I will preface this by saying that I have competed in bodybuilding (but never had the right mind set, always felt more at home powerlifting), and I have trained and consulted for many physique competitors, male bodybuilders and female figure competitors mostly. I do not agree with Para-Goomba’s characterization of the sport, except to say that what wins these days at the Olympia is no longer aesthetically pleasing - they look more like muscular livestock than very muscular, but very athletic, human beings.
I do not, however, believe the very mentality that fuels their constant accumulation of muscle is wrong. Nor is it wrong to not be satisfied with what you have and want to improve yourself in whatever way matters to you. I think the problem with the “look” of modern bodybuilders is more an issue of the judging slowly evolving (devolving?) to favor “mass monsters” ever since Dorian Yates, not Lee Haney as mentioned earlier - he still looked damn good and had a small waist despite his extreme mass and muscularity.
The other problem is the changing drug regimes of athletes. That is the inclusion of massive doses of HGH and IGF-1 which have caused the distended, but ripped, abdomens you see on stage nowadays, even at amateur shows now!
But the bottom line is, even if the judges have forgotten what it looks like to be very muscular but still look good, bodybuilding is, at it’s heart, a competition. Of course everyone is going to want to be bigger and better than the next guy. I don’t see a problem with this, and, in fact, it takes a very determined, disciplined person to achieve what the pros achieve.
One last thing: at the professional level, 30 inch thighs are chicken legs. :)
Roots
Edit: even among half-decent amateurs, 30+” legs are pretty common and don’t stand out a ton, except at small shows. If you are at nationals and want to place well you better have legs bigger than your waist and striated glutes. Otherwise you are just there competing for fun. This sounds extreme, but it’s the nature of the beast.