I have given this some thought as a fan. Please allow me to add my 2 cents...
Bob, I have great respect for you and am a big fan. But I am disappointed that you do not represent Lee in this matter. You are supposed to be the athletes rep. Yes, Lee broke the rule and is subject to punishment. But I think it is incumbent on you to make sure the punishment is the least possible. In this matter, you look like a shill for the IFBB blue blazers and not a rep for the athlete.
Lee, I also have great respect for you. You are my favorite BB. I love your outspoken personality as well as your physique. And you have a cool accent! Come back to the IFBB if they allow you to. You are a fan favorite. But don't take this to court. You will give the IFBB an undeserved black eye among the 'regular' people. We should all try to bring fans into the sport, not just appeal to those that already are. It's bad enough that we as an industry have to deal with the Titus/Ryan murder drama. (i digress...Craig is going to give this sport a big black eye. He does not look good in interviews, he comes off as a self-centered jerk. He shows that he is a total moron by firing his legal team for having the temerity to tell him to STFU. I bet his next lawyer tells him to "be quiet". then he'll get fired, then the next and the next and so on....end digression) We need more "good" guys to appeal to the masses. Lee, you made your point. You have bloodied the nose of the IFBB, but leave it at that. Be a voice within the IFBB and act for change within the system. You and Bob should be on the same page on many of the issues that you have.
Are Lee's complaints really THAT outrageous? We all know this federation is not centered around the athletes. C'mon, anyone out of the top 10 at the marquee event of our sport, where everyone has to earn their entry, didn't even get a dime until last year? C'mon people, that is a sign of a minor league sport that is NOT ready for prime time.
My friends, isn't this the kind of backstabbing and politicking that we were complaining about in last weeks PBW regarding the Magazine Wars? We need to work together as fans and athletes and IFBB brass and suppliment companies and media groups and websites to grow our beloved sport. Yes, a little personality and conflict is fun and builds excitement. But when you get down to suspensions, lawyers, courts, etc...it's too much and can only damage our sport's reputation in the outside world.
WE NEED TO BRING IN NEW, OUTSIDE FANS TO GROW THIS SPORT!
To the IFBB head honchos, fine Lee and let him in the to the Big Show. Lee is a marquee name in this sport. Additionally, he is one of the few pros who actually has a life outside the industry. A real, visible presence outside the sport with his racing. I guarantee you (Lee, back me up on this) that any story about Lee in the racing media (magazine, web sites, word of mouth by racing fans) mentions that he is a professional bodybuilder. That builds interest outside the narrow confines of the sport.
Lets face it, this sport and industry is pretty small and insular. You know each other, you talk to each other, you sleep with each other, you marry each other, you interview each other, you rat on each other, you don't rat each other, you (rarely) kill each other... We don't attract many outside fans. We don't get any play on ESPN or ESPN 2 or ESPN 8 "the ocho". (Even if there were an ESPN 8, would pro BB be on it?) We have very few crossover athletes. Arnold certainly is. Lou is still famous. Can we include Triple H? Roided up baseball players don't bring people to the sport. (perhaps outside of the interview Canseco did on PBW.)
Lee is one of the few athletes with crossover potential. Im sorry, but Ronnie is not well spoken nor articulate as the champion in our sport. (Is everyone on crack, Ronnie? How very middle-school-playground of you.) Jay seems nice, but he doesn't seem to have a dynamic personality for media presentation. Dexter seems like a personable, media friendly pro. We have great diversity in our sport, except for maybe Asians. We need to use that to our advantage. Gunter would be a great draw. (Muscular, tall, good smile, exotic accent, very Arnold-like.) Maybe he could get some face time on network TV via Kim Lyons' reality show on NBC, The Biggest Loser.
Look how many regular folks go the Expo at the Arnold. This is where the new fan base will come from. One of the great things about having it in Columbus, Ohio is that the event takes over the town for a week. It is the biggest event in the region. Local media, government officials, local tourism officials, etc. put their muscle (no pun intended) and influence behind event. You get crossover fans from the other sport at the Arnold Weekend, but the centerpiece of the whole giant event is the Men's Professional Bodybuilding. I imagine that by comparison, the Olympia gets lost in the hustle and bustle of Vegas. I have been to the Arnold and seen this first hand. I have not been to the O, but I can imagine it is only one of many events in Vegas that it has to compete for publicity. Do local Vegas residents come to the Olympia, or is it just BB fans who travel from far across the fruited plain and the world? I know for a fact that the Arnold draws in a huge number of "regular" citizens and that gives our sport important exposure not to mention Arnold's drawing power. Thank god Arnold still shows up for the event and isn't just a name on the sign.
We need to keep our eye on the long term viability of the sport and work on bringing new fans into the sport. Isn't this why we introduced Fitness and then Figure? To broaden the appeal of the sport? Lee has great crossover drawing power with the racing fans. He is one of the few crossover athletes in this sport. It is especially important to strike while the iron is hot as Lee had a great year in racing. He is sure to bring in fans for this show. (Name one competitor who can draw more outside fans to the O this year) If he isn't there to compete, we will lose potential fans. Not to mention that if Lee is punished too harshly, he may leave the IFBB all together, which would be a loss of a marquee name.
I don't think this small sport can survive having two excusive federations. That dilutes the talent pool and you don't compete against ALL of the best BBers. It would be like boxing with three separate organizations. Who is the champion? The IFBB should remove the exclusivity clause. If the athletes are to be treated as independent contractors rather than as paid members of the IFBB, then they should be allowed to compete where they want. Competition can only strengthen the sport. We, of all people, understand that growth comes via working against resistance and pushing your limits and going outside your comfort zone. But I fear that the IFBB doesn't want resistance or competition and doesn't want to change and improve. They feel comfortable as a monopoly and therefore won't feel compelled to work on improving the mass appeal of the sport. Go ahead IFBB, keep doing the same routine over and over and wonder why you don't grow...
Thanks for your attention,
Jayhawk
