John Cena was sickened by MLB player Alex Rodriguez’ admission that he used anabolic steroids according to a recent interview. The actor and rapper is employed by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) which has experienced its share of steroid-related controversy including a recent Congressional investigation into steroid use in professional wrestling and the apparent widespread use of steroids in pro wrestling. Nonetheless, John Cena believes that steroid users should go to jail (”Cena works hard on his rags to riches story,” February 16).
What happened with Alex Rodriguez and the steroids revelations sickened him. He thinks if everyone really wants to get serious about cleaning up the game, “they should send the guys to jail.”
Cena is about as cut as they come, but he said he’s not steroid enhanced.
“I’m not only a guy who will say I’m clean, but I’ll beat my chest to the world that I’m clean,” he said. “I have very, very strong opinions on that.”
John Cena’s belief that individual steroid use should be criminalize is somewhat surprising since Cena appeared to share director Chris Bell’s disdain for the hypocrisy of steroid laws. Cena asked Bell about anabolic steroids when compared and contrasted with legal, acceptable drugs that are more addictive and harmful than steroids. Chris Bell, the director of the steroid documentary ‘Bigger Stronger Faster*’, offered an excellent response criticizing the demonization of steroids suggesting that society has “deemed steroids immoral simply because they are illegal.”
But any assumption that John Cena was on the same page as Chris Bell was clearly erroneous. Most people who have worked at Gold’s Gym Venice and have had the chance to interact with steroid users on a regular basis tend to be more critical of steroid laws that put otherwise law-abiding citizens in jail. But not John Cena.
Powerlifter Mark Bell, American recordholder and top national competitor in the United Powerlifting Association, has openly admitted to using testosterone, an anabolic-androgenic steroid, since his appearance as a star of the steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*”. The Sacramento Bee interviewed Mark Bell aka Jackass aka Smelly in a positive profile piece for the newspaper (”Uplifting candor,” December 1).
Such is Bell’s lack of guile that he is one of the few powerlifters – or athletes in any sport, for that matter – who has acknowledged using performance-enhancing drugs. His frankness during interviews in his brother Chris’ documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster,” which drew critical raves, has raised Bell’s profile in the sport.
Actually, his profile was pretty high, anyway. Last month, he set an American record with an 826-pound bench press. He is a two-time winner of the California State Championships in the United Powerlifting Association and will go for a third title Dec. 6 in Concord.
Mark Bell discusses the surprising absence of negative feedback in response to his admission of steroid use in “Bigger Stronger Faster*.” Bell was able to fulfill a lifelong dream during the aftermath of the documentary when he opened the Super Training Gym in Sacramento. Read more
There is hope for anabolic steroid users that U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama will legalize the non-medical use of steroids shortly after he is inaugurated. Of course, the actual likelihood is slightly greater than “a snowball’s chance in hell,” but one can find indicators (albeit extremely tenuous) to suggest that Obama would support such a change in steroid laws.
Preston Williams, Washington Post high school sports columnist, recommends steroid education involving coaches, parents and truthful steroid documentaries like “Bigger Stronger Faster*” as the best way to address teen steroid use in high schools. Williams questions the effectiveness of costly high school steroid testing programs “whose merits are spotty” with “swing-and-miss results.”
In his weekly column about high school sports, Williams applauds the sensible efforts by physician Ben Pearl (Arlington Foot & Ankle Center), physical education teacher and former NFL player Rocky Belk (Arlington Public Schools), and physical therapy and sports medicine instructor Sheila Napala (Arlington Career Center) to combat anabolic steroid use in high schools (”Straight Talk Is the Best Deterrent to Steroid Use,” November 6).
So the best way, financially and otherwise, to ward off steroid use among teen athletes is probably through parents and coaches — and the old-fashioned approach that Arlington County physical education teacher Rocky Belk and Arlington physician Ben Pearl took last week.
They met with about 60 high school students from Sheila Napala’s physical therapy and sports medicine classes at the Arlington Career Center to discuss steroids and the 2008 documentary the students had watched, “Bigger Stronger Faster*.”
