WEEK THREE :: What 3 Things Could Be Done To Make Bodybuilding Mainstream?

[admin]

TOPIC FOR 10/13/04 - 10/20/04: What three things could be done to make competitive bodybuilding more mainstream? Not just bodybuilding in general, but bodybuilding competitions, and not just pro bodybuilding, but all ranks and types of competitions. How could we get more people to compete? How could we get more people to attend the shows? List your answers with FULL details about why you think your ideas would work.

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $50 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it.

Thanks,
Ryan DeLuca
Bodybuilding.com

[biffterol]

In my opinion the problem with Bodybuilding, like any sport, is that money is being pumped into it more and more! The result of this is that guys who do it for the love of the sport my not bother entering a competition purely because he or she sees competing more and more as a "pro" event (what I mean is that although it is an amateur contest the image is that of one for someone who has a pro career as an aspiration). I can only speak for what it's like in Switzerland and I must say that it is considered very consevative here. The onyl competitions worth competing in are the nationals (quite a high standard). This leads me to my point one:

1. With the help of state funding, organisation of more regular small scale contests.
I believe such an initiative would result in people not feeling under pressure for a contest, and being more willing to take part. Once he or she has tasted the feeling of competing he or she may be stimulated to do another bigger one and who knows we may have the next Mr. or Mrs. O.

2. Reduction of the prices for various supplements and tanning lotions.
If competitors have an easy and cheap access to the material they need, they will be more willing to take their progress a step further and join into competitions. Currently the prices are slowly going down, but the bottom line is that this is one of the most expensive sports when compared with such like soccer, football, tennis, running, basketball etc..

3. Introduce challenges into the contests with spectator voting as well as judges.
The new Olympia rules are slowly heading in this direction. I would take it a step further and make the challenging the main part of the contest. What I mean by challenging is the pose down of you against another one of the competitors. He or she has to perform the same pose you do, and the judges and spectators can perform a direct comparison. Winning a challenge gets a score and the evening is based on points so one can see how he or she is progressing. Not only the competitor but also the spectators are more involved into the contest throughout the event. This makes it also very challenging for the competitors because they have to choose carefully against who they want to challenge. The choice is then based on how popular the person appears to be with the crowd, and also what his condition is compared to you i.e. Where are you superior to him.

[zackmurphy]

It's an interesting question.

I think you need one thing:
1. Get a charismatic winner out there. Do whatever it takes to get a smart, witty, non-gear-bellied winner.

When's another Arnold coming down the pike? Not one of the current crop has the persona of Arnold's left shoe, and not one of them could go captivate an audience on Letterman or Leno. That's why every Olympia we trot AS out there. And sure, he's a great champion, but after Jim Brown came OJ. Then Walter Payton. Then Emmit Smith.

They come down the pike every 10 years or so. These guys that dominate a sport AND can have a conversation on Regis, promoting their sport, why not BB'ing? Show off some double bi's and and laugh about tanning lotion.

And that's what a true champion could do. Lee Priest had some potential, but not if he's bucking the Olympia system. So he's out. Gunter could work, but he'd be considered "an Arnold copy" (since he speaks German) so he's out. Shawn Ray is smart enough, but possibly TOO cocky. Hell, maybe he's perfect. But he never won the O. So who else do we have to captivate America? Nobody. And that's what we need.

Where's Joe Weider on the TV circuit? Tell me that guy couldn't get on Leno to talk about Arnold and the old days, and to plug an upcoming competition. Tell me you couldn't get Johnnie Jackson to DL 800 for a TV crew. Or have Ronnie do incline presses with his new 250s. That would get BB'ing out of the realm of "freak show" (where, I'm sorry, but it still is), and back into the category of "quasi-sport", like NASCAR.

Look at strongman competitions, getting themselves onto ESPN and ESPN2 at wacky hours, and tell me why BB'ing couldn't do the same if it were marketing right. And not just a bunch of posing. Posing is exciting for all of us, but not for my family. My grandmother can't watch posing and get into it.

I think the IFBB marketing just sucks. They're doing nothing original. They're catering to existing fans, existing enthusiasts, and kicking ass at that. But that's not enough.

