Have you ever heard of a show called Inside The NBA? It’s a show that’s been around for over 28 years and is considered by most basketball fans to be the top authority on the game. They know all about history, they know all about where the sport is currently, they have the best predictions and the best knowledge of all the stats. They know about the front office, they know about the coaches, they know the ins and outs of professional basketball. But they also know a tremendous amount about college basketball at all levels. And sometimes they even talk about basketball on an international level. When it comes to basketball there are few shows that can hold a candle to Inside The NBA, and that particular show is hosted by one man Ernie Johnson. It also has three co-hosts that I’m sure you’ve all heard of in Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Smith. But let’s focus on the host. There is only one host and three co-hosts. The three co-hosts played basketball at the elite level. Shaq and Kenny both have won national titles. Charles Barkley does not have a national title but has won the Association’s MVP Award and played on countless All-Star teams. So, what about Ernie? Did he ever win a basketball title or play in an All-Star game? No, because he never played professional basketball. But surely, he was a top college basketball star, right? Actually, he was not. I don’t think he even played high school basketball. I think he played high school baseball. So, to the people that say you have to be a pro in order to commentate on pro sports, they don’t really know what the hell they’re talking about because all I could say is look at Ernie Johnson. Well, it just so happens that here we are once again talking about this nonsensical point made by people in the sport of bodybuilding every so often. Only this time, it’s a much-celebrated coach talking about the most popular YouTuber in the world.
Now we all know the pecking order in bodybuilding. We know that the big three shows are the Olympia, the Arnold Classic, and the New York Pro. We also have big shows in Dubai, Tampa, possibly Prague and maybe a few other places. The big controversy here is that Nick Miller, the most popular YouTube commentator in bodybuilding, who has held that distinction for probably 10 years, is being questioned for commentating the Arnold Classic.
Chris “The Technician” Aceto, one of the most celebrated bodybuilding coaches ever, seems to believe that Nick should not be commentating the second biggest bodybuilding show in the world per what I’ve seen on several bodybuilding podcasts. The logic is that Nick never competed at that level – even though Nick has competed in bodybuilding – he has not competed at that level. Therefore, he should not be commentating on the second biggest bodybuilding show in the world. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger the namesake of the contest wants Nick to commentate and that should be the end of the story. However, as is often the case, there’s some bickering coming from the peanut gallery. I’m not going to say that Aceto is part of the peanut gallery, but he is certainly out of his element to tell the promoter of a contest who that person should have as a commentator. But aside from that, his argument is a very silly one because at the end of the day, we’ve heard this argument many times before and it’s not just in commentating.
I have heard people make similar arguments about coaches. In other words, somebody can’t coach top to tier bodybuilders unless they have competed before. But we know that there are coaches that are fat, out of shape, and maybe don’t even have much muscle mass who happen to be nutritional and supplementational geniuses. They understand the intricacies of bodybuilding and they know how to put together a program that can transform a mid-level bodybuilder into a top tier one. But that coach’s expertise should somehow be denigrated because they themselves have never competed? Is that the logic that is being employed here? Because if that is the logic that is being employed, I can tell you unequivocally that that logic is flawed. Not only does a coach not have to be in shape to bring people in their best condition to a contest, but a commentator does not have to have competed at that level to break down a show AND BE ENTERTAINING!
At the end of the day, it’s not about what the commentator has achieved physique-wise, rather, about their eye for the sport. Somebody can have an eye for bodybuilding without ever having had the physique for it. But Nick HAS competed, and competed naturally, which means that he understands perfectly well what a good prep entails and what it means to get on stage. Whether he got on stage one time or 10 times that doesn’t matter, he has been on stage. It really it shouldn’t matter if he is competed or not because at the end of the day what the fuck does that have to do with anything? Does he understand the mandatory poses? Does he understand the scoring system? Does he understand the value of showcasing strengths and hiding weaknesses? If it’s a yes to all these questions – AND – people enjoy what he has to say, then that’s all that matters. If a person can make watching a bodybuilding show fun, THAT’S what matters.
Now if a particular coach doesn’t like what a commentator says, that’s a whole different story. But that doesn’t mean that the person doing the commentating isn’t adequate to do it simply because they haven’t competed at that level. I know that a lot of bodybuilding fans are going to weigh in with the same logic that Chris apparently is employing because they may have sour grapes that Nick gets to do the commentating as opposed to someone that they might like more. At the end of the day, Nick’s qualifications are just as strong as that of a former professional athlete. I see no distinction.
Another important factor in commentating on a contest is being interesting, to have a good rapport with the other commentators, and maybe this is where current events come into play. Nick reports on current events daily. A former top pro might be completely removed from the current sport. Nick, on the other hand, can draw parallels and his insights would make his commentating shine even more. You can’t discount that. It’s a factor in making ENGAGING dialogue. Remember that watching round after round of muscular people in bikinis or boardshorts can get mundane quickly. You want someone like Nick who can keep talking, during periods of downtime. There can be no dead air, and with Nick there isn’t any.
I don’t know what in the living hell Chris is talking about or why he has an axe to grind with the guy who happens to be the most popular YouTuber online, but the argument is bunk.
I don’t know if you agree with my position or not, but I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at IronMag. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It is bound to generate lively conversation. And if it’s not too much trouble let Nick Miller know I wrote this because he has me blocked on all social media platforms.
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.