Steroid education approaches involving scare tactics, steroid hysteria and steroid demonization have been largely ineffective. It is refreshing to see prominent educators in the community taking an honest and straightforward approach to the topic of anabolic steroid use by providing truthful information to students. Read more
The popular documentary about anabolic steroids can be purchased at the 2008 Olympia Expo in Las Vegas this weekend. “Bigger Stronger Faster*” is a critical exploration of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs in sports and society which tackles many more serious ethical and political issues along the way. The producers of this steroid documentary have a booth (#146) at the 2008 Olympia Expo (September 26-27) where visitors can purchase a copy of the DVD prior to its official nationwide release on September 30, 2008. The Bigger Stronger Faster DVD can also be pre-ordered from Amazon
I have had the privilege of corresponding with the producers throughout the production and release of this terrific film. I have previously interviewed the director, Christopher Bell, and also had the chance to spend a couple of hours with him in the Magnolia Pictures press conference at the Orleans Hotel & Casino watching the bonus features that are included in the DVD version in addition to the feature presentation.
I also visited again with Tamsin Rawady and Alex Buono, the talented filmmakers who collaborated with Chris Bell to create “Bigger Stronger Faster*”. Tamsin and Alex bring a unique perspective to the documentary as outsiders to the world of anabolic steroids.
The steroid documentary Bigger Stronger Faster is opening in Las Vegas to coincide with the 2008 NPC USA Bodybuilding Championships this weekend. Escape the 110 degree Vegas heat and drive over to the Regal Village Square 18 on West Sahara Avenue before or after watching Ed Nunn, Brandon Curry, Mike Liberatore, Curtis Bryant and company battle it out for the two Pro Cards up for grabs in men’s bodybuilding. Read more
The steroid documentary Bigger Stronger Faster is making its European premiere at the 43rd annual 2008 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on July 5, 2008. Producers Alex Buono and Tasmin Rawady have told me they will be in attendance to personally introduce their film to European viewers. The film festival is one of the most prestigious showcases of films in Eastern and Central Europe. Bigger Stronger Faster is entered in the “Best Documentary Films in Competition” category. Read more
The Ad Council recent asked Christopher Bell (director of steroid documentary Bigger Stronger Faster) for his input in a new steroid awareness campaign. Bigger Stronger Faster exposed the contemporary steroid hysteria in the United States and the overstated and exaggerated side effects of anabolic steroids. Some people have consider a factual evaluation of anabolic steroids to be “pro-steroid.” But fortunately, the Ad Council does not feel that way. They consulted with Chris Bell in the development of their new steroid awareness campaign (”New documentary takes frank look at steroids use in sports,” June 27). Read more
A scene examining anabolic steroids and roid rage that was deleted from the steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*” has been posted on Youtube. Roid rage is addressed by various experts including Rick Collins, William Llewellyn, John Romano and Harrison Pope.
The number of interesting clips about steroids that were deleted from the final production of Bigger Stronger Faster is amazing. Magnolia Pictures has released fascinating deleted clips on roid rage, steroids for HIV and Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler discussing steroids. The movie is great but much of the unused footage is excellent as well. I hope that the DVD release includes number bonus features including unedited interviews with many of the steroid experts featured (and not featured) in the movie.
The core bodybuilding community is failing to support the critically acclaimed steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*” at the box office. Bodybuilders have the most to gain by the commercial success of a movie that presents the audience with factual information challenging uninformed beliefs about the alleged dangers of anabolic steroids; such a brilliant documentary has the potential to change attitudes regarding steroids in mainstream America. But if the bodybuilding community fails to support a movie that was, as producer Alex Buono says, “made for them” then it may represent the loss of an incredible opportunity to influence public opinion regarding anabolic steroids. Read more
HIV activist Michael Mooney speaks about the therapeutic applications of testosterone and anabolic steroids for HIV wasting in a deleted scene from “Bigger Stronger Faster.” Mooney is the co-author of Built to Survive (along with Nelson Vergel) and wrote about steroids and HIV for the anabolic steroid and bodybuilding magazine Muscle Media 2000.
I still meet people who obviously have a serious problem with testosterone deficiency who have all the old AIDS symptoms and the doctor will not give them testosterone because their doctor is so afraid of the legal implications. Thousands of people have died because their doctor wouldn’t prescribe testosterone or anabolic steroids for their HIV.
IFBB pro bodybuilder and two-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler talks about anabolic steroid use in the sport of bodybuilding and the necessity of steroids to be the best in bodybuilding in a deleted scene from the highly acclaimed steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster.”
… [E]veryone is looking for that edge. You know there are steroids involved in the sport - in bodybuilding – obviously. And that’s the problem with the sport and why it has to get accepted by a lot of society. They look at bodybuilding and they say, ‘oh steroids.’ But they don’t actually understand what goes into the sport. You do what you do to be the best at what you do. You do what you do to win. If you want to call that cheating, fine. But I have the edge. And that’s why I’m the best.
