What would it take to get bodybuilding back on ESPN?

[Azure]

And Helmsley's father-in-law (who owned both the WWF and WBF) doesn't know that?

Regis Philbin was as big a star as there was in he 90s. He was the MC for the first WBF championship. He'd just appeared at WrestleMania 7 three months prior to that. And he had WBF bodybuilders on his talk show, leading up to the competition.

Lest we also forget, McMahon pulled a major coup by signing LOU FERRIGNO.

On top of that, you had the "WBF Bodystars" show in 1992 and the week-long "Family Feud" special with McMahon's WWF wrestlers and WBF bodybuilders, raising money for charity. I almost forgot about the tug-of-war between "Team WWF" and "Team WBF".

None of that led to more sponsorship or mainstream acceptance and the WBF folded a month after its 1992 championship (by which time Ferrigno had bailed back to the IFBB).

I think things are a bit different in the sense that competing has become very popular.  Not the bodybuilding part but these other divisions have brought more people into the fold and there can be some way to capitalize off of this in some way. I think the IFBB is too stubborn and wants to maintain total control and keep it niche because if they go outside, then they won't be able to monopolize everything.  Whoever heard of revoking press passes in a niche sport as it is?  Wouldn't you want more outlets to cover it to gain maximum exposure?  Bringing in other types of sponsors mean they would have an opinion because they are paying.

[MCWAY]

I think things are a bit different in the sense that competing has become very popular.  Not the bodybuilding part but these other divisions have brought more people into the fold and there can be some way to capitalize off of this in some way. I think the IFBB is too stubborn and wants to maintain total control and keep it niche because if they go outside, then they won't be able to monopolize everything.  Whoever heard of revoking press passes in a niche sport as it is?  Wouldn't you want more outlets to cover it to gain maximum exposure?  Bringing in other types of sponsors mean they would have an opinion because they are paying.

The other divisions are subsidized by bodybuilding and are basically steps downward.

Figure was for fitness girls who sucked as gymnasts and couldn't dance. And when even they were "too big", we got bikini, where the girls literally bend over and stick out their behinds (a far cry from fitness girls trying to prove they weren't just T&A).

And all of that was a downgrade from the Ms. Olympia which was once a stand-alone show. Twenty years ago, it had to be combined with the Mr. Olympia, just to be profitable. But even that didn't work and now it is no more.

As for the press, I recall when some mainstream press did cover the Arnold Claasic. What resulted was one of the WORST smear jobs I'd ever seen. ESPN may have done it.

The IFBB doesn't need that at all. And it doesn't need to be on ESPN anymore.

[Azure]

The other divisions are subsidized by bodybuilding and are basically steps downward.

Figure was for fitness girls who sucked as gymnasts and couldn't dance. And when even they were "too big", we got bikini, where the girls literally bend over and stick out their behinds (a far cry from fitness girls trying to prove they weren't just T&A).

And all of that was a downgrade from the Ms. Olympia which was once a stand-alone show. Twenty years ago, it had to be combined with the Mr. Olympia, just to be profitable. But even that didn't work and now it is no more.

As for the press, I recall when some mainstream press did cover the Arnold Claasic. What resulted was one of the WORST smear jobs I'd ever seen. ESPN may have done it.

The IFBB doesn't need that at all. And it doesn't need to be on ESPN anymore.

It doesn't need to be on ESPN and like I said why bother but it would be nice to see them step their game up and now they don't have to. It would be nice to see the benefits of some mainstream sponsorships


The Arnold Classic was on tv 20 years ago when flex won and it was very well produced

The other divisions may be a downgrade but they are what's exploding the industry. It isn't bodybuilding. Sure mens open bodybuilding is the main attraction Olympia weekend but how many standalone purely bodybuilding shows could survive on their own? Not many.

I think mens physique is terrible and pointless. Not showing legs and no routine. Bikini is an absolutel joke but it's bringing in the money

[Parker]

Celebrity MCs aren't worth much. Regis Philbin did the first WBF show. It didn't add (nor detract) from the competition one bit.

Celebrity judges? NOPE!! Way too many complaints from the past about non-bodybuilder so judging shows (Didn't Franco Columbu's wife judge a pro competition?).

Vince McMahon tried everything from dancing girls to machine guns to give "pizazz" to bodybuilding. If that didn't work, then little else will (especially with the Feds breathing down your neck).

