OP-ED: MYRTLE BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND MAYOR BETHUNE WELCOME IMG'S STEROID CIRCUS AKA 'WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN' TO HORRY COUNTY-POTENTIALY POISONING ITS YOUTH WITH AN ILLEGAL DRUG CULTURE

• Al THOMPSON
• Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2023

Despite receiving credible information about the steroid use by competitors on IMG's "World's Strongest Man" and its many health issues and fatalities, Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO & President Karen Riordan and Mayor Brenda Bethune allowed the event to take place, allowing kids from the area to attend with no warning for parents of all the illegal drug use among competitors. 

IMG's steroid-infested competition "World's Strongest Man" is underway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It is an event condemned by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives rebuked twice for it lack of testing for steroids, rampant steroid use, and high fatality rate.

Many of the American deaths were former high school football players. Yet Chamber of Commerce CEO Karen Riordan and Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune had no problem exposing the youth of Horry County to this steroid culture...even after receiving overwhelming amounts of information/facts on the steroid use at IMG's "World's Strongest Man.

It is an event local businesses and taxpayers may have paid for. When asked if she paid IMG the same fee the tourism bureaus in Bradenton, FL and Sacramento, CA paid - around $75,000.00 for one year, Riordan, in a phone call with POYS in December, 2022 declined to state the amount but admitted it was funds from both Chamber of Commerce members and taxpayers.    

The competitors are not the bad guys. They are abusing themselves after believing the lie they will become famous from taking steroids and competing on CBS Sports Network for a few minutes.

The pay and medical guardrails are deplorable when you factor in the risks these men are taking. 

Not to mention the damage it is doing by influencing the youth of Myrtle Beach and the country, telling our kids it's ok to use dangerous, illegal drugs for sports.

IMG MODERN DAY ORGANIZED CRIME?

We pray for these guys every day. Suckered by IMG - an organization we believe, in our opinion - is modern day organized crime. They're Being used by IMG to sell steroids at the national and global level. IMG CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell are IMO - involved with a Big Pharma company that manufactures anabolic steroids.

WSM and Giants Live - all owned by IMG CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell...are nothing but ads to sell steroids to young people. ...In our opinion. 

STEROID USE IS RAMPANT ON IMG'S WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN

There's been no gray area with regards to widespread use of anabolic steroids and other dangerous PEDs by virtually every competitor on IMG’s World’s Strongest Man. It has been this way for decades

In a story ESPN.com published April 14, 2019, former IMG “World’s Strongest Man" Champion Hafthor Bjornsson is asked about his steroid use. Here is an excerpt from that article:

"In a lengthy interview with ESPN's E:60, Bjornsson was asked whether he had ever taken steroids, long associated with the sport of strongman. ”Yes, I have," Bjornsson says in the 2017 interview, which aired Sunday morning on E:60. "When you want to be the best, you do whatever it takes."

Bjornsson did not elaborate on when he has used performance-enhancing drugs. Asked how often he takes steroids and if he's still doing it, Bjornsson deferred: "Can we just skip those questions?"

In a 2020 interview on the national podcast giant Joe Rogan, current World’s Strongest Man competitor Rob Kearney openly admitted IMG does not take drug testing for steroids seriously at all.

Kearney told Rogan that as far as he knew, IMG (referring it as WSM) has never disqualified a competitor for any illegal drug.

Kearney and Rogan even joked that the Americans have “better steroids” than the Europeans right now.

Virtually every “World’s Strongest Man” competitor is ingesting steroids. It is just accepted as fact.

Steroids are “long associated with the sport of strongman,” as ESPN put it.

Steroid use by competitors on “World’s Strongest Man” has been the main argument I have made to the Myrtle Beach, SC Chamber of Commerce to cancel the competition ever since I learned IMG had booked it at the popular family beach front community.

I traveled to Myrtle Beach in March 2023 to talk to young people as well as leaders of the area concerning the dangers of steroid use. I told them it was my belief they "World's Strongest Man" competitors were abusing themselves with steroids to compete on TV for a few minutes and for very little money overall. I have told people that competitors at WSM were victims of the lie that they would become rich and famous if they'd "do what they need to do" to compete on WSM.

My registered nonprofit is called “Protect Our Youth from Steroids,” POYS for short. The mission is to call out those individuals and organizations that promote and glorify steroid use.

On March 7, I spoke to over 600 high school students at a Horry County, SC public school as well as a Northern Myrtle Beach Rotary Club about the dangers of using steroids as well as flagging those individuals and organizations that promote and glorify steroid use.

I also made stops at places like Myrtle Beach City Hall, City Services and the Myrtle Beach Police Station.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s annual strength and bodybuilding events in Columbus, OH and the IMG “World’s Strongest Man” competition dominated my presentatioN.

POYS has done what it can to help prevent the spread of steroid use in Horry County. It is up to the great coaches, parents and teachers to keep the message going that these drugs lead to opioid addiction and even death.

The youth of Myrtle Beach, it coaches and parents will not get any help from elected officials, Chamber of Commerce, its medical community or its media. You are on your own. *

Email Al Thompson at protectouryouthfromsteroids@aol.com