And as a second option:
Increase the prize money. Right now, the top guys clear $100k at the premier contest of the season. That's nothing. I know they do quite well from other endeavors, appearances, other contests, endorsement deals, etc., but the top prize at the premier event should be 10x that.

And the big money gets attention, possibly TV coverage, which can furtherincrease the prize pool.

Look at poker. It wasn't televised until they get the prize money up. Now it's over 7 figures, and it's on every channel.

My $0.02

[Dante205]

1.)We all know that kids are incouraged at a young age so we should introduce the great sport of competitive bodybuilding at a young age. what kid doesnt want to be big and strong. if we teach them and help them to love the sport at a young age whats going to stop them from praising it exploiting it. It's like a kid growing up and seeing his dad cheer for his favorite football team...then he's going to cheer for that team too. we could show them that its not just about supplements, but experience and knowledge.. and thats why ANY competition is the perfect breeding ground for learning poses or asking whats the best routine or whatever is going to help that kid get bigger and stronger

2.)More choices and less stress... the competitions that people see now a days are the ones where theres these people that are just huge and ripped beyond belief. But bodybuilding isn't just about being ripped to the point where you can see every fiber of muscle. it's about altering your physique that makes you happy so maybe they should have a TRANSFORMATION CONTEST along with the normal competition...i think people would realy react to that because of the challenge and make them feel better about them not being able to lift their pinky and their tricep flexes...LET THEM KNOW THERES MORE TO BODYBUILDING THAN WHAT YOU SEE ON T.V. LET THEM FEEL IT ON A PERSONAL LEVEL!!

3.)More local events...Im from El Paso Texas where nothing "exciting" really happens so i know that if you bring something new to a place where nothing really goes down people will notice. so we need to take it to the streets!! Bodybuilders are a select few that made the choice and felt the furit of their labor which is what we need people to realize by getting cities and towns to participate in just a simple contest that would be all the great life of bodybuilding would need. JUST A LITTLE SPARK TO SET THINGS OFF. it may start with one city but could fan out to other cities..if we could do that then one city turns into 2 cities then 2 cities turn into 4 cities then 4 cities into a whole state then a whole state into 2 states TILL BODYBUILDING TAKES OVER THE WHOLE COUNTRY!!! All we need is a little spark...and that could come greatly with local events with simple contest in every city.

[NickJ]

Bodybuilding will never be mainstream if you cannot market it to the mainstream. And the public does not find todays bodybuilders attractive. Freaky,...yes,...entertaining,...yes,.....attracti ve enough to endorse products other than protein powder....no. The classic physique like arnolds was even too big......he had to bring his weight down to make it in movies.

[wildcat09]

I believe that bodybuilding could be more mainstream if they focused on a certain aspect of the sport. Bodybuilding is not only muscle size, but transforming your body into what you would like it to be, and it doesn't necesarily have to be "huge".

I believe that bodybuilding could become more mainstream is if people didn't always see the biggest bodybuilders, because that makes a lot of people turn away in disgust for the sport. If people realized that there are much lighter people in the sport, I believe that they would be more attracted and interested in it. Also, if all events were tested, then people could not make false acuisations on people are only that big because they are on steroids. Furthermore, tested events would lead to a more fair and even compettition, in which there may not be a dominant figure in the sport.

Also, Many people do not know about bodybuilding because it is not advertised enough. I didn't know much about the sport until my brother showed me this site, and ever since I have been wanting to learn as much as I possibly can. I then came to learn about Mr. Olympia and other events through this site. Advertising has done many things to show people whats "out there". If there were more television commercials, then the public would be more exposed to the sport of bodybuilding. For example, Football is a main sport because people see previews for games, and highlights of it all the time on television. Therefore, I believe that if you make bodybuilding more accessable to the average person, that person may become involved or more interested in the sport itself.

