport and years of training and dedication. Drugs alone never made a champion in any sport. (3) * Steroids are a major public health hazard * LOL, really? My 80yr old mother is a huge football fan and loves the NE Patriots. She asked me about steroids in football and felt it was dangerous for the player's health. I quickly replied to her that having 300 lb men run into each other at full speed was a LOT more dangerous. If anything, the steroids might help them recover from all that physical abuse caused by all the hard hits. As bodybuilders we could do better in terms of sensible steroid/ PED use. Do we really need a 300 lb , 1% body fat, dehydrated super freak on stage to enjoy pro bodybuilding ? I think a moderate path might be the sensible way to go. The propaganda and fear about the evils of steroid use can be easy to correct. As bodybuilders we need to make our sport the poster child, for safe, effective steroid / PED use first, and then do our best to educate the public about it. Ok what's your take?
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