Alot has been said on these boards since the 06 Olympia.Most have it has been trashing of Ronnie when those same people were kissing his ass a week before the O.I have never been a Ronnie Coleman fan.I think he helped usher in the freak era.Just my opinion.However, he was the definentition of a bodybuilder.He was willing to push the wieght no else wanted to to obtain the size and strength that everyone wanted.I dont condone drug use, but he was also willing to put his body\health on the line to get his hands on that sandow.He was willing to give up any and all social life he may have had to train every day and stay on a strict diet and be in bed on time every night so as not to slip up and risk losing that Sandow.Ronnie raised the bar so high it will be a long time before we see anyone come close to grasping it or getting on stage at 300 lbs. completley ripped and shredded with the conditioning he had.Unfortunatley for Ronnie, he was in the sports entertainment business and he wasnt marketable.
As dedicated and balls to the wall determined as Ronnie is/was, he couldnt even finish a sentence in public, let alone do an interview on Jay Leno.If anyone saw that broadcast, people werent amazed and inspired to obtain a physique like his.They were appauled at the 300 lb mass who was so muscle bound he could barely move.When Sergio Olivia was competing he was the greatest on stage and in the world.However, he had a thick cuban accent, wore mountains of gold jewelry which made him look like a pimp, and had skin dark as hell. No marketability.Then along came Arnold.Many have said Arnold wasnt the best man onstage when he beat Oliva, but Arnold was marketable.If Oliva had starred in Pumping Iron would it have been a success?Hell no.Arnold made it a success with his charisma and personality.Vince MacMahon is the king of the sports entertainment business.If he has a wrestler who has the right look, can perform in the ring and has the best physique ever, but sucks on the mike, stuters through a sentence, and cant get the crowd moving, is he gong to invest money in that wrestler?HELL NO.
Fast forward to Ronnie's era.He was the best man onstage 60 percent of the time, and when Ronnie stepped onstage on point, well, we all know how that went.At the 06 O I'll be the first to admit, he looked like shit.And Jay was more marketable.As much as Ronnie loves bbing, as determined as he is to win, as determined as he is to train his ass off and come in in the best shape ever next year, it will do him no good.Ronnie's 43, has a public speaking problem, isnt acceptable to mainstream media, and has bored the fans with his eight years of the same thing.Not that Jay has the solution to all of Ronnie's faults but he's One Step Closer, as his DVD procliamed.Ronnie will go down in history as one of the greatest bodybuyilders of all time.But even if he comes back next year and blows everyone out of the water, the powers that be will see to it he doesnt get number 9.He's a great champion if this were a sport, but its not. Its sports entertainment, and Ronnie's not marketable.
(Ronnie, if your reading this, here's your motivation.)
well written post with very valid points.
however... bodybuilding will NEVER be marketable. period.
even with the help of a face called arnold s., who wasn't PURPOSELY trying to make it marketable. it still isn't and will never be.
ever been to the gym on a crowded day, with plenty of reg/fit physiques, as well as a good amount of the more serious, as well as hardcore? then you're out for the evening, or at the mall, or wherever, and how many guys/girls do you see that make you say to yourself,"they look like they train pretty hard?"
i've said it 2x in 30 years, and i've trained in L.A. for many years, new york, new jersey, canada, etc... you rarely see that, you know why? because people, for the most part, are to lazy to be committed to real training.
i don't mean gassed up drug freaks, just good shape, muscular defined people.
i am not counting of course, contests, bb seminars, mma events, etc.. just regular places where regular people go and lead their ordinary (non) hardcore lives.
so it doesn't matter who the face is, who the "ambassador" (f*ckin' hilarious terminology) for the "sport"(freak show) is.
it's a cult freak following and that's that.
do you see even attractive fitness girls doing revlon, maybelene ads, etc? no. because even with their beauty and level of fitness, they threaten the average couch potato andy frank hot fry eating pigs- which make up the majority of the country(world).
seeing those that are committed, serious, and dedicated only makes them feel guilty and even more depressed...as they reach for another beer, slice of pizza, or institutional sized pack of fish sticks.