Lastly, if people were not so obsessed with the latest "diet" craze, then they would realize that bodybuilding is not just for the ones who compete, but for everyone. The atkins diet right now is telling people that you can eat low carbs, and lose weight, which is true for a period of time, but the increased protein intake will soon make you gain all of your weight back, which people do not often realize. If people were introduced to a good diet, in which I mean a well balanced meal plan, and exercise, I believe that they would soon realize that they are "bodybuilding" and it doesn't necessarilly mean that they have to be as large as compettitors. Therefore, I believe that if bodybuilding made its own "diet" plan for the public, then people would soon realize that they can lose weight and keep it off, then bodybuilding would become more mainstream.


For the most part, people think of bodybuilding as a sport in which you have to be "large" to be in the sport at all. With this idea in peoples minds, the sport will not succeed until people realize that you do not have to get that large in order to be a bodybuilder. If people just realized that bodybuilding is transforming your body to the size/deifinition that you wanted, I bet that more people would become interested in the sport itself.

-Kev

[Audioslave]

Unfortunately it isn't going to be easy to make bodybuilding a very mainstream sport, well at least not in America. In the USA we have so many sports like football, baseball, hockey, basketball, boxing etc., which makes bodybuilding a much less popular sport. This is the main reason why a sport like soccer is not as popular in the US as it may be in other foreign countries. Fact is, the US has so many other great sports that bodybuilding is somewhat left in the dark. You must think creatively and spread the original essence of the sport to make it become more mainstream. It's hard, but possible.

Now the problem I see with bodybuilding is that it has become a freak show. So the first thing I would do is limit/ban the use of steroids. They might already be doing this but they are going to have to either get tested more frequently and be disqualified if tested positive, or be disqualified if they are over a certain limit. The reason I think this would make it more mainstream is because people will be able to relate to the sport more. Not many people out there want to look like these roided out bald guys with puffy nipples, and a growth hormone gut. People want a more natural and realistic physique. This tactic will not only get more people to watch the show, and get more people involved in competing but it could also increase female viewers. How many guys would watch a Beauty Pageant of bald females with facial hair, and weighing 250 lbs of muscle? Girls would rather see fit men, just like men would rather see fit women. By eliminating or restricting steroid use, more men and women will become much more interested in bodybuilding because it will be something they can relate too. Point is, people would rather have good muscular and physically fit bodies over growth hormone guts with gyno and baldness.

I remember watching a television show on ESPN Classics of Jack LaLanne demonstrating workouts which the people could follow to gain muscle, burn fat etc. If you can get a few professional bodybuilders together (who are not roided out and have physics that people would desire) and put a show together then you will be able to get more people involved in bodybuilding. I know pro bodybuilders have tapes out, but a television show which airs daily or every other day with bodybuilders demonstrating workouts, and talking about diets, supplements and how to keep a good physic will get people more motivated and into the gym and interested in bodybuilding. This is a great way to reach out to the people and get them started on the right foot by providing them with information on how to become a bodybuilder.

Obviously my last idea would be more or stronger advertising. The only time I see any advertising for a bodybuilding show is in bodybuilding magazines such as Flex. By advertising in only fitness magazines you are only reaching the public that know about bodybuilding and not the people who don't. I'm sure if there were more advertisements in other sports magazines like baseball, boxing, or football there would be much more people tuning in or going to see bodybuilding shows, especially since sports players like football players, baseball players, and boxers use weightlifting (bodybuilding) techniques for their training and most of them don't even know about competing in a bodybuilding contest. How often do you see any bodybuilding contests advertised on television? Barely ever. Papers, magazines, TV, you have to reach out to the people.

That's my three ideas to make bodybuilding more mainstream. Like I said before, in a country like the US there are so many great sports which leave bodybuilding in the dark. These are the steps I would take to try to reach the peoples interest and make a bigger name for bodybuilding. Bodybuilding will be a hard sport to spread, so you must think creatively.

[enjoyincubus]

In order to understand why bodybuilding isnt widely accepted, one must first realise certain sentiments that exist within our society. If one where to watch late night television programing, one would witness an amazing number of fitness related items being touted as the "quick fix" for weightloss. one would catch sculpted, boyish looking men talking for what seems to be an eternity about ridiculous looking products and how simple and painfree they are to operate. Judging by the vast numbers of these "miracle machines", it would only seem logical to conclude that these types of fitness machines have struck a nerve within the populace. these commercials have shown that society isnt looking for what works over a long period of time and is backed by science. It shows that the populace is looking for a painless and conveniant method in order to accomplish their fitness goals. In short, the populace wants to be fit, but it wishes to take the path of least resistance.

