MODS, feel free to move this to another topic place as I tend to get a bit "long winded" and this may not be fitting in this space.
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Take your mind back fifty years or so!
If you can’t go back that long ago, let me help you just a bit.
Were we Americans prejudice back then?
Hell yea we were!
But within the world of bodybuilding it was a different form of prejudice back then.
At least the way I saw it, it was! (I'm a non-prejudicial white guy who firmly believes one can be "prejudicial" about another's actions but not by the color of another's skin.)
It was the kind of prejudice in which no one could point a finger at any one individual and say, “He did it! He started it!”
And no single American could stand behind a computer and say otherwise.
Here’s my own and best description of “prejudice” as it existed within the world of bodybuilding while I was growing up. The 'prejudicial' part is a small part of this story anyway and it certainly ain’t written by a “prejudicial professional”.
Back in the day when Bob Birdsong was the new and upcoming west coast bodybuilding superstar, he entered an IFBB event In Tiajuana, Mexico. It was an IFBB contest for amateurs because the NPC wasn’t even in existence yet and the IFBB was just starting to get a foothold on the west coast with an 'office' in Santa Monica. (I'm bad at recalling precise time periods though so I'll try my best to avoid dates and times and leave that up to your GetBig expert wannabees.)
This BB event was held in one of the meeting rooms in one of the better Tiajuana hotels and I would guess that there were no more than 250 fans in attendance.
I drove down from Los Angeles with some of my Pasadena bodybuilder buddies and found the room to be half full/half empty with Joe Weider and his new wonder-kid by the name of Arnold, and an Italian guy by the name of Franco sitting patiently at the official judging table waiting for something to happen.
The room had about 15 rows of chairs with approximately 20 chairs to a row so it was evident that they were expecting a full house of 300 fans. A pretty decent crowd back then.
As I entered I saw Sergio Oliva sitting on a table in the back of the room and since I had met him on a few Olympic lifting occasions, I walked over to say hello and he invited me to sit down and have a talk about the day’s activities.
I told him that I was there to support Birdsong and he told me that he was there to challenge this new guy (Arnold) to a posedown and stated it in a loud enough voice that the officials’ table slightly shivered.
And since I had nothing much more to talk about, Sergio started talking to the room in general but it was evident that his words were directed to Arnold and Joe who appeared to be doing their best not to hear what was being loudly stated from the very back of that very small room. Just an occasional glance from side to side among three people at that officials' desk.
This is a guess but I can pretty accurately state that that one-way yelling “conversation” went on for a good three minutes or possible longer. But no one at that official table heard a word or even pretended to listen.
And then the contest started and Birdsong came out and the more-than-demanding fans went crazy and the room vibrated once again even though Sergio was silent out of respect for those competing athletes.
Back in those days, the fans were far different than the fans of today. If you looked like shit up there, you’d were told so in varying degrees of harassment and the occasional toss of a rotten tomato. Or even a hook on a wooden pole that pulled the undeserving immediately from that spotlight that all contestants were then confined to.
Birdsong was the obvious winner but we had to let the judges do their thing and that thing took 30 minutes of respectfull silence soon to be broken by Sergio once more from the back of the room. But this time a chant came forth that demanded that he posedown with Arnold in this very room at this very precise moment of time.
The chant grew and resounded against the walls and Joe must have heard it because he reluctantly stood up and stated that under no circumstances would he allow Arnold to pose down against Sergio at this event. And then he regained his seat and pretended business in an effort to avoid further confrontation.
But the crowd insisted and grew even louder…… and finally ……
It was it was Franco who stood up and in an Italian dialect accepted Sergio’s challenge. And after most of the room understood what he said, there was a mixture of boos and applause and Sergio reluctantly accepted.
And Arnold appeared to let out a sigh of relief. And so did Joe!
So up hops Sergio to get prepared backstage while Franco does likewise.
And meanwhile the judges decide that they have a winner and Birdsong deservedly gets the trophy.
And nothing in a prejudicial form has occurred just yet.
But it ain't over until the fat lady sings ....... But it was evident that she wasn't present in this room.
Maybe she was backstage getting ready.
Continued …. Heading out to get some groceries.
