juice...

As someone who lifts weights on a regular basis, I am no stranger to the world of steroids. If I had a dollar for every steroid joke I got thrown my way, I might just have enough to quit my day job. haha Anyway, the pictures above are of my favorite bodybuilder, Phil Heath, and what seems to be the biggest story in sports these days, Alex Rodriguez and his steroid use. Normally, I would stay away from any type of blog like this as it is very controversial, and could ruin people's perception of me, but this story I read (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9217162/Do-juiced-up-Steelers-teams-deserve-asterisks?&MSNHPHMA) really opened up my eyes to something worth blogging about. It basically describes football's most dominant team of the 70's and their steroid use. No, it is not someone speculating use, it is an actual fact that they used them. They even wrote a book about it! However, since it was not illegal back then, was it wrong?

Everytime I hear about some new steroid story in the news, I shake my head in disgust. For one, the people writing the stories seem to typically be unhealthy, overweight writers who have never worked out in their life. Yes, these people are very knowledgeable in sports and its history, but as far as understanding what they are talking about, I can't say I always agree. Do I have knowledge about steroids, not really. Why? Because I have nether taken them, nor do I have any intention of taking them. My blog is not going to get into detail about how they aren't bad for you, etc., but more of my opinion abou their impact on society.

It is no secret that America is infatuated with steroids. I have no idea why it makes the top stories, when there are things far more important, like our f*cked up economy and our ongoing problem in the middle east. Why is A-Rod the top story, when there are tons of people out there 2 steps from being homeless? It makes no sense to me.

Anyway, back to that article I read. The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s won a few Super Bowls and were known as a rough and tough team. They physically dominated their opponents and left them beat up on the field. They were also on steroids. Does that tarnish their reputation? Apparently not. However, Barry Bonds hits home runs like a mad man later in his career, and even though he was a great ballplayer before those seasons, all of a sudden, his skill is now questioned. Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy in this? Sports did not even test for these drugs back then, therefore we have no idea who used what. All these records that were set and still hold nowadays, who's to say they are "clean" records. How do we know that Wilt Chamberlain or Hank Aaron, or anyone who played in the years after steroids were invented did not experiment with them. For those who don't know, steroids do not make you instantly big and muscular, they are designed to help your body recover faster. Therefore, enabling people to train harder and heavier each day. Imagine if you felt like a brand new person every day you trained for anything physical, wouldn't you get bigger and stronger as well? Why do you think steroids are prescribed to people with cancer, AIDS, etc. It is not to make them big and buff, it is to prevent their bodies from completely falling apart. Now, tell me if it's fair that people pick on A-Rod, McGwire, and Bonds. NO! Yes, some ballplayers are wrong for lying, but if you were in the public eye, and pestered about something that most of the population deems a bad thing, how would you react? We are all human and I am sure at least 70-80% of us would lie and crumble. It is human nature.

So where does the problem lie? The common, every day folks who use and abuse it. That's my opinion. Ask anyone who works out about the natural high they feel after a great workout or the feeling they have after they see some progress in their workouts. Nothing, and I mean nothing can beat that feeling. Naturally, there are different ways to acheive this feeling. One of those just happens to be the use of steroids. Remember how I mentioned recovery earlier? Well, that basically means that you can acheive these natural highs more frequently and with greater results. Sounds too good to be true right? Well, with the positive, comes the negative. Steroids are proven to cause some side effects and cause some health issues when used and abused. Without proper supervision, whether from a qualified professional or a doctor, they could be very troublesome. And that my friends is where the negative image stems from. The stories we read, the news we watch, it is usually from individuals who were too scared to admit they were on the "juice" and ended up hurting themselves. They bought some of these drugs, read some stuff on the internet, and juiced away. Not exactly the smartest thing in the world. I mean, how many of you would just inject some random stuff into your body? I know I wouldn't.

The asterisk. Do I think the Steelers should get one? NO! Does Barry get one? NO! These people are paid professionals in my opinion. They should do what they need to do to get to the top of their game. It is not like the tv show Heroes, where you inject special powers into people. These people are already gifted, skilled people, which is why they made it into their profession. If they need something to help them succeed, I do not see the problem with it. What about their health? Well, what about the crazy businessmen who stay up all night working and eat a poor diet of fast food? Aren't they erasing years off of their lives as well? None of us reading this could take steroids and probably make it into the NFL, MLB, or NFL. I would guess that at least 90% of the people who are in professional sports deserve to be there based of their talent and skill, and not because of what they have taken. The same reason engineers and accountants excelled in the classroom is the same reason that these people kicked ass on the playing field while at school. We are all gifted in one way or another, and if someone told me that I could do something do be a better engineer in my field, you better believe I would be curious about it.