The Mr. Olympia Is Killing the Sport of Bodybuilding
There might be a few people who disagree with me, but the Olympia in my opinion is killing the sport of bodybuilding. You can’t deny that heading to Vegas in September for the Super Bowl of bodybuilding isn’t a fun experience. However, that fun and enjoyment only seems to come once a year from a fan’s standpoint. In this article, I will give you my opinions on the status of the sport, and how the Olympia comes into play. At the end, you can decide for yourself if I’m onto something, or if I’m completely nuts. You be the judge.
The best in the world
Vegas in September brings out the best bodybuilders in the world. However, for most of them, it’s the only time during the year that we’ll get to see them. The way things are right now, the top five winners of the Olympia get an automatic entry into the following years Olympia competition, which in my opinion is part of the reason it’s killing the sport of bodybuilding. So, let’s look at this past years Olympia results. For the top five we had Phil Heath, Big Ramy, William Bonac, Dexter Jackson, and Shawn Rhoden. All amazing athletes, right? What do they do during the year? Eat, sleep, and train. Once the Olympia is over, we won’t see them basically for another year.
I think this is crazy when you sit down and really process what’s going on here. That would be like Michael Jordan saying he was going to sit out the entire regular season and playoffs, but when they get to the NBA finals, he’ll play. I don’t know any other sport that is like this, do you?
Then we have champions who can’t even place well at the O
The 2017 Arnold Classic winner was Cedric McMillan. Now, Cedric has some conditioning issues that he battles, and that should not be an excuse as to why he can’t place well at the Olympia. He’s done well at other shows, yet fails to really find his mark to solidify a spot in the top five. The other competitors are harder, come in more conditioned, and also have more overall muscle and size.
Cedric is probably the best ambassador that we have for the sport, though. He has an aesthetically pleasing physique. He’s hilarious. He takes time out to talk with all of his fans at expos. And the fans simply love him. Yet, since he didn’t place top 5, he needs to qualify just to be in the Olympia the next year. Now mind you, we have some AMAZING competitors that many would love to see throughout the year, such as Nathan DeAsha, Brandon Curry, Josh Lenartowicz, and Roelly Winklaar.
When you think about it, this gives guys like Phil somewhat of an unfair advantage. While everyone else needs to quickly bulk after the Olympia and then get ready to prep for a show early the next year, competitors like Phil get to sit back, eat, and grow. Now, these competitors aren’t forced to ONLY do the Olympia. If they wanted to win more prize money each year, they could definitely jump on any stage they wanted throughout the year. However, I don’t believe we will ever see Phil on any other stage than the Olympia stage. And when he’s no longer interested in standing on stage in Vegas, he will ride off into the sunset. The whole process is killing the sport of bodybuilding.
However, if I were Phil, I would be extremely worried about these up and coming bodybuilders. Ramy could very well steal the crown next year. And with guys like William Bonac standing right behind Ramy, everyone is knocking on the door of the champ.
Should there be another way qualify? It’s killing the sport of bodybuilding!
I think all competitors should be forced to compete several times throughout the year in order to qualify for the Olympia (regardless of their placing at those shows). The top five can still get an automatic entry, but to fulfill the qualifications, they need to compete a few times before the Olympia comes to town.
Working it the way it is right now, is like the other IFBB Pros are simply NPC competitors again digging and clawing to get their pro card. With having the Olympia set the way it is, the fans are the ones who are losing out. The fans are what put the money in the hands of the industry. Sure, the supplement companies spend thousands at shows and put money into the sport to keep it alive, but let’s be real for a second—without the fans, the supplement companies wouldn’t pay to be there, there would be less prize money, and ultimately the sport would die if butts weren’t in seats.
So, it all comes down to the fans. I wish the IFBB would start listening to what the fans want and demand. Not doing so is killing the sport of bodybuilding. They want to see the top bodybuilders more than once each year. Many of the competitors make me laugh when they say they jump on stage and do what they do for the fans. If that were really true, you wouldn’t step on stage once a year. You would jump on any opportunity that you could to get in front of the fans and put on a show.
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