Many promoters of bodybuilding contests don't consider the main draw which is the open men's contest. What we used to do was have the open men first on at the prejudging and then last at the main show. This way they didn't have to wait around all day and could have the afternoon off to relax before the evening show. That is fine if you don't have that many watching the show. The worst case of this was the old AAU Mr America contests that had the show after the weightlifting was over. At one contest the bodybuilding show was on after midnight! Something wrong there.
If the promoters use the amateur contests to draw an audience then perhaps the open show can be held when there is the biggest audience. When family and friends come to see a contest many are disappointed their hero didn't win and leave the show afterwards. Thus, the crowd dwindles in the evening. Promoters try to include too many events and divisions and the whole thing takes way too much time and the crowd gets bored and disappears. Obviously they have to cater to everyone and the pros get on last. I know I didn't want to watch all those fitness routines and had to wait for the pros to finally appear on the webcast.
I feel Vince brings up some good points here.
I think these Expo things with Powerlifting, Bikini girls etc are just a pain in the arse really.
It makes the day go on for fucking ever.
I run my own show back here in Aust & I make sure it's short & sweet. About 5hrs is the maximum for me. Even this could be considered too long.
Take other 'normal' sports for instance. Would you go & watch a football match, hockey game or basketball game if it meant that you would be there for 10-12hrs? I doubt it. Not many people can sustain interest in something for that amount of time. So what makes BBing promoters think that people can sustain interest in a BBing show for that long? Especially considering at a Pro level, you are pretty much seeing the same competitors all the time. Their placings rarely change, so what we are doing in reality is just going along to watch an 'exhibition' of BBers. The competition is virtually non-existent.
Where's the excitement in that. It's just as easy to watch the DVD or check out the photos.
Another point I would like to ad is the fact that all the Pro shows are held in the US, except for Tony Doherty's Aussie Pro show. Why aren't there Pro shows in Europe any more? The European crowds would kill to see the worlds best BBers in action. They are noisy & passionate, as are the Aussie fans. The Pros are always well received down here, but I feel in America, the crowds are a bit spoiled & tend to take Pro shows a bit for granted, knowing full well that there is a show not too far away from them.
No one is really going to travel overseas to watch a Pro show, bar maybe the Arnold or the Olympia.
Another thing I would like to bring up is presentation. Without sounding too harsh, most Pro BBers posing routines are as boring as bat-shit, with the exception of one or two, such as Melvin, Darrem etc. For professional athletes, I expect to see a bit more 'bang-for-my-buck'. They just lumber around the stage with their hand cupped to one ear, expecting us to praise them just for walking out on the stage. The routines of yester-year leave todays routines for dead. This is one area of Pro BBing that has gone backwards in a big way.
What was once one of the most exciting part of a Pro contest is now just a drag.
These guys are getting paid to do this, surely they can put a bit more effort into their presentation. I see much more entertaining & creative routines at local 'natural' BBing shows back here in Aust.
Just my thoughts.
