The American Rocky and the Russian Machine Drago

I used to compete in high school powerlifting, and was the best at what I did. I would train day after day to impress my coaches as well as myself so I could be ready for the weekend in which I had to compete against rival schools. Three weeks before my last powerlifting meet to qualify to go to the state round my coach pulls me to the side to give me a short talk. He said “Son you are going up against some of the best powerlifters in the state and I personally think you will not be ready, so I want to give you this for help.” He handed me a box and in it contained syringes and anabolic steroids so I can inject myself. Personally I thought that was a terrible idea to have to train all day and night so I will be ready to compete then have my coach tell me to cheat, I declined my coaches offer. I feel anabolic steroids are the wrong way to go, and I will not cheat my way in life. If I were to succeed in my state meet then I will prove my doubters wrong. If I were to lose then I will still keep my head up high cause I knew I didn’t fallback to taking steroids and cheating. From this memory that I went through I have learned a lot about the use of steroids, that is why I am against

Starring in a six movie series, Rocky Balboa touched the hearts of countless Americans through his battles with other fictional boxers. In each successive film, Rocky was presented with life crises’, tough opponents, and his aging body. He came to define the notorious underdog continually drawing strength from previous obstacles to surpass odds and succeed. Rocky’s ability to keep moving forward, regardless of the challenge, is what made him who he is. Although my individual battle may be different, I mirror Rocky’s ability to constantly be persistent especially in regards to school and working out.

In the movie, Drago punches his American opponent, a friend of Rocky’s, to the brink of death. As the boxer dies in Rocky 's arms, Drago mutters, “If he dies, he dies” (Stallone). Stallone 's decision to make the Russian boxer unremorseful after killing a man shows his intent on portraying Russians as ruthless killers. In the end, our hero Rocky knocks out Drago in retaliation. Some critics have even gone so far as to suggest that Rocky and Drago’s fight is symbolic of democracy’s superiority over communism (Vereykina). Nevertheless, Stallone sought to change Russia 's image in the eyes of Americans through Drago’s lack of compassion in Rocky IV, just as American writers use media to influence their audiences by demonizing Russia.

Lance Armstrong destroyed his reputation just like Braun by taking steroids. However, Armstrong denies his steroid use, but he has stopped fighting the United States Anti-Doping Agency accusations (“Peddling” par. 2). His defense in

Throughout the book Boxer takes on the motto’s “I will work harder.” And “Napoleon is always right.”, by doing this Orwell suggests that the Russian people were far too

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 desire to compete — and win — is as old as history itself. From the beginnings of sport, athletes have sought out foods and potions to turn their bodies into winning machines. As early as 776 BCE, the very first Olympic games, there are records of attempts to increase testosterone levels (“Steroid Abuse in Sports”). Ancient Greek wrestlers ate vast amounts of meat to gain muscle mass, and Norse “Berserker” warriors took hallucinogenic mushrooms before battle. The first competitive athletes to be charged for doping, however, were swimmers in 1860s Amsterdam. Doping of all kinds, from caffeine to cocaine to anabolics quickly spread to other sports (“Anabolic Steroids, a Brief History”).

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”.

Do you want to want to become the peak athlete that you know your body is capable of? Well, this paper will not do that for you, but it will tell you how, and it will tell you why it should be legal to do so. Doping in sports is one of the most extensive debates within the realm of athletics. Whether it be injecting anabolic steroids, consuming them, or blood doping, athletes will do drugs. Doping has no effect on the viewership of the sport. Athletes can always find ways to cheat the system, and trying to prevent the use seems impossible. The use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) should be legalized, as long as it is allowed under medical supervision.

My next opponent was ranked 2nd in the state, and my teammates were betting on how long I was going to last. Whether it was the shortest amount of time or the longest, my team had no faith that I would win the match. Hearing them was just like a knife going straight through my back, I felt like was going to forfeit if that was the way it was going to be. I’m stronger than that, I made it all the way here with no one on my side, besides my parents. I will fight for the win in this match to be able to laugh at them for once. What they did actually helped me, It got me pissed off and it gave me a reason to win. I see the my opponent walk up to the table and I thought how is he even legal to wrestle. I instantly thought is this guy using steroids.

punching bags. The second thing about Drago's training that is questionable is his use of steroids in the movie. Contrary to

"’The UFC and MMA in general is a steroid epidemic. They've started this really stringent testing and everybody is getting popped. They're just getting popped left and right. It's one of the things fighters have been saying for a long time, that everyone is on steroids, a huge percentage. Give a number 50, 60 [percent]. Whatever the fuck it is that are on steroids. The reality is, this whole steroid epidemic, one thing we have to recognize, the use of steroids is less than 100 years old. There's always been substances that people have taken, but the actual use of anabolic steroids in human beings is relatively recent in human history. I think as time goes on, they're going to create more powerful and crazier shit and it's going to get to the

In the documentary Bigger Stronger Faster, Bell, the director, thought that if his childhood heroes that seemed like they weren’t on steroids, that he did not need to use them. The fact of the matter is most of Bell’s heroes like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were all taking some kind of anabolic steroid. This proved that the steroids themselves aren’t the problem, it’s the people who use them. One of the appeals that Bell tried to implement in the film is one of authority or credibility. At the beginning of the documentary, Bell establishes his credibility by giving his back story of being an average, short, overweight kid.

At Speedy Thoroughbreds Horse Farm, we pride ourselves on quality champions and more importantly character. I am the trainer at the racetrack and have started a program for at-risk students within the community. It is a great way to give back to the community. The program has granted me with some small fame in the area and recognition on top of my success as a racehorse trainer. One evening, secret doping of some of our prized champions came into light. As I previously stated, we pride ourselves on honest, quality winners. This new information creates a difficult dilemma for me as an employee, friend, and person.

In today’s society, athletes are revered as heroes. There is immense pressure to be the best. Athletes are willing to do whatever it takes to gain an edge, even if it means compromising their health. For almost three decades, athletes have been supplementing their strength program with anabolic steroids to enhance their performance. To be sure, anabolic steroids are effective supplements to strength training programs, but there is no doubt that the consequences can be deleterious.