Certainly, there will be debate as to whether this is a tacit admission of steroid use. And certainly, people are going to ask why Muscletech did not fire Jay Cutler for talking about steroids when fitness model and former Muscletech spokesperson Christian Boeving was fired for talking about steroid use.
Muscletech probably thought they succeeded in managing damage control when they fired Christian Boeving for talking about his steroid use in what was (at the time) a little known, low budget, independent documentary about steroids that just appeared at the Sundance Film Festival.
They probably didn’t expect that the movie would be a critically acclaimed hit. They probably didn’t expect bodybuilding websites to hear about Christian Boeving’s firing months ago and start blogging about it. They didn’t expected director Chris Bell to be asked about Muscletech’s hypocrisy and Christian Boeving in interviews. They probably didn’t expect Magnolia Pictures to buy the film and distribute it nationwide. They probably didn’t expect Christian Boeving to speak so proudly about telling the truth and vocally about Muscletech’s hypocrisy regarding anabolic steroids.
Muscletech certainly didn’t expect their hypocrisy about anabolic steroids to be exposed nationally by the New York Times (”A Self-Described Steroid User Loses Job as Fitness Model,” June 9)!
“But I didn’t think I would get into that much trouble, because I thought it was pretty apparent that the top people in the industry use steroids to look like we do.”
A company whose products he endorsed, Iovate Health Sciences, apparently did not think so, and promptly severed Mr. Boeving’s contract. Iovate Health Sciences did not return calls for comment last week.
Mr. Boeving had represented over-the-counter dietary supplements in Iovate’s MuscleTech division, including Hydroxycut, which is meant to burn fat, and Nitro-Tech, which is meant to build muscle. But the type of performance-enhancing steroids Mr. Boeving referred to in the movie are legal only with a doctor’s prescription; he said in an interview that he had a prescription for testosterone.
While he may not been breaking the law, Mr. Boeving was apparently breaking a taboo in the bodybuilding world, one that Mr. Bell’s documentary was aiming to expose. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been looking at muscle magazines,” Mr. Bell said in an interview. “I would see these guys that are huge, and they’d say, take this pill and you’ll look like this. We know that’s not the case.”
I write this early Friday morning from the South Fork Hotel in Plano, Texas where a disconcerting convergence of steroid and bodybuilding-related events has materialized within a 15 mile radius.
Fifteen miles away is the Magnolia Theatre, the Mark Cuban owned venue where the Texas box office premiere of the steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*” featuring a segment with Plano’s Don Hooton takes place on Friday.
Six miles away is the Starbucks where I am having coffee with Don Hooton of the Taylor Hooton Foundation later this morning.
Five miles away is the Honey Creek Lane home of convicted steroid dealer David Jacobs where both David Jacobs and IFBB fitness pro Amanda Savell were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide less than 24 hours ago.
Two miles away is the Plano Convention Center – the venue for the 2008 NPC Lone Star Classic bodybuilding contest. I am here officially to cover the contest (promoted by Prince Harrison) for Muscletime to get a sneak peak and update on IFBB Pro Victor Martinez who is guest posing Saturday.
The will be a particularly difficult weekend as David Jacobs and Amanda Jo Savell were especially well known within the North Central Texas bodybuilding and fitness community, many of which are coming into town for the show.
Since it was announced that Magnolia Pictures had acquired the distribution rights to the steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster“, I’ve been looking forward to comments from Magnolia Pictures owner Mark Cuban regarding the film. Today, he finally made an entry on his weblog Blog Maverick with a few brief comments. I was disappointed that he took this opportunity to suggest anabolic steroid use was responsible for Gregg Valentino’s arms! This does not give a good public image of steroid users.
I love this movie because its a hysterical look at the sports world. Steroids are the common theme in the movie, but its a theme that is ripe for humor. How can a guy with guns like Gregg Valentino not be…
Although I’m a big supporter of the steroid film project and have written positively about the movie, I’ve also written about my disappointment regarding the use of Valentino in the movie trailer; it only spreads steroid misinformation about the effects of steroids. The public actually believes that Valentino’s arms are the result of steroids. The documentary does nothing to dispel this.
Overall, the movie is terrific at educating the viewer about the side effects of anabolic steroids and the issues surrounding their use in sports and society. But perhaps, the asterisk included in the movie title “Bigger Stronger Faster*” should have referred to the following clarification:
*Gregg Valentino’s arms are NOT the result of anabolic steroids.
