Getting Huge Getting Ripped: Text Analysis

Speaker Credibility: Steroids are not only used by bodybuilders, other athletes and sometimes regular people have access to it and use it. There some misconceptions of steroids and a lot that people don’t know about in detail, that’s

Steroids not only affect the body but also the mind too. It is proven that when an athlete takes steroids they tend to be more of an aggressive person in society’s eyes. The advantage of having an aggressive behavior is that the abuser is more focused and trains more intensely. The bad part about taking steroids is that the person becomes easily irritated and impatient. Even after an athlete stops using steroids they seem to develop depression because they experience withdraw symptoms. It is against federal law to use steroids without a prescription. Professional athletes usually do not think about how much trouble steroids can give them. In 1990, President George W. Bush signed a bill to put steroids in the category of methamphetamines, opium and morphine. If someone would get caught using steroids they could be punished up to one year in prison, a twenty thousand dollar fine, and a year of drug classes (New Law…).

Abstract:  With the increase of competition has also come the need to become bigger and stronger than the opponent.  The use of steroids among athletes has caused the focus of the game to change.  No longer does an athlete want to win by doing their best, but they want to become bigger and have an advantage over the opponent.  Ultimately, all athletes feel that they need to use performance-enhancing drugs to compete at the same level. Despite all of the warnings and information on performance-enhancing drugs, athletes continue to use them and overlook the potential health risks associated with steroids.

The documentary called Bigger, Stronger, Faster by Chris Bell demonstrates Americas want to be the best vs. their desire to be moral. Throughout the movie Bell uses multiple examples on how steroids affect us both physically and mentally as well as their potential dangers. There are several things that make us American but Bell chooses this particular subject because of his own personally experiences with it as well as his families. As the audience we are taken into a glimpse of the Bell family’s everyday struggle with this emanate problem. Similar to what many of us have to face in society today.

Anabolic Steroids are commonly viewed as a miracle drug in order to increase muscle growth and definition, but what most users of the drug don’t know are the life altering effects that prolonged use can cause. When the drug was released in the late 50’s by scientists working for the Soviet Union, they had no idea what the lasting effects were going to be. At first the drug seemed to be almost a miracle, it helped the Soviet weightlifting team beat the American team by a long shot, but then the lifters began to experience certain bodily changes that were actually the onsets of horrendous life changing side effects that could have been prevented with further studies. Since that time, most states in North America and around have banned the distribution and use of the drug completely due to its adverse effects on the body, if caught using such drugs in professional sporting communities, it could land the athlete thousands of dollars’ worth of fines and they can even face up to five years in jail if they are found with the drug in their possession. On top of this, the risks involved can potentially alter the normal way of life for that athlete for the rest of his life, such risks include hormonal changes, cardiovascular problems, behavioral issues, and even problems with the reproductive system.

Famed writer Grantland Rice once wrote, “When the great scorer comes to mark against your name. He'll mark not won or lost but how you played the game” (World of quotes, 1). That buoyant attitude of selflessness and heart has slowly diminished throughout the course of time. Now, George Allen’s booming voice, former coach of the Washington Redskins, runs throughout head of America, “Only winners are truly alive. Winning is living. Every time you win, you’re reborn. When you lose, you die a little” (Harris, 67). It is with this frame of mind that athletes are pushed beyond the edge of reason. Although peer pressure and pressure from coaches are central reasons why one may use steroids, most users begin using in order to improve their self image or excel in sports. Ethics, integrity, and legality aside, some athletes will stop at nothing to attain “that extra edge”.

Steroids is abused by a range of athletes and students. “In a 2002 National Institute of Drug Abuse study, 2.5% of 8th graders, 2.5% of 10th graders, and 4% of 12th graders admitted to using steroids at some time.” (Steroid Abuse Moves Into the Scholastic Arena, 2008) Steroids abuse is not only found in athletes but also those who struggle with body image.

