The other day I stumbled across a post from Matt Tsinkorang from MuscleDiscord, owner of one of the Big 3 of independent bodybuilding media outlets, along with Nick’s Strength & Power and Desktop Bodybuilding. MuscleDiscord, or MD for purposes of this article, is headquartered in Canada. Matt has amassed a huge following of loyal viewers and has got the attention of everyone, including giants like Fouad Abiad, Bob Cicherillo, and Ron Harris. As a result of his popularity, Tsinkorang has unfortunately been blocked by some top names among the athletes and has developed a reputation for ruffling feathers. That said, it’s the price you pay when you break stories and discuss controversial topics. I’m sure Tsinkorang would like to be loved by all, but that’s seldom the case when you’re tackling some of the sport’s most complicated issues. And that brings us to the topic of today’s article. It’s not just complicated, but it’s also uncomfortable.
The last thing I want to do is dogpile on a reigning Mr. Olympia. Plus, I knew Derek before he was Mr. O, before he was even 212 Mr. O. Derek was doing in-store appearances right here in Louisville and back then he was a really nice guy. But as fame would have it, we lost touch by the time he was winning big titles because of the fact that he changed. He was no longer down to Earth. He was a star. And that’s cool. That’s cool. But as Mr. Olympia, he has an obligation to be the ambassador of bodybuilding to the world. He has a responsibility to grow the sport. So what’s the deal?
Well, the deal is that Matt called Lunsford out. And what was his justification? Simple. Matt pointed to Derek’s social media activity – or lack thereof. Since Lunsford isn’t doing the upcoming Arnold Classic and he’s not expected to compete again until the 2026 Olympia, it stands to reason he would be active on all his socials. But as Tsinkorang pointed out, Derek’s sole social media story for the day was a plate of white rice and a piece of salmon on it. The champ wasn’t even holding the plate. It could have been anyone’s plate. And that was his only post for the day. As a result, Matt accused Lunsford of being the most inactive Mr. Olympia in history. The next day, Derek posted one story. A random shot of him flexing. A Mr. Olympia has 365 days to grow the sport. What’s Derek doing? As Tsinkorang pointed out, Derek really wanted to win the title back. He’s only the second man (besides Jay Cutler) to ever achieve that feat in the title’s 60+ year history. And for what? To just get a paycheck and do nothing for the sport? Maybe that’s one hell of an assumption, but for at least a handful of days, it’s been crickets on his socials. What exactly is Derek Lunsford going to do for the sport of bodybuilding?
Is the part where it gets uncomfortable because a lot of people don’t want to talk about this sort of thing. People would rather talk about the history of bodybuilding or the ever-increasing cost of supplements. An article like this can easily get you blocked by the athlete in question. Most writers rather live in the past. Very seldom does a writer want to talk about actual problems in the present. We don’t roll like that, here.
I’d be sad if Derek blocked me, but oh well. Perhaps his fans could turn on this publication and maybe they’ll turn on my social media platforms. But at the end of the day the same way that Matt is pointing out what is otherwise obvious, I have to write what is true. I can’t protect athletes because I like them or because they have physiques that I happen to think look good or because I’m scared of the fallout. At the end of the day there is only one Mr. Olympia. There is only one ambassador of bodybuilding to the world. And sitting at home relaxing and putting up one story a day is not going to grow the sport. Why isn’t Derek doing local news? Why isn’t Derek doing more training content? Why isn’t Derek simply getting on Instagram LIVE for half an hour? At the end of the day the more interaction the champ has with the fans the more the sport is going to grow. The more content that he puts out the better. It doesn’t even have to be content with a professional photographer or with a professional videographer or even with a film crew following him around, either. That’s not the point. It just has to be authentically good content. Maybe he talks about something, maybe he prepares a meal, something like that. It also doesn’t require a lot of effort. He doesn’t have to get all dressed up nor does he have to even leave his home. He can do quality content from his couch but the bottom line is he needs to do something more than taking a picture of a plate of rice with a piece of salmon on it and posting that as a story. Now his supporters might argue that everybody has the right to some free time.
What would be the ideal off-time for a Mr. O? I’d think the weeks after winning the title would suffice. Of course, there’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, but then what? I mean we’re in February and it’s crickets on Derek’s socials. That’s unacceptable. He’s like a throwback to Big Ramy or Dorian. The sport needs a top guy who is actually about the business of bodybuilding. Part of the reason I was so happy that Derek won the title, and Samson before him, is because I knew these guys were going to be seen, heard, and talked about. Between Hadi and Ramy, I think they set the sport back by years. I know it’s not politically correct to say this, but bodybuilding is an U.S. based sport. For starters, you have to live here. Even if you live in Europe, you’re at a disadvantage. The three biggest shows are in America. Most of the contests are here. With the exception of the Dubai Pro and some shows in Brazil and Europe, there’s no need for a bodybuilder to leave the U.S. In fact, most don’t. Why bother? And the second biggest component – also politically incorrect to say out loud – is being fluent in English. You can have fluency in a second language – the more the merrier – but English is imperative. So when you have a Mr. O who lives in the United States and speaks English fluently, you SHOULD have a home run. But what happens when you have a lazy Mr. O? Then you have what we have now.
To be fair, the contest season doesn’t really kick off until the Arnold happens. So perhaps Derek has a healthy calendar worth of appearances at all the huge expos, in-store appearances, and guest posing stops. The problem is, what about November, December, January, and February? So will say you can’t cry over spilt milk, but I’m going to cry about it because four month is otherwise known as 1/3 of the year. For 1/3 of his reign, Derek has rested on his laurels and not done anything. And it’s not me noticing, it’s one of the biggest, most respected independent media outlets blowing the whistle. All credit goes to Matt Tsinkorang because he caught it before anyone else. If anything, I’m writing a reaction to his spot-on reporting. I think the media plays a key role in breaking stories, but also in restating the obvious. The goal here isn’t to piss Derek off, rather, it’s to light a fire under him. He needs to get cracking. Plus, the whole sport is looking to him to be the leader.
Only time will tell if Lunsford steps up. How would you rate his level of activity as Mr. Olympia this second time around? As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It’s bound to generate lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
