The real reason behind bodybuildings fall.

[MIKERAZ]

Was having a discussion today with my friend who was very successful npc bodybuilder in the 80's (84-89) never made pro but still was good . He said the real reason bodybuilding is dead is not because of the gh gut or the freaks or gays its very simple its because steroids are now illegal and the federal goverment stepped in. he said he remebers even though all athletes were using steroids the news pinned basically all the bad press on bodybuilder because they were a easy target nfl and ioc etc have real corporate backing bodybuilding didnt and was easy to pick on. he was pretty freaky he was 5'4 235 and shredded he said thats the reason why bodybuilding is dead because the bodybuilders are now criminals. he also said he laughs when he sees guys like john hanson ,stan mcquay and natural bodybuilders gettign press on the discovery channel and espn2 because he said as much as noone cares about bodybuilding NOBODy gives a shit about natural bodybuilding . he said if the ifbb really was natural nobody would give a crap even more then they do now. its a shame this beautiful sport was destroyed by the gov't.

 

[nautica]

Sorry, I disagree - body building is dead b/c the main stream public does not enjoy looking at freaks - they are not astetically pleasing to the public. The reason it was more popular then and less popular now is due to the fact that body builders are looking more and more freaky - peroid.

Nautica

 

[hardrock]

I don't think bbing would have ever gotten to the size of any major sports for a few reasons. First of all it's more like a cult. There's alot of people out there who just aren't willing to subject their body and health to the shit we do. Also there is no team to route for, if you think about it most if not all really big sports involve state teams. once again who in good faith would want their child to grow up and take steriods at dangerously high levels for many years, therefore parents probably wouldn't want their kids watching. Also supplement companies make the money, not the competitors, and there is no merchandising(team shirts, caps, jackets, etc.). Although I believe the gov't did play a small part, I don't think it would have ever gotten too big.

 

[SofaGeorge]

Hey, guys, I don't know what planet you grew up on... but I grew up here on Earth. Bodybuilding has NEVER been popular. In the '60s and '70s bodybuilding was a nonexistant sport. Outside of a few glimpses of Dave Draper in Beach Blanket Bingo movies practically NOBODY even saw a bodybuilder. There was a brief surge of awareness in the '80s due almost entirely to the popularity of Arnold as an action hero in the movies. Outside of Arnold... there hasn't been any fading of the bodybuilding scene. It can't fade. It isn't on the map for most people.

If anything, bodybuilding is enjoying an amazing increase in awareness. Now 10,000 people in the country have heard of it instead of only 1,000 a few years ago... of course that is out of 250 million people.

 

[jacobswell]

judging BB is all relative. i have heard countless people say that so and so has a better body than so and so. so how the hell can u fairly rank people when everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes a perfect body. whereas in soccer you know who wins by who scores the most goals and all the other team sports etc, you always know who the winner is.

plus most girls say they do not like the extreme vascular look so many guys are put off looking like that, so few BB. i bet if most girls did then most guys would.

and it takes too long to be successful and too much time spent.
and becuase everyone knows that most if not all BB are on AAS it puts them off. a sport full of druggies. and if you dont take drugs then you wont be able to succeed. sounds like a fucked up sport to any person in the street.

 

[soflaguy]

I agree with all of the above, but BB will never be seen as a "sport". If you think about most people played little league football or baseball growing up. But, how many people really "tried" to build a better body growing up? Yeah, sure there were those who lifted because they had to for football in high school. But unless the coach was watching them, most just goofed off. After high school days, most who weight trained just don't care anymore. Now, our country has 2/3 of the people who are obese! I even look around at the supposed hardcore gyms like Gold's or World's and just see the average Joe with terrible form and no dedication.
Simply put, the media and computer technology has just created a bunch of lazy asses. Most people would just be spectators, work, and make money. Working out just isn't priority.....and well, BB to most is just a freak show.

 

[needmass4]

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"if you dont take drugs then you wont be able to succeed. "
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thats an unfortunate truth about BBing, but also so many other sports and people just dont seem to be aware of it. Look at olympic sprinters...they are juiced to the max in the off season, those two african-american tennis players(the sisters) look like they are on the juice, olympic cyclists and just about every other endurance athelete, recently a chess player was stripped of his medal because he rufused to submit his urine for drug testing(not really sure what he would have been taking) anyway BBing just has had more negitive press. its a shame.

