Bigger, Stronger, Faster

I recently watched "Bigger, Stronger, Faster," a movie about steroid use in sports and the American obsession with victory. It chronicles the story of Christopher Bell and his two brothers, who both use steroids, and why the country is so concerned about a drug which causes only 3 deaths annually. Why is it that performance-enhancement is so hated in sports, and yet American Air Force pilots are required to take amphetamines when behind the wheel? Why does the news embellish the negative effects of steroid use while research shows that it is safer than both alcohol and tobacco? Finally, why does U.S. culture dictate the importance of body image in males?

Watch this movie! (photo cred)

If only I was born this athletic. (sourc

As a sports enthusiast who maintains a performance-enhancement-free vision of sports, this movie did bring to light a series of convincing counter-arguments to my view of sports enhancement. Firstly, the drug Aderall is often prescribed to students with ADD to help them do well in school. The students without ADD don't have this advantage. Is that so different than someone who has a naturally small build and takes steroids to do well in football? I'm not convinced that it is. Bear with me for a second, I acknowledge that ADD is a serious medical condition and I've seen the adverse effects that it has on students first-hand. It is way harder for them to focus on writing a paper than it is for me. Nevertheless, I've also seen first-hand the negative effects of poor athletic genetics on football players, and trust me, it is way harder for them to put on weight and be successful in football.

Sports, like life, are unfair to begin with. Dwight Howard is stronger than I can ever dream to be, and he never even lifted weights before he got into the NBA as a 19 yr. old 245-pound specimen. I, along with 99.9% of the population, will never be able to grow to 6'11 and jump 40 inches high, so obviously I will never be as good at basketball as him. That's life. I only mention this to bring to light that steroid use is equally as unfair as the genetic lottery.

The new and improved 2011 G.I. Joe. (source)

The movie also brings to light an interesting topic which is about the psychology of the U.S. public in general. The public is obsessed with the size of the male body. A good case study is that of the G.I. Joe dolls who in 1960 were small men in uniforms and are now jacked up bulldozers wearing cut-off military tanks. The insurgence of jacked up movie stars in the mainstream media is the most likely cause, the success of the Rambo, Rocky, and every Arnold Schwarzenegger series' led to the desire to look like the conquering commandos. Maybe it was the Cold War and the U.S. dog-eat-dog culture. Whatever it is, it's getting a little out of control. The supplement industry for males is growing at an incalculable rate, with little to no FDA intervention. Anyone can create a "supplement" and sell it on the market, only if the FDA chooses to investigate and deem it unsafe will it be removed. No pre-market tests required. To cap it all off, there are no ethics in the industry, as demonstrated by the before and after pictures taken below of the director. They were both taken the exact same day, and yet they claim to show the positive effects of the supplement that they endorse.

He got shredded in 6 weeks, even though these pictures were taken on the same day. These pictures may or may not have been tampered with. (source)

In closing, I would like to recommend this movie to any sports fan as it brings to light a series of interesting points about athletics, psychology, and the American public.