The Romano Factor
John Romano
John Romano’s name is synonymous with “no bull-crap,” “candid,” and “hardcore.” He’s worked tirelessly to build up an ironclad reputation in the fitness industry through his work as senior editor of Muscular Development magazine and co-founder of Rx Muscle (see also: Heavy Muscle Radio and Muscle Girls Inc.). He’s been consulted as a steroid expert on HBO, ESPN, and ABC’s 20/20, as well as the movie Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Most recently, John worked as director of Internet media at VPX (and host of Shotgun Radio). In his spare time, he is a contributing author for countless blogs, magazines, and articles, including authoring the Muscle Meals cookbook.
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Steroids and the media
“Show me the bodies…”
I first made that statement in an interview with Armen Keteyian on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. And again not that long after in the critically acclaimed steroid documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster*. I have since been quoted numerous times stating the same. For however many times this request is made, it’s never been answered. The truth is, based on the demeanor of its critics, by now steroids should have claimed a mountain of corpses, especially young ones, eclipsing the moon. But, there are few if any. Yet, those leading the anti-steroid charge are still promising kidney and liver damage, aggression, “roid rage,” cancer, death, blah, blah, blah.
Echoing these archaic beliefs is Dr. Andrew Pipe of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the first Chair of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, in a recent article in the National Post. Pipe, who claims he has extensive experience in anti-doping in sports, speaks like boilerplate made from the 2003 headlines surrounding the BALCO raid, going so far as to claim that “the use of steroids in Canadian bodybuilding community is rampant … a wild west show.”
Is he right? I suppose he is. Steroid use in Canada is thriving. In 2013, the Canada Border Services Agency made 1,679 steroid seizures amounting to more than 260,000 grams—33 percent of the total number of drug seizures made. About double the number of seizures of marijuana.
A 2010 steroid scandal at the University of Waterloo involved nine of the school’s football players who tested positive for or admitted to using steroids, one of whom ultimately went to jail. Fallout from the scandal shed light on just how many young athletes are jacked. So, yes, Dr. Pipe is right again: A lot of young athletes use steroids. Will the revelations never cease?
Though steroids are illegal to buy in Canada without a prescription, many websites openly advertise their sale. However, few cases are pursued, and the courts are showing a relative indifference to the issue, frustrating the likes of Dr. Pipe and making things easy for users.
So, what do we have here? A learned man, a man of letters from a prestigious university promoting the nefariousness, dangerous, life threatening effects of steroids, a recognized expert who claims rampant steroid use among bodybuilding akin to the “wild west.” We even have data suggesting rampant use among university students. Then we have data from the CBSA quoting seizures of hundreds of thousands of grams of steroids—double that of weed—indicating millions of grams are getting through. There’s no denying it folks, lots of Canadian athletes are using juice. Okay, so, just as I said 15 years ago, show me the bodies. There should be plenty.
This argument always proves too easy to win. Thankfully, in Canada, the government has a realistic view of the issue and sees through the guise of alarmists such as Dr. Pipe. I will say, though, it’s readily apparent that in the countries where steroids are legal, there are no “problems” with them. It seems to me that the countries with the harshest laws against steroids have the biggest “problems” in spite of those laws. Hence, the solution seems quite simple: Get rid of the steroid laws. Then the problems and the Dr. Pipes go away. Then everybody lifts in peace.
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