The Quick Talkdown 7.07.07: Kiss off Anabolic Steroids
Posted by Phill Feltham on 07.07.2007
Why do professional athletes feel they really need to take this drug?
By PHILL FELTHAM
It was an interview with Billy Gunn that really made me understand why athletes feel the need to take steroids.
"Our bodies are our lives--our bodies are what make us money...and if it falls apart... and if you need something to keep it together a little longer." he said. "Certain people do it the right way and certain people don't, that's what gives it (anabolic steroids) a bad name."
Here's the kicker. Gunn said. "Have I done it and do I do it, yeah-- it's what's keeping me together right now."
Chris Chavis (the man formerly known as Tatanka) discussed with the same interviewer the people who thought steroids were the shortcut to success.
"There's no shortcut to success in wrestling, there's no shortcut to success in training. You got to be watching your diet, you got to be training hard, you got to be getting your sleep, you can't be out drinking, you can't be out doing drugs--you can't be out doing any of these things."
Tatanka acknowledged the pressure brought forth by professional wrestling and bodybuilding. In order to be the best, you have to look your best. This train of thinking alone is difficult, and with wrestlers living a fast-paced lifestyle, it's just a matter of time before it catches up to you.
Body image plays such a huge role in Hollywood and professional wrestling. Billy Gunn brought up the fact that no one wants to come see a 41-year-old fat man come and wrestle. This adds pressure to the athletes and to the actors who have look their best for certain roles.
Actor Christian Bale gained many pounds for his role in Batman. He then lost it all to have a bony look in the machinist. Why did he do it? He did it for the roles he played. His regiment consisted of all exercise and little food. This is definitely not the healthy way to train your body. But that's the pressure. Batman is not scrawny so the actor has to bulk up for the roll. In the Machinist, the character has to be scrawny. You have to look the part, just like Billy Gunn says.
When you hear things like "push your body to the limits", you immediately think of going faster than you can go. The problem is people often misinterpret that for, "Over train your head off to look like the guys on television." That's unhealthy thinking. What really should be said is, "Train smart, eat right and know when to say when."
I'm here to tell you that you're not going to look like the guys on television. Most of us I don't. Would I like to? Sure I would, but you don't have to.
FOX News reported that there have been sixty wrestling-related deaths in the last ten years under the age of 65. This fact, according to AOL.com, has been discredited. A FOX Reporter called the death toll in pro wrestling an "occupational hazard". I agree. Wrestlers don't get off times like baseball players or hockey players--they have to look good all year round. Unfortunately, that kind of pressure leads to some guys to believe they need to stay juiced in order to get to the top.
It doesn't help the fact that Vince loves the big guys and is ready to push them at a moment's notice. The thing is your body can't take that kind of prolonged abuse whether it being anabolic steroids or any other painkiller.
It also doesn't help when professional wrestlers like the Ultimate Warrior goes onto stations like FOX News and defend steroids as an option to keep the body looking good. There are other more healthy alternatives.
"You're trying to say that taking steroids is bad and I don't think that it is," he said "I'm all for personal freedom....I'm tired of having my intelligence insulted." Who cares about your "intelligence" Warrior?
Your body is a machine--you put into it what you get out of it. Despite WWE's Wellness Policy, I do believe there are doctor-controlled uses of anabolic steroids. The unfortunate thing for Chris Benoit's doctor Dr.
Philip Astin was he got caught. Whether he was over-perscribing anabolic steroids "under the table" has got to stop. The fact is it took three deaths to make the previous death toll in professional wrestling apparent.
I've been a fan of professional wrestling for twenty years. Ten of those years, I've spent training in a gym. I believe that wrestlers can look good without doing the juice, plus I believe that some 'real policing' from the government is required. I don't want to have to turn on my television every week to see that another one of my favorite wrestlers have died of unnatural causes.
The death of the Benoit family must have some positive results. For those wanting to be professional wrestlers, please treat your body right. Don't become another drug-induced fatality.
What should be done about anabolic steroids in pro wrestling. Send your comments to metrodivisions@yahoo.com.
