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As I was finishing dinner today with a gf, we got into a discussion about why steroids are illegal and why they will never be legal in this country. As everyone (who reads the crap I post) knows, I think that steroids are illegal to protect professional sports. Its not fun to watch the pros if you know that there are people who are better, but not allowed to play because of the drugs they take. I have made the argument in the past that "would you go watch the NFL if you neighbor was faster, could cut better, was bigger then, had better hands, and could throw further then anyone in the NFL?". My thought is, No, you would not. We want to see the best in this country, regarless of what it is that they are doing.
Imaging this conversation:
Son to dad - Its amazing that guy can pitch 100 MPH!
Dad to son - Well, yes it is; but its really amazing that he can do it without steroids
Son to dad - What does that mean?
Dad to son - Steroids help your performance, but make it so you can't play in the pros. You know Ronnie down the street? You should see him, he throws 120MPH for 9 innings.
Son to dad - That's so cool!! What channel can we watch him on?
Dad to son - You can't. They are not allowed to put him on tv because he takes "banned" drugs. But we can go to the local ballpark to watch him next week.
Son to dad - Neat!!
Dad to son - Yeah, wait until you see some of the hitters down there; you have never seen someone swing a bat this fast.
After the weekend at the park:
Son to dad - Those guys are amazing!! I want to go every weekend, there are no commericals and the way those guys play is out of this world. They are so much better then the people on TV, who cares about them?
Now, this is very contrived, I know, but that's what the fear is in the minds of professional sports stars/owners everywhere. We are keeping steroids banned to protect professional sports; I don't see anything else that points to a single reason to keep these drugs this tightly controlled. I don't think they should be like asprin, but sending people to jail for years is just plain stupid.
So, what brought this out? I saw an interview on tv with Arnold saying the "wants to get the performance drugs out of bodybuilding". That is a load of shit, and here is why (same argument, but maybe it will make more sense with this analogy):
All the roid users are thrown out of pro bodybuilding. A new breed comes in, and now all the pros are between 180 and 220 on stage. Great, so now we have a "clean" sport (this is assuming nobody uses GH or slin, which we can't test for. Forget that fact though, assume PERFECT drug testing, these guys are not taking anything at all!). But who in the hell is going to watch this when I can walk down to my local Golds Gym and see lots of guys who are FAR bigger then any of these "pros" would be. If the IFBB actually had a way to totally eliminate all perfomance drugs, they would, in effect, destroy themselves overnight.
You honestly think Jay, Ronnie, Lee, and all those guys are just going to clean up and try to comply with the rules? Hell no! They are going to keep doing their magazine covers and keep all their endorsements and keep getting bigger and bigger. Where are they going to compete? Who fucking cares? You get enough of the current, obviously drug using bodybuilders together and people will watch. If they actually eliminated all the drugs tommorow in the IFBB, I predict a new orginazation would spring up in a few months and all the pros would move over into that league.
Professional sports are designed to "cater" to the consumer. Why do you think that pros keep getting bigger and bigger, freiker and frieker? Because its what we want! I have guys in my gym right now who are MUCH bigger then any pro was 20-25 years ago. Do you think that I want to turn on the Olympia and see guys who are smaller and less defined then the guys I work out with? Hell no! I want to see the best, and I don't give a shit what they did to get like that!
Anyone who thinks that the "natural" bodybuiders would still hold are intrest are living with their heads up their asses. We, as American people, don't even know what natural looks like anymore. We live in a world of 24" waists, DD boobs, 24" arms and 4% bf. If you think I am going to turn on the TV to watch people who are smaller then me, and be impressed because they did it "naturally" you're dreaming. I don't give a shit how you do it; steroids, slin, GH, Synthol, implants, whatever. I just don't care. I want to see what is possible, and then decide what is right for me. I see people in the Olympia every year that you could not pay me ALOT of money to look like. And I see those that I admire and try to emulate. But it's my decision, not your's, not my neighbors, and definately not the IFBB's or the governments.
I just don't think that the American public really cares what the sports "heros" are doing. They just don't care. They want to be entertained; and you know what? Steroid use makes the sport (no matter what it is) more entertaining. Because they are so damn effective, if you remove them from pro level sports, you will very quickly have that "2nd tier" person who can't go pro (but is juicing) producing performance that is far superior to the best of the pros.
Just imagine, pay 100 dollars a night to see the Olympia... All the guys on stage between 190 and 220, looking great. But then you look around the crowd. In the seats you see Ronnie, Jay, Lee, Melvin, Titus, and the rest of the good old boys, sitting there at 275, ripped as hell and ready for the "new, untested Olympia" they are putting on next week in same venue. Who do you think that the crowds and photographers are going to be looking at? You think the competitors (tested) or the people in the crowd (untested) would be signing more autographs? Who do you think would be getting the endorsement deals from VPX, EAS, etc?