Bodybuilders, however, have a totally different psyche. Bodybuilders are willing to sacrifice their time, their effort, and their comfort in order to achieve their goals. Since bodybuilding requires so much time and effort, it will not be accepted by a society that will only accept the conveniant route.

Since society will not accept something that requires such dedication, anyone who does accept it is seen as abnormal. Anyone who dedicates themselves to something such a bodybuilding will never be accepted because the idea of dedication to anything is so foreign to the majority of people.


Society also likes what it considers 'storybook" sports. Sports that have set rules and in which every competitor has an equal chance of winning. In competitive bodybuilding, this is not the case. Competitive bodybuilding has no set rules in which a competitor is to be judged by. The entire system is based upon what certian parties see as the "best" physique. And since there is no physique that would fufill everyones idea of "best" there is always a certian amount of debate after each event. Bodybuilding also has a very selective nature. In order for one to compete, one must dedicate themselves fully to the sport. And since we have already concluded that dedication to anything is seen as foreign to society, society will not accept competitive bodybuilding.

As for steriods, I believe they are a non-issue. Afterall, steroid use is widely accepted in other sports. I believe steriods are merely a conveniant excuse for society to dismiss bodybuilding, without having to reflect upon itself and realise the real reason lies within societys unwillingess to accept anything other than what is conveniant.

We all would like bodybuilding to be more accepted by the mainstream. But the more one thinks about it, the easier it is to conclude that in order for bodybuilding to be accepted society would have to change. It would have to realise that the path of least resistance usually leads nowhere. My conclusion is that there arent very many things that we can do in order to have our beloved sport accepted. For if we change our sport, we would drift from the main princapals in which attracted us here in the first place. Until society can accept hardwork and dedication, bodybuilidng will never be anything more than it is now, a fringe culture.

[chewwy]

1. Introduce bodybuilding to people at a young age:

There is no question that the majority, if given the choice, would want the body of a bodybuilder, in preference to their own. Even if they did not want to go the whole hog and become huge, they’re sure to desire a nice set of abs, a decent sized chest, and bulging biceps. However, the general idea is that to get that kind of body, you have to work too hard, and make too many sacrifices. To put it bluntly, people are lazy by nature. anything which requires hard-work and dedication, as bodybuilding does, is seen as abnoral, and often laughed at by those who are misinformed and trying to fit into the way fo life which is considered normal and 'cool'. However, if some form of weight-training was introduced to all schoolchildren, around the time where the children reach adolescence, and they were educated properly, and given the opportunity to workout often, then this would change people’s views. The innocent and pure child's mind would be open to and embrace this exciting and rewarding sport. Now it has been widely disproved that resistance training during puberty stunts growth, there is no real reason against this. As the western world becomes increasingly obese, something must be done. Bodybuilding competitions could be held within and between schools, just as football and baseball games are. This would promote the idea of bodybuilding being more than just a past-time to people.

2. Change bodybuilding’s reputation from being a steroid fuelled activity for freaks, into a healthy lifestyle:

Show your average Joe a picture of Ronnie Coleman or any other top-ranked bodybuilder, and they will be likely to state that he is clearly on steroids. With the way all drugs are being demonised these days, this gives bodybuilding a very bad name. It is a sad fact that the sport is to a point about getting one’s body as big as possible, and steroids provide a quick and easy way of doing this, as well as being able to push the human body to grow to a size larger than ever naturally possible. If the IFBB were to alter the scoring system, so more aesthetically pleasing, and natural-looking body types were to score higher, the tide would soon turn.
If more bodybuilders were to get into high places, where themselves, and hence their physiques could be reflected in a good light, this would also help to change people’s opinions of the sport. For example, if a few of the top bodybuilders were to do more interviews, and portray themselves as being more human, people would soon realise that there is no great divide between themselves and these guys, and actually take an interest, no longer in a voyeuristic way, into the sport. Once people did get to learn what it’s all about, and see what a great sport and way of life this is, I’m sure bodybuilding’s popularity would grow escalate rapidly.