The web is perfect for bodybuilding because it doesn't require "mainstream" media acceptance for purposes of broadcasting or marketing. It can reach those niche fans and get them involved, much as it does with fans of old rockers and rappers from decades gone by.

Not if you have celebs like The Rock or Marcus Allen or even a combo of Ryan Seacrest (cost a lot of money) and an ESPN host.
The goal is to cater to the mainstream and the ESPN/fitness crowd at the same time.

[MCWAY]

Not if you have celebs like The Rock or Marcus Allen or even a combo of Ryan Seacrest (cost a lot of money) and an ESPN host.
The goal is to cater to the mainstream and the ESPN/fitness crowd at the same time.

That catering has been tried decades ago, between Lee Haney's ESPN show, Bodyshaping with Cory Everson, and FLEX Magazine Workout, all on ESPN.

Rock's involvement would do as much for bodybuilding as Regis' work did for the WBF (and he repeatedly has guys like Strydom and DeMey on his TV show). Heck, the 1991 show was at Donald Trump's Taj Mahal, with Trump in the front row.

[MCWAY]

It doesn't need to be on ESPN and like I said why bother but it would be nice to see them step their game up and now they don't have to. It would be nice to see the benefits of some mainstream sponsorships


The Arnold Classic was on tv 20 years ago when flex won and it was very well produced

The other divisions may be a downgrade but they are what's exploding the industry. It isn't bodybuilding. Sure mens open bodybuilding is the main attraction Olympia weekend but how many standalone purely bodybuilding shows could survive on their own? Not many.

I think mens physique is terrible and pointless. Not showing legs and no routine. Bikini is an absolutel joke but it's bringing in the money

The only Arnold Classic I remember on regular TV was in '99, when the late Nasser El Sonbaty won it. It aired on UPN (now the CW network) but was about as bad as an ESPN production, with generic rock music dubbed over the actual songs used by the competitors. Vince Taylor was pop-locking to some ear-splitting, head-banging mess. It was so obvious that the guys weren't actually using the dubbed music that it was absurd.

[HTexan]

Less thongs and no stripper dancing.

[oldtimer1]

I remember when ESPN dropped all bodybuilding. They replaced it with billiard competitions. In ESPN found guys playing pool to be a better attraction than oiled up men posing to music in their underwear.  

After the movie Pumping Iron with the appeal of Arnold bodybuilding had it's biggest main stream acceptance. Now it just died out.  I think 100% of the public know the previous secret of steroids now. It's a sport based on drug use. No drugs equal no contests. Maybe something held in a high school auditorium that the seats are filled up with friends and family.

Most alpha males are interested in performance meaning real sports like football, MMA, baseball, basketball, track and such. Never went to a bar and had a guy say to me Yates had some lat spread in that contest.

[Azure]

The only Arnold Classic I remember on regular TV was in '99, when the late Nasser El Sonbaty won it. It aired on UPN (now the CW network) but was about as bad as an ESPN production, with generic rock music dubbed over the actual songs used by the competitors. Vince Taylor was pop-locking to some ear-splitting, head-banging mess. It was so obvious that the guys weren't actually using the dubbed music that it was absurd.

I never saw that one. The one I saw was on Nbc in 1993 and Arnold was doing the commentating with someone else. It was the one where flex won.

It was very well produced

The webcasts I've seen haven't been all that great either with the commentary and it's boring.

[Never1AShow]

Did nobody here see the Espys giving Caitlyn Jenner woman of the year?  Good news for bodybuilding and deviancy in general.  We are this close ....

[Simple Simon]

The internet finally finished bodybuilding.

[Howard]

  Good post, sums it all up quite well.

I remember when ESPN dropped all bodybuilding. They replaced it with billiard competitions. In ESPN found guys playing pool to be a better attraction than oiled up men posing to music in their underwear.  

After the movie Pumping Iron with the appeal of Arnold bodybuilding had it's biggest main stream acceptance. Now it just died out.  I think 100% of the public know the previous secret of steroids now. It's a sport based on drug use. No drugs equal no contests. Maybe something held in a high school auditorium that the seats are filled up with friends and family.

Most alpha males are interested in performance meaning real sports like football, MMA, baseball, basketball, track and such. Never went to a bar and had a guy say to me Yates had some lat spread in that contest.

