Agreed.
And furthermore, the NPC has been short-sighted in this....because the increased entries (hugely increased revenue) they have now are still people that remember how special it was to have a IFBB Pro card a decade ago. But 2-5 years from now when everybody and their aunt, sister and retarded nephew own a Pro card the entries will dwindle down greatly.
Having a IFBB Pro card means nothing now.
And even if the physique, fitness and bikini sticks around that's fine....just limit the pro cards handed out. So many cards are given out like you said that it means nothing. The amateur show just suddenly becomes the pro show. The pro shows used to represent the elite physiques in the world going to head to head.
It's like how Arnold described the O in Pumping Iron, "Each year all the previous Mr. Universes come together and compete on one stage to see who is the best....this is the Mr. Olympia contest."
It used to be that one year "bb Dave and bb Mike" became the new pros and joined the elite. They'd enter their pro show and it was clear they weren't Haneys, Rays, Levrones, Cormiers, etc....yet. Today all the guys look the same from "pro debut" to their last "pro show"....that aint' good either. A 90s show like the Iron Man (which was considered "3rd tier" back then) would rival or surpass the Arnold today....IMHO.