3. Make it more interesting:

It could be argued that watching gigantic men and women strut about on stage, in the tiniest of undergarments, is not quite as exciting as watching a football match, and this means that it will never be as popular. One way to add interest would be to raise the cash prizes, so that the sport seems like it is actually worth it for people thinking of turning professional. Many kids aspire to becoming professional football or baseball players, since they know the rewards which can be obtained, and even if you are not good enough to make it right to the top of your sport, a decent living can be made from being a coach, or competing at lower levels. This is not true of bodybuilding.

[Man2kx]

I'm going to keep my answers short and simple.

Stop having too many events. Rather, have more bigger events, than a ton of small events. This keeps people focused.

Teach people it INST ALWAYS about steriods. That this sport is not entirely about the use of steriods. People nowadays hear the word "steroids" and instantly think it's cocaine or something.

Advertise the shows and contests on TV or on the internet.

Get famous or well known people into the events. I'm sure if Arnold started BBing after movies, sure, ALOT of people would be interested in the sport. Get where I'm coming from?

Good luck.

[ravadongon]

If I had to choose 3 things could be done to make competitive bodybuilding more mainstream these would be them:

1) MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
Today, everything needs money being pumped in to be successful. Bodybuilding like anything else needs to be funded well. More prize money would make the career of bodybuilding more lucrative to many, especially the smaller scale contests. For example, if I were to choose between pursuing a career as a teacher or a career as a doctor, I would chose to pursue a career as a doctor, why, because there is more money in it. If prize totals are upped, then the more chance you have of amateurs turning pro.

This money could also be used for advertising and telecasting major bodybuilding events on TV. Sure it wouldn't start on primetime, but with more money being pumped in, it could only improve it's ratings. And more money means we could recruit commonly known celebrities and etc. and further improve ratings.

Also, continuing on this theme of money as mentioned by many supplements are far too expensive. Boy, even I struggle to buy them now, because the prices are quite often ridiculous at health food stores. If we lowered prices of supplements I am certain many more people would buy them, especially in lower class countries, such as India as someone mentioned on this forum the other day, where people struggle to afford supplements, even the cheaper ones.

2) NO MORE ROIDS
If I asked my friend, who has no interest in fitness, whatsoever, to name five words associated with bodybuilding, I guarantee one of them would be either steroids or drugs. This would be the case with many people, as a lot of people love to stereotype someone who's better then themselves at something as a "cheat/druggie" or "on roids". But what if we removed roids from bodybuilding, with random testing just like all other competitive sports? Would it stop people stereotyping bodybuilders in this way? Sure, bodybuilders now would not be as big, but average people wouldn't look down on them, they might even aspire to be like them...

3) EDUCATE PEOPLE
Most people know nothing about bodbuilding. I know I for one didn't even know a thing about Mr Olympia or even for that matter, name a bodybuilder except for Arnold, before starting bodybuilding. I know this would be the case with almost all people.

First of all, in terms of education at a high school level, we need someone educated teaching people about the art of bodybuilding either a pro, experienced lifter or a qualified personal trainer, NOT some pansy gym teacher who thinks he knows it all. We need to educate these people about not only how to lift weights with correct form, but also educate them about the importance of nutrition, sleep and other underlying factors, apart from just the weights, in bodybuilding. The history of bodybuilding is another topic which can be taken care of in this sense. It can be handled like any other sport/topic in PE, a course of around 6-8 weeks informing people of the mentioned.

I know a lot of people want to have bigger muscles, it's just that when they try they can't, because they aren't educated about the matter. Education, even just a brief introduction could set many on the path of further developing the sport of bodybuilding.

[BigTruckGuy3500]

I think if you concentrated on getting women into the sport, everyone will follow:

1) Educate people. Let women know that they will not become big and huge and masculine. Let everyone know the health benifits and what all they can accomplish through lifting.
2) Emphasize that you can almost literally create your body the way you want it. And show them that it really isn't that hard.
3) Once you get women into it. Start working on the guys. Do this by making fun of them for being weaker or smaller than their girlfriends/wifes.