[Howard]

I think things are a bit different in the sense that competing has become very popular.  Not the bodybuilding part but these other divisions have brought more people into the fold and there can be some way to capitalize off of this in some way. I think the IFBB is too stubborn and wants to maintain total control and keep it niche because if they go outside, then they won't be able to monopolize everything.  Whoever heard of revoking press passes in a niche sport as it is?  Wouldn't you want more outlets to cover it to gain maximum exposure?  Bringing in other types of sponsors mean they would have an opinion because they are paying.

Good post.

1. You are correct that the biggest number of entrants is in the NON-bodybuilding divisions, with bikini being the biggest number by far. Obviously, sexy and fit  "swimsuit pageants" will always have more mainstream appeal.

2. The current promoters of the biggest shows have been doing it for awhile and make $$.
At this point the IFBB/NPC seem to care more about promoting any form of "contest" then actual bodybuilding.

They can do what they want and others may follow , but my interest has always been bodybuilding.

[Parker]

That catering has been tried decades ago, between Lee Haney's ESPN show, Bodyshaping with Cory Everson, and FLEX Magazine Workout, all on ESPN.

Rock's involvement would do as much for bodybuilding as Regis' work did for the WBF (and he repeatedly has guys like Strydom and DeMey on his TV show). Heck, the 1991 show was at Donald Trump's Taj Mahal, with Trump in the front row.

That was then. This is now. A different era. Different stars. More action heros, more men and women workin g out. More stars working out. More people on steroids, etc.
Those were cable shows, now you have women on YouTube who could put Corey Everson to shame. More people know the deceased Greg Plitt and Zyzz than Lee Haney. So, it shows you the difference in era and mediums. Regis was ok, but he is know Ryan Seacrest. He is no Rock. more people care about celebrities now than before. Back then, the only Reality show was Cops and maybe The Real World.

[Azure]

Good post.

1. You are correct that the biggest number of entrants is in the NON-bodybuilding divisions, with bikini being the biggest number by far. Obviously, sexy and fit  "swimsuit pageants" will always have more mainstream appeal.

2. The current promoters of the biggest shows have been doing it for awhile and make $$.
At this point the IFBB/NPC seem to care more about promoting any form of "contest" then actual bodybuilding.

They can do what they want and others may follow , but my interest has always been bodybuilding.

To be perfectly honest Howard, I think most fans who attend and aren't family members or friends are mostly interested in the bodybuilding.  At the Olympia this year, there weren't that many folks in there for bikini.  I didn't even want to waste my time watching that but I wanted to see the fitness because I love the routines.  It started filling up when it was time for the men's open.

I thought there would be a bigger crowd for men's physique but many in the crowd left after the women's physique finals.  I kinda peeked in on the 212 but they didn't have that big of a crowd either.

IMO I think the personalities play a big role in the way things go.  These guys these days aren't very personable or charismatic.  Boring.  Add that they have those poofy physiques with bloated stomachs and it's just not all that interesting.

These guys these days aren't very exciting.  Jay had one of the biggest bodybuilder lines and he's not exactly the most exciting guy on the planet so that should tell you something.  Ronnie didn't even have a line...and I thought that was very sad.  

A lot of the stupid internet people had lots of people coming to see them.

[HTexan]

Did nobody here see the Espys giving Caitlyn Jenner woman of the year?  Good news for bodybuilding and deviancy in general.  We are this close ....

Because she was wearing a thong on stage and doing the robot to terminator movie clips mix with ginuwine's pony?

[Howard]

To be perfectly honest Howard, I think most fans who attend and aren't family members or friends are mostly interested in the bodybuilding.  At the Olympia this year, there weren't that many folks in there for bikini.  I didn't even want to waste my time watching that but I wanted to see the fitness because I love the routines.  It started filling up when it was time for the men's open.

I thought there would be a bigger crowd for men's physique but many in the crowd left after the women's physique finals.  I kinda peeked in on the 212 but they didn't have that big of a crowd either.

IMO I think the personalities play a big role in the way things go.  These guys these days aren't very personable or charismatic.  Boring.  Add that they have those poofy physiques with bloated stomachs and it's just not all that interesting.