Some people have, delayed puberty, steroid hormone deficiency or a disease of some sort that caused a loss of lean muscle mass, such as cancer and AIDS. This is of course completely legal. Athletes only use steroids to increase the fat free mass in their bodies, lose fat, increase muscle strength and improve endurance, and maximize their performance. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012) Anabolic steroids get abused very differently than other drugs, they do not affect the brain the same. Some athletes say they feel good about themselves while using steroids. Unfortunately they may also have extreme mood swings and anger that can lead to violence as a side effect. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Researchers have also observed that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility” (National Institute on Drug Abuse,

Everyone has a general assumption that steroids aren’t good for you and can lead lasting perminant scar on your body. College athletes take rationalize in their mind that they aren’t normal people and their body will be able to take in the benefits that steroids give you while blocking the consequences it has. Steroids has a massive affect on the brain, such as causing mood and behavior change that can lead to

Our world is more influenced by social pressures now than ever before I feel. Social media is a great thing that connects all of us but sometimes it puts unrealistic expectations in our minds. Like having the body physique a movie star or hitting home runs like Barry Bonds. Judith Lorber’s essay from “Believing is Seeing” argues that society is the reason for the huge differences between men and women; naturally women and men have the same values and wishes but society has created a huge difference in between what is male and female. In the essay “Getting Huge, Getting Ripped’ by Matthew Petrocelli, Trish Oberweis, and Joseph Petrocelli the use of recreational steroids throughout the midwest United States is studied and analyzed. When reading Petrocelli, if you read with the point of view of Lorber you can see how society has pressured people into taking steroids in order to feel more socially acceptable.

Pressure to perform well is widespread throughout amateur and professional athletics and can lead some individuals to pursue unsafe and illegal means to enhance performance. According to an article of LiveLeak in 2011, “Anabolic steroids are primarily used by bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness "buffs" who claim steroids give them a competitive advantage and/or improve their physical performance.” Likewise, individuals who have jobs wherein physical strength is necessary such as bodyguards, construction workers, and law enforcement officers, are said to take these drugs. Steroids are believed to cause expansion in body mass, muscle strength and even aggressiveness. Steroids are also thought to diminish the time of recovery in workouts, allowing

The problem with today’s society is that steroids are everywhere and companies are finding ways around the steroid label by producing drugs that contain the same ingredients but are labeled differently. Professional athletes are also becoming big icons for people and many athletes are using steroids to enhance their performance. Athletes are supposed to be role models and by getting involved in these kinds of things people see it as an ok thing to do. Steroids are common everywhere, baseball and football players are constantly finding ways to take these drugs. Pro wrestling

Throughout many generations as well as the present day, bodybuilding has been a much favored sport in the fitness industry. The question first begins with what a sport is determined to be. The definition seems to be: “a human activity capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and skill, which by nature, is competitive” (Kennedy 121). Conceivably, bodybuilding fits the definition; However, the primary problem that bodybuilders, the industry, and just the name, bodybuilding, in general face are the numerous controversial issues about the usage of anabolic drugs commonly referred to as steroids. The FDA has banned any and all steroids, causing them to be illegal; Yet, in

This would be known as ‘roid rage. When the user gets very angry and they could possibly swing punches aggressively at anyone within striking distance. The other mental problem is addiction. Even though the user has an already built body he or she thinks that steroids are still necessary to use so they can perform better.

They are the shortcut to a great body. They are the man-made way to look great. "Steroids: Hercules in a bottle" (Nardo 17). This is the best explanation about why people use steroids. It is the quick and easy way for muscular gain. Not many people can handle the natural way to work out. They want to have noticeable results over night. Doctor Lawrence Clayton states, "it might take a teenage boy a year of intensive weight lifting to add thirty pounds of muscle to his body. Anabolic steroids, taken in huge amounts can do it in twelve weeks" (23). Kenneth T. Walsh interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in his interview, he received Arnold's reasoning for why people used steroids. "We want to get strong and be competitive the fastest way" (63). Many people just want to be big and beautiful without the hassle of working out.