You're out of touch...
The general public doesn't like bodybuilding because it doesn't appeal to the general public. It only appeals to the fitness market, and the small nitch market of "hardcore" fans...THATS IT.
We don't have to appeal to "mainstream America"...we need to appeal to OUR OWN fans, first and foremost.
You honestly think that if bodybuilders were clean and scaled down, the numbers of fans would INCREASE? Lolololol...We have those shows already, they're called "Natural shows", and they don't exactly sell the place out...they're not even supported by bodybuilding fans in general...family and friends, thats all.
ENTERTAINMENT is what sells, and bodybuilding is inherrantly BORING...even to bodybuilders. Without bringing up the entertainment value, the numbers will remain status quo...nothing more, nothing less. World Xhampionship Poker even figured this out and draws record attendance now and TV ratings have skyrocketed....WHY? Because they started featuring tthe PERSONALITIES of the players...much like the UFC, or the best example...WWE.
People have to CARE who wins, loses, gets screwed, etc, etc.
This has nothing to do with drugs...everyone knows athletes in all walks of sports take steroids, etc. Do you see MN Football ratings dropping? MLB? Oympics? Tour DeFrance...if anything, the whole drug scandal surrounding Lance Armstrong only made people watch even more...before that, who gave a shit about watching guys biking for hunderds of miles?
Money in sports comes primarily from ONE source...TV revenue. We (bodybuilding) have none because were not entertaining enough to sustain ratings to justify the time. Make it more entertaining...we pick up TV time...pick up TV time...we pick up SPONSORS willing to pay big dollars to advertise their products to thousands of fans tuning in, or paying the PPV, etc.
You're living in the past , my friend...and I'm doing more than anybody to initiate change. No offense, but please don't talk about what I'm doing/ not doing when you really don't know.
BTW...5 guys did boycott the 1981 Olympia. Guess what came of it? NOTHING...They were all back the next year bitching about Franco winning and costing themselves money trying to make a point. Should tell you a little something about what works and what doesn't.