These guys these days aren't very exciting.  Jay had one of the biggest bodybuilder lines and he's not exactly the most exciting guy on the planet so that should tell you something.  Ronnie didn't even have a line...and I thought that was very sad.  

A lot of the stupid internet people had lots of people coming to see them.

The biggest money maker for most promoters now is national or big regional amateur contests.
I believe the entry fee was 200 dollars and recently increased to $250.
Most national events get at least 500 bikini and figure girls to enter which is $100,000 on entry fees alone!!!

This is yearbook 101 marketing. The only people that buy school yearbooks are the students in it and their family.
If a bikini girls pays her entry fee and has a few friends/family buy tickets to watch her, you don't need BB fans to make $$.

That's fine and dandy for the organization and promoters, but it does NOTHING to promote real bodybuilding.

I'm one who doesn't think bodybuilding needs to be real profitable to be a viable sport. When I started , most serious bodybuilders worked a regular job. Most promoters did it for love of the sport over profits.
You entered a contest to do your best and have a goal to focus your training on.
The idea that bodybuilding should be a career is NOT meant for 99% who compete.

Anyhoo, over in the middle east, bodybuilding IS a big deal. Who knows why?

[Howard]

Did nobody here see the Espys giving Caitlyn Jenner woman of the year?  Good news for bodybuilding and deviancy in general.  We are this close ....

I know it    WTF, the 1976 Gold medal winner in the decathlon becomes a famous drag queen on estrogen and "she" gets honored.
Meanwhile those men who build muscle and take male hormones get demonized.

I don't give a fuk how many awards Jenner gets, that is some sick , twisted crap in my book.

[guyincognito]

centuries of sexual repression = more schmoes.

[Azure]

Howard . I know several former Bodybuilders who no longer attend shows or want nothing to do with it because they don't want to sit through the bikini, men's physique, and other classes. They also hate the way the physiques look now

to me that's the real problem

[doison]

It'd be 1/3 of the miracles you need for sainthood

[SquidVicious]

Just suck off your best buddy at the gym. It will actually feel less gay than watching a live bodybuilding competition. But it does come close.

[Howard]

Just suck off your best buddy at the gym. It will actually feel less gay than watching a live bodybuilding competition. But it does come close.

Fuk that was funny 

That kind of shit is why is why I had to get back on getbig.

[MCWAY]

That was then. This is now. A different era. Different stars. More action heros, more men and women workin g out. More stars working out. More people on steroids, etc.
Those were cable shows, now you have women on YouTube who could put Corey Everson to shame. More people know the deceased Greg Plitt and Zyzz than Lee Haney. So, it shows you the difference in era and mediums. Regis was ok, but he is know Ryan Seacrest. He is no Rock. more people care about celebrities now than before. Back then, the only Reality show was Cops and maybe The Real World.

Rock isn't going to do anything more for bodybuilding than Arnold did back then or does now.

The reason more people know about Plitt than Haney just makes my point: The Internet. There was no YouTube back in Haney's heyday.

I'd argue that Plitt was just an updated version or Bodyshaping's Rick Valente.

The most publicity that bodybuilders (male and female) got back in the day was when they were American Gladiators. The women really got the push: Tonya Knight ("Gold"), Raye Hollitt ("Zap"), Shelly Beattie ("Siren"), Lori Fetrick ("Ice"), Erika Andersch ("Diamond"), just to name a few.

But those bodybuilders got the press, because they weren't just bodybuilders. They were athletes actually doing something with this big muscles of theirs, besides flexing.

Some of the biggest celebrities of the time used the biggest media vehicles of the time to push bodybuilding, none more than McMahon perhaps. Yet, it didn't catch fire.

[MCWAY]

Good post.

1. You are correct that the biggest number of entrants is in the NON-bodybuilding divisions, with bikini being the biggest number by far. Obviously, sexy and fit  "swimsuit pageants" will always have more mainstream appeal.

2. The current promoters of the biggest shows have been doing it for awhile and make $$.
At this point the IFBB/NPC seem to care more about promoting any form of "contest" then actual bodybuilding.

They can do what they want and others may follow , but my interest has always been bodybuilding.

But if they tried to hold a stand-alone bikini show or men's physique contest, it'd be at a loss.

Number of entrants isn't necessarily a viable stat. Any twig with a halfway pretty face and a boob job can enter a local bikini show.