We, the American people, decide what we want to see and what we are going to pay for. Do you want to see the best that we can do (using all science has to offer), or do you want to see what man can do using just some of the technology but not all?
I for one, want to see what is possible! Bring on the frieks (but, please, make them simmetrical!).
Thanks for letting me rant.
Puma
Imaging this conversation:
Son to dad - Its amazing that guy can pitch 100 MPH!
Dad to son - Well, yes it is; but its really amazing that he can do it without steroids
Son to dad - What does that mean?
Dad to son - Steroids help your performance, but make it so you can't play in the pros. You know Ronnie down the street? You should see him, he throws 120MPH for 9 innings.
Son to dad - That's so cool!! What channel can we watch him on?
Dad to son - You can't. They are not allowed to put him on tv because he takes "banned" drugs. But we can go to the local ballpark to watch him next week.
Son to dad - Neat!!
Dad to son - Yeah, wait until you see some of the hitters down there; you have never seen someone swing a bat this fast.
After the weekend at the park:
Son to dad - Those guys are amazing!! I want to go every weekend, there are no commericals and the way those guys play is out of this world. They are so much better then the people on TV, who cares about them?
Now, this is very contrived, I know, but that's what the fear is in the minds of professional sports stars/owners everywhere. We are keeping steroids banned to protect professional sports; I don't see anything else that points to a single reason to keep these drugs this tightly controlled. I don't think they should be like asprin, but sending people to jail for years is just plain stupid.
So, what brought this out? I saw an interview on tv with Arnold saying the "wants to get the performance drugs out of bodybuilding". That is a load of shit, and here is why (same argument, but maybe it will make more sense with this analogy):
All the roid users are thrown out of pro bodybuilding. A new breed comes in, and now all the pros are between 180 and 220 on stage. Great, so now we have a "clean" sport (this is assuming nobody uses GH or slin, which we can't test for. Forget that fact though, assume PERFECT drug testing, these guys are not taking anything at all!). But who in the hell is going to watch this when I can walk down to my local Golds Gym and see lots of guys who are FAR bigger then any of these "pros" would be. If the IFBB actually had a way to totally eliminate all perfomance drugs, they would, in effect, destroy themselves overnight.
You honestly think Jay, Ronnie, Lee, and all those guys are just going to clean up and try to comply with the rules? Hell no! They are going to keep doing their magazine covers and keep all their endorsements and keep getting bigger and bigger. Where are they going to compete? Who fucking cares? You get enough of the current, obviously drug using bodybuilders together and people will watch. If they actually eliminated all the drugs tommorow in the IFBB, I predict a new orginazation would spring up in a few months and all the pros would move over into that league.
Professional sports are designed to "cater" to the consumer. Why do you think that pros keep getting bigger and bigger, freiker and frieker? Because its what we want! I have guys in my gym right now who are MUCH bigger then any pro was 20-25 years ago. Do you think that I want to turn on the Olympia and see guys who are smaller and less defined then the guys I work out with? Hell no! I want to see the best, and I don't give a shit what they did to get like that!
Anyone who thinks that the "natural" bodybuiders would still hold are intrest are living with their heads up their asses. We, as American people, don't even know what natural looks like anymore. We live in a world of 24" waists, DD boobs, 24" arms and 4% bf. If you think I am going to turn on the TV to watch people who are smaller then me, and be impressed because they did it "naturally" you're dreaming. I don't give a shit how you do it; steroids, slin, GH, Synthol, implants, whatever. I just don't care. I want to see what is possible, and then decide what is right for me. I see people in the Olympia every year that you could not pay me ALOT of money to look like. And I see those that I admire and try to emulate. But it's my decision, not your's, not my neighbors, and definately not the IFBB's or the governments.
I just don't think that the American public really cares what the sports "heros" are doing. They just don't care. They want to be entertained; and you know what? Steroid use makes the sport (no matter what it is) more entertaining. Because they are so damn effective, if you remove them from pro level sports, you will very quickly have that "2nd tier" person who can't go pro (but is juicing) producing performance that is far superior to the best of the pros.
Just imagine, pay 100 dollars a night to see the Olympia... All the guys on stage between 190 and 220, looking great. But then you look around the crowd. In the seats you see Ronnie, Jay, Lee, Melvin, Titus, and the rest of the good old boys, sitting there at 275, ripped as hell and ready for the "new, untested Olympia" they are putting on next week in same venue. Who do you think that the crowds and photographers are going to be looking at? You think the competitors (tested) or the people in the crowd (untested) would be signing more autographs? Who do you think would be getting the endorsement deals from VPX, EAS, etc?
We, the American people, decide what we want to see and what we are going to pay for. Do you want to see the best that we can do (using all science has to offer), or do you want to see what man can do using just some of the technology but not all?
I for one, want to see what is possible! Bring on the frieks (but, please, make them simmetrical!).
Thanks for letting me rant.
Puma
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