That ought to do it. Atleast that's a much simplified version of what should be done.

[bornagainalco]

Two words: REALITY TV

[liveanimal]

1: Get a Pro who can annunciate and is not afraid of the Camera.
SOmeone who can go onto a show like Oprah and actually have an intelectual conversation with the host/hostess; instead of just saying (for example), "everyone wanna be a bodybuilder, but dont no body wanna lift no heavy weights". Someone who will sounds and act as though they are a real person with emotions, not just a meathead who is so focused on lifting it's pathetic.

2. Get the Olympia on ESPN or FOX, NBC, abc.
Make the biggest bodybuilding event something like the superbowl or the NBA playoffs, tennis championship. Through this more people will be exposed to the sport and it will desensatize the public, over time, to the "abnormality" of the sport. It would create a larger fan base and if they made the Olmpia more interesting such as including "behind the scenes" stories to go along with some of the top competitors it would add some character buildup and allow the PUBLIC to pick favorites and allow them to follow the sport with interest much like nascar or their fav. football team. It certainly couldn't be too controvercial to put on a channel such as FOX or abc becausing nothing is more humiliating or society/moral destructive than those reality T.V. shows.

3. Muscle is Beautiful Attitude:
Get some pro's into more magazines such as People or US weekly. I saw Jay in one of those mag's with some holywood entreprenuer and he looked good. It was presented as if Jay was one of the "beautiful people" a successful enough person to make it into those magazines. It's up to the publishers of the magazines to decide whether or not to include some bber's in their mag's but it is a known fact that money runs media and I'm sure Wieder or some other top money makers could persuade the media industry to slowly and subtly show a more "professional" or "classy" side to muscle and the people who have it.

-Eric

[Throwback]

If one wants to make bodybuilding 'mainstream' one has to first examine what makes other sports mainstream.

What does mainstream mean?
Mainstream in this situation would mean a large television viewing audience and more viewers(other than bodybuilders) and for more people to attempt to join the ranks of competitive bodybuilding.

What is it about other sports that get mainstream attention?
Why are people fascinated with football, basketball, and baseball in this country? I beleive that the answer lies in several factors. Mankinds inherent aggressiveness and competitiveness. Sports which either simulate combat or directly involve combat/violence appeal the most. Football is the most popular sport in America. It involves violence, and constant action along with the worlds best athletes(at their given sport). Bodybuilding can't necessarily involve violence, but contests could be more appealing if people understood the sport(better explanation of poses and what judges are looking at) and better pre-contest promotion. Boxing does this well. Nothing gets fans hyped like a press conference brawl. Perhaps introducing some controversy and rivalry to the people would get them more excited about who is going to win bigger contests. Often people know ahead of time who is going to win Mr. Olympia. Put some mystery and excitement into the contests.

What is going to make more people watch bodybuilding contests?
Outside of the hardcore gym rats, bodybuilding contests don't necessarily appeal to other demographics. To appeal to a larger audience you have to focus on what people might be interested in. Incorporating diet/exercise/fitness tips that can help the general public would be a big step. If people get something out of such an event(information they can directly apply to their lifestyle) they will be more interested. The suppliment/welness/fitness industry is a booming industry. This has to be incorporated in some way to get more people interested.

What is going to get more people involved in participating in bodybuilding?
Typically people become involved in sports at a young age, and carry a love for the game with them through their adulthood. A focus on getting kids started in physical fitness at a young age is going to lead to more interest and more getting involved as they reach adulthood.

Innovative ways to get bodbuilding coverage.
One way might be to involve reality television. Remember WWE's reality show on MTV? Not only was that show a hit, but it captured a ton of new audience for the 'sport' because it educated people so that they understood the artform. It got away from your average sub-urban audience who just wanted to see some 'rasslin and appealed to a slightly smarter crowd. Let's face it, as annoying as it is reality TV is huge right now. Take 15 ammature bodbuilders and put them on an elimination style reality TV show and suddenly people start understanding how much hard work and dedication these people have to go through to get to the level required for competitive bodybuilding.

