The Exploitation of Pro Bodybuilders

[Never1AShow]

Bodybuilding is what, a billion dollar plus industry what with all of the supplements, magazines and equipment being sold?  The Pros, whose images are used to peddle much of that stuff, and whose contests drive a lot of the interest, get almost none of that.  One percent of a billion dollars is 10 million.  Do you think the top 200 guys/girls get to share even that 1 percent? 

The top 20 males and females split maybe 5 million of that, maybe.  The other 5 million averages out to about 28k per person for the rest of the top 200.

[falco]

Great math skills.

[Azure]

There's no money in actual bodybuilding and never has been.

There's lots of money for show promoters based on shattered dreams for the mpd and bikini people. There's money for supplement companies and smart/manipulative coaches/gurus on the internet. Some are making upwards of 30K per month writing "meal plans" and training programs for desperate people.

The Weider business model!

[Yamcha]

[falco]

There's no money in actual bodybuilding and never has been.

There's lots of money for show promoters based on shattered dreams for the mpd and bikini people. There's money for supplement companies and smart/manipulative coaches/gurus on the internet. Some are making upwards of 30K per month writing "meal plans" and training programs for desperate people.

The Weider business model!

The big bucks are in the steroid dealing busisness. Some believe it's already bigger than the narcotics traffic.

[SF1900]

Oh well, let them find new jobs. Private organizations have a right to dictate who gets what money and how much of it.

If bodybuilders don't like feeling exploited, they should pick themselves up by their bootstraps, and get a new career.

[Azure]

The big bucks are in the steroid dealing busisness. Some believe it's already bigger than the narcotics traffic.

Ah yeah true!

There's a big market out there for it too. There's a 60 year old guy at the gym who takes gear and never lifts weights. All that is growing is his gut.

There's also money in porn

[mr.turbo]

Oh well, let them find new jobs. Private organizations have a right to dictate who gets what money and how much of it.

If bodybuilders don't like feeling exploited, they should pick themselves up by their bootstraps, and get a new career.

if you look at the other pro "sports" there are a couple things that lead to increased money for the "athletes".

1. competition from other leagues
2. effective unions

you don't see this in bodybuilding

[local hero]

if you look at the other pro "sports" there are a couple things that lead to increased money for the "athletes".

1. competition from other leagues
2. effective unions

you don't see this in bodybuilding

But,but.. they have Bob Chic as an athletes rep.....

[mr.turbo]

But,but.. they have Bob Chic as an athletes rep.....

ya I think bob is a member of an actors union if I recall correctly?  

So he knows exactly how unions operate.  

[funk51]

Bodybuilding is what, a billion dollar plus industry what with all of the supplements, magazines and equipment being sold?  The Pros, whose images are used to peddle much of that stuff, and whose contests drive a lot of the interest, get almost none of that.  One percent of a billion dollars is 10 million.  Do you think the top 200 guys/girls get to share even that 1 percent? 

The top 20 males and females split maybe 5 million of that, maybe.  The other 5 million averages out to about 28k per person for the rest of the top 200.

this fellow sued joe weider years back for non-payment, he was literally on every 5 th page of the weider mags in that period. he probably would have gotten a multi-million dollar settlement but at the last minute settled out of court for 17 k...

[Azure]

this fellow sued joe weider years back for non-payment, he was literally on every 5 th page of the weider mags in that period. he probably would have gotten a multi-million dollar settlement but at the last minute settled out of court for 17 k...

I remember me and a friend couldn't understand why people would be nearly killing themselves for ZERO money when we knew people in the NFL who were scrubs making 250K per year.

Now with ability for everyone to build their own brand and be their own brand there is more opportunity AND more competition. I also think that being a pro these days is meaningless. Everybody is a pro and everybody is an expert. I do Think the shows and such could be run better

[Coffeed]

Arnold, in old interviews, talked about winning bodybuilding competitions and how the prize money was almost nothing. So he went out and started businesses and stuff. He built concrete walls and shit.

Anyways, point is nothing ever changed and if you want to make money then don't count on it being from bodybuilding directly. The people who run it have no interest in paying fair "wages" or anything even resembling as such.

[SF1900]

if you look at the other pro "sports" there are a couple things that lead to increased money for the "athletes".

1. competition from other leagues
2. effective unions

you don't see this in bodybuilding

And the fact that people actually watch and care about the sport and buy merchandise lol

[mr.turbo]

And the fact that people actually watch and care about the sport and buy merchandise lol

It's pretty dead.

Probably another reason why you see "athletes" going out with their own brand almost universally.

If you look at the crossfit thing it seems like there's an audience there but just not getting tapped into.

[calfzilla]

Don't forget that the NPC is a nonprofit. How much does the ceo make? 

[Never1AShow]

So far no one has effectively addressed the point that without the top 200 men and women none of the fart powder sells.

[Thong Maniac]

Its just deep seeded in vanity. Once your hooked on the vainess of this fitness industry and being told ou look good, hot, hard, whatever, you just continue with it as it begins to define you as a person...and before u know it, your prepping for some show with little to no return on investment. I mean even at the pro level this is the case. They are defined by their body and its hard to really pursue other ventures when your life revolves around vanity 24/7

[SF1900]

It's pretty dead.

Probably another reason why you see "athletes" going out with their own brand almost universally.

If you look at the crossfit thing it seems like there's an audience there but just not getting tapped into.

MLB FB page has close to 7 million people.

IFBB FB has 40,000

Do the math lol