Professional Bodybuilding: Under Construction
Professional bodybuilding is one of the less
popular sports in the world. Almost everyone knows
players like Lebron James and Barry Bonds, but
if you asked someone who Ronnie Coleman is, chances
are good that they are not going to have any idea.
What has happened to the sport of bodybuilding
since the days of Arnold, Columbo, and Haney?
The media has pulled the plug on these great athletes,
which makes you wonder why this horrific downfall
has happened to our sport.
The present age of bodybuilding has a few kinks
that need worked on. Some will argue that the
voting system is rigged because there has been
the same Mr. O the past eight years. There is
also the issue of steroids in pro bodybuilding,
and the media giving steroids a bad reputation
doesn`t make things easier In 2005, the IFBB finally
decided to raise the winner of the Olympia`s prize
money to a staggering $661,000, but I don`t think
this upgrade in prize money will put an end to
the problems of bodybuilding.
In the past, you could turn to channels like
ESPN and the Fox Sports Network to catch a glimpse
of what professional bodybuilding was all about,
but now you`ll be lucky to catch a live show on
pay-per-view. Almost everyone in America knew
who Arnold, Columbo, and Haney was. Everyone seemed
to want to become the next Arnold and it looked
as if bodybuilding would become the next big sport
in the United States. In the year 1977, Arnold
admitted the use of performance enhancing drugs
to help him maintain muscle while preparing for
a contest. This set the stage for the use of anabolic
steroids in professional bodybuilding and before
you knew it, ninety percent of bodybuilders were
juicing.
Everyone knew Arnold and his popularity was as
asset to the sport. The top bodybuilders of today`s
industry are not well known athletes or celebrities
which is one of the leading downfalls to the game.
Look at how the World Wrestling Entertainment
became so popular over the years. Hulk Hogan,
The Rock, and Macho Man Randy Savage were all
icons that everyone adored. Even outside of pro
wrestling, these guys transformed the entertainment
industry and brought more fans to the sport. Ben
Weider needs to smarten up and use some of the
marketing techniques Vince McMahon used to transform
his company into what it is today.
Bodybuilding is slowly starting to get where
it needs to be. The new bodybuilding web video
and radio show being broadcasted on bodybuilding.com
is a step in the right direction, but there is
more work that needs to be done. They should consider
getting a small television contract . They also
need to somehow change the structure of the event
to make it more entertaining. The fans should
be able to vote at contests on who they beleive
won. In bodybuilding, there is really no champion
except for the Mr. Olympia contest held that determines
the best bodybuilder in the world. There should
be a point system like in Nascar or the BCS for
college football to determine who the leaders
are for the season and use the Mr. Olympia as
a means of gaining more points to the bodybuilders`s
yearly total.
This will make smaller shows more
interesting and make the bigger guys like Ronnie
Coleman and Jay Cutler have to compete more. I
really believe this would be a huge step in the
right direction for the sport and should be considered
by the promoters of the IFBB. I am currently working
on a website for all of my articles and I will
post the link as soon as possible. Thanks.
|