Another way is to incorporate bodybuilding with other sports. Mixed Martial Arts is going through a transition that will hopefully take it to mainstream as well. Mixing faces and promoting through other mainstream sports(or sports attempting to get mainstream) will lead to more interest from a general audience.

[BreakOnThrough]

ok first thing bodybuilding needs is a great representative(in the present) that the public is well aware about. just like basketball had jordan, BBing had arnold. golf has tiger. BBing has no one(not even coleman...not many people know who he is).

next thing BBing needs is a standout, a personality...but one who wins, one who is at the top of his game. just like basketball had rodman and tennis had macenroe, BBing needs one of these that the public is well aware about. He needs to be seen at movie premieres, at the playboy mansion, dating pam anderson, crashing his ferrari into a street sign(ok maybe not that, but..), etc.

BBing needs marketing/advertising.

BBing needs more purse money at competitions. and more competitions need to be more televised.

BBing needs to be educated to the public.

BBing does not need drugs/steroids.

BBing needs a hollywood movie made NOW.

[tony404]

Bodybuilding wont get real TV coverage because its seen as fixed and a freak show.Think about it ,the NFL doesnt have the biggest magazine and the football players are contracted with them. Its too all the same. You never hear of some guy coming out of nowhere and winning it all . This is the only sport where someone can make a career of being 2nd or 7 th. The wide world of sports covered the Olympia where Arnold made his comeback. It was so obvious that he shouldnt of won, they never showed it .
Also it would help to get a bodybuilder who can speak and have a personality. I dont think the weiders or any of the other companies want Bodybuilding to becoming mainstream. They really give these guys scraps and dont want that to change. Imagine weider is going after a bodybuilder, so is Nike or Rolex or Amex. They are going to lose and then the agents come in ,bodybuilders have rights then. Its their worse nightmare.They all want it kept small, niche and their little cash cow.

[costasoldatos]

Many things can be done to bring bodybuilding mainstream. Mainstream advertising may be one way to bring the sport to the masses. Also, which i don't like this idea but what about bringing storylines into bodybuilding the way wrestling does it. Also incorporating bodybuilders in events that are already mainstream such as wrestling. Have Pro Bodybuilders appear on shows like that, and advertise there as well may help to bring the sport mainstream. These may not be the best ideas and i wouldnt' want to see the sport go this route, but it may just work.

[warriork]

i think it should only be important for bodybuilders to get more money but that is where it ends. Fame really is not that important. I believe to this day that bodybuilding should have been a subculture and stayed one! It was a huge mistake on Arnold's part to attempt to make it mainstream. Have we not learned anything in this country, the more popular an extreme idea gets it will get shut down. Is anyone aware of the legal disputes going on with nutritional supplements right now? and for what reason?, except for simple ignorance and bias. What about all those hardcore gym's and people who used to respect someone when they attempted to hit a p.r. by deadlifting 600 pounds for a one rep max. Internet geeks will never understand that concept, MY GOD, i bet i am under 1% of this entire forum thread who can say that i trained with the manbeast, warrior, colossus, sons of man with both hands in cuff, the ayatollah, RONNIE COLEMAN in the most hardcore of hardcore gyms, METROFLEX GYM. Until anyone of you all train there, don't tell me you workout, you simply lift weights, period! That is how soft, pansied and jellydonut like majority of the trainers today train. I remember when training hard was the rule and everyone abided by that sacred code, where if anyone talked for more than 10 minutes they would reprimanded, ridiculed and called a pussy. Those who screamed in pleasure after squatting 525 for reps or leg pressed 1200 pounds, these people were simply considered "normal" trainers, that's how strong gym trainers were back when i played football in h.s. but now thanks to the (cough,cough,cough) so called body for life and fitness movement crap all that stuff went away and the real trainers who are actually in good shape are given weird stares(as if anything these weirdos did was related to fitness and/or being in better health). This is crazy, what right do these average joe's have in looking and talking to us as if we are on the same level as them. (It is like a basic training private talking to General Patton as if they were on the same level), I think in order for these average joe's to get any advice from me, ronnie coleman, ulasa harris jr, or gus carter, they better prove themselves in the heat of battle and prove to us that they are worthy of lifting weights and having the honor bestowed upon them that they in fact workout! P.s. maybe by parkinglot lunging 100 yards back and forth with 135 pounds after a brutal leg workout and dry heaving afterwards would be a good rite of initiation.