 

[Dr.M]

[BHey, guys, I don't know what planet you grew up on... but I grew up here on Earth. Bodybuilding has NEVER been popular. In the '60s and '70s bodybuilding was a nonexistant sport. [/B]

Yep, in the 60s people thought they were all gay, and today someone might say "oh my good look at those freaks" while passing through channels. The only people interested are the cult people, and teenage boys.

 

[Squirrel Masta]

I myself dont look at BB as a sport. I think it's more of a way of life. Flexing infront of an audience in bikini cut draws is not to appealing to the average joe. The only people that can view BB as a sport is people that know what it takes to look like any of guys on stage.

It will aslo never be a mainstream sport because of all the illegal substances that competitors are forced to use to stay at a competition level. I will say this though serious BB has to be the unsafest sport to be practising with all the exagerated amounts of Juice and the dieting. That takes its tole on people bodys just look at Ronnie I dont give him to live past 55, and if he does he will have atleast 2 open heart surgerys.

 

[hypershriek]

Everything is evolving, back in the seventies Arnold would win the universe, now in the shape he was in then wouldn't win a local show. He was only 15 stone remember, look at it now 22 stone ripped! Soon rather than later it will be even bigger, they will just get bigger and bigger.

 

[Q Modo]

I will say this though serious BB has to be the unsafest sport to be practising with all the exagerated amounts of Juice and the dieting.

Free Diving is probably the most dangerous sport.

There are also shark wrestlers. They drive around in a boat till they see a shark. A guy jumps on the shark, and, wrestles it. Of course, I don`t think this is really considered a sport.

 

[Stillgoing]

I agree with just about all of the above. I think it is a combination of the points mentioned; lack of mass public appeal (which leads to less money available for all involved), reputation of drugs, subjectivity of judging, lack of regular events (ie baseball with 160 games a year), etc. I will say, while I really enjoyed juicing, it does suck that you have to go to such an extreme to be competitive. While athletes in just about every sport juice, in most other sports you don't have to put yourself through potential serious health risks to succeed.

 

[Silent Method]

Some great points above. However, regarding bodybuildings "fall," for the most part I side with SofaGeorge. If anything it is more popular today than ever.

I have great respect for bodybuilding. However, nautica pretty much hit the nail on the head - "the main stream public does not enjoy looking at freaks - they are not astetically pleasing to the public."

Personally, I'd much rather watch womans fitness comp.

 

[Mo T 4 Me]

BBing had a popularity peak in the mid 80s with arnold's and stallone"s films, the try to get women involved.

 

[Zerxes]

Was having a discussion today with my friend who was very successful npc bodybuilder in the 80's (84-89) never made pro but still was good . He said the real reason bodybuilding is dead is not because of the gh gut or the freaks or gays its very simple its because steroids are now illegal and the federal goverment stepped in.

NOW illegal?! They have been illegal for 12 years brother. Where has your friend been?! I agree with "nautica". The guys are stupid-looking, and people don't see them as impressive anymore, but rather as retards who have warped their bodies to look freaky. You all probably feel the same about Michael Jackson, as the majority of todays public do about todays IFBB pros.

 

[getbig27]

mikeraz---as funny as john hanson and stan mcquay are for standing under the "natural" banner trust me ive been to and competed in enough of these "natural" shows to tell u that i see IFBB pros come to these shows to support their friends who compete, i've seen the guy that plays tony soprano at these shows as well as countless other stars ......and the place is always fukin packed.....people in the ailes and standing everywhere in these huge theatres they rent for the shows and u think people arent into bodybuilding whether "natural" or IFBB? hahahahahahah

my last comment to ur friend is this....ask him how much money did he make competeing at 5'4" 235 ripped "back in the day" at the NPC level? what? not that much? maybe a little? yea right.....at least the dogs at the "natural" shows give up $3000 for 1st place $1000 for 2nd and a couple hundred for 3rd. hmmmm....if the so called natural organization has that kind of money to throw around seems to me that level of competition is doing something right with their fans....