[kliplemet]

Accepting homosexuality will make bodybuilding more mainstream(it is a joke)

[The Disciple]

1. Increase Corporate Interaction (other than supplement companies)
2. Increase Prize Winnings
3. Ban the use of bikini underware (design new bodybuilding gear)

[ROXBURY]

Its funny because a huge percentage of the population are already doing bodybuilding. What else is going to the gym if not bodybuilding. Theyre not scoring any goals or winning any medals, they are working out hard to improve their physique and health.

What is needed is to make the connection in peoples minds between the casual bodybuilder, or gymrat to the professional bodybuilder. Right now it feels like "bodybuilders" are something strange, and distant group of steroid induced athletes. Hell, I even catch myself wondering if Im a fake for hanging in the BB forums when I only bench 220. Where do I cross over to the realm of the real bodybuilders?

My point, as has been mentioned before in this thread, is that its just a case of bad marketing. Arnold was the pioneer, but the bodybuilding he brought into peoples tv sets was a bodybuilding that was still in its infancy, and society at large was not health obsessed as it is now. I think bodybuilding is becoming a household game, it just needs a bit of help on the way. A clever marketing campaign might be all that it takes. I mean my Seven Eleven store already has 8 different kinds of proteine bars for sale. Its the wave of the future

[Bosko]

I do not have a long winded answer..................
Unfortuatley the public is influenced by three things

1: Media attention
2: Media attention
3: Media attention

without the above mentioned three

You are dead in the water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Regards
B

[4amWorkouts]

1. More TV visibility. When most professional sports started, the general public thought the athletes were "oddities". But with the advent of television, these athletes were able to come into everyone's home. This gave them and their sport legitimacy. It also helped to increase salaries, purses, and other financial compensations. With an increase in revenue, you will attract more competitors, and through their circle of friends, more converts.

2. Legitimise the sport supplement industry. Have the FDA verify the ingrediants of all products (truth in labeling). Then start flooding TV, radio and print NEWS sources with doctors who support sport/athletic supplimentation. This would help the average joe connect with the body builders who are hocking these supplements and connect more with science than snake oil. For an example of how attachement of a product to a person has succeeded in promoting the person AND sport, look at NASCAR.

3. Either legalise steroids or get them out of the sport. As long as the success of a competitor is based on breaking the law, the sport will be tainted. Yes, athletes in other sports may be using steroids, but the publics perception is that they are the tainted minority. However, everyone holds to the belief that every bodybuilder is on the juice, and thus a cheater. Nobody wants to watch people who cheat win. We want to know that the playing field is fair, and thus that with a little effort we could win as well.

[3lixer.]

I don't want bodybuilding to be mainstream ever. The gym is already crowded enough and if bodybuilding got a lot of public attention there would be a bunch of idiots tryin to be the next ronnie coleman crowding the gym and throwin up more weight than they should.

I love playing poker and it kinda pissed me off when that became mainstream. Now everybody and their mother got a game goin.


What i'm tryin to say is that bodybuilding is a niche and i enjoy being a part of that. Its like a club and i don't want the whole world getting in.

[Dosquito]

1) If bodybuilders could legally smoke weed
2) Rich people telling normal people that bodybuilding is cool
3) free things

[kliplemet]

I think people are just turned off by beafy, muscular men walking around all oiled up in nothing but tiny 'posing suits'(lol).
They just show off without doing something, make them lift something or whatever.
Competitive bodybuilding is labeled as a shallow narcistic activity: artificial tanning, hair removing, eating in a very special way.

[chewwy]

Originally Posted by Dosquito

1) If bodybuilders could legally smoke weed
2) Rich people telling normal people that bodybuilding is cool
3) free things

lol, so bodybuilders are the only people who can smoke cannabis? yeah, i see it getting quite popular then