This is a remarkably interesting topic for me as a writer in the sport of bodybuilding because I’m a tremendous believer in self-promotion. This article stems from what may very well be a bodybuilder taken out of context when it comes to the topic of respect. I watched the coverage from Nick Miller from Nick’s Strength & Power and it would seem that he focused on a comment made by William Bonac. Nick has been a little critical of William over the years and so have other media outlets. He’s an old school guy that represents old school values. He’s also one of my favorite bodybuilders. Now when writing about a competitor that I really admire and respect sometimes it can be a little difficult to be objective because even though I’m a writer and have nearly a thousand articles here at IronMag, I’m also a fan. In the sport of bodybuilding, it’s very easy to lose that objectivity when it comes to our favorite bodybuilders. We’re all fans. If we were not, we would not be in the media. I don’t know anybody who is a writer or a content creator in physique-based sports that doesn’t love it. It’s not exactly a mainstream sport and it’s very much a niche.
For years I authored articles and made no money. I spent money on web hosting, self-promotion, and spreading my message by word of mouth – really by any means necessary. It was only after a considerable amount of leg work that I started to reap some of the benefits that came with advertising and sponsorships. So, let’s cut to the chase. William thinks that Jo is promoting himself a little bit too much and maybe doesn’t have the resume to back it up. He took exception with the fact that he is openly challenging Nick Walker who is arguably one of the top five guys in the world. Now William has had some hard-fought battles with Nick, but he is a Mr. Olympia runner-up and a multi-year Arnold Classic champion. I definitely understand William’s focus on the resume point and the fact that respect needs to be earned. But I would like to counter that respectfully with marketing and the need to have some momentum going into the contest. I don’t necessarily disagree entirely with William, but I don’t see what Jo is doing as necessarily wrong, either.
When it comes to the Tampa Pro, everyone is looking at Nick Walker. He chose not to compete at the New York Pro, he also chose not to compete at The Pittsburgh, and everyone wants to see him do the Olympia. For whatever reason, he waited nearly till the end. If he doesn’t do Tampa then the only other option would have been to have done China, a show that we all know The Mutant was not going to do. He also didn’t do the Portugal Pro. It is Tampa or bust for Nick. We know that he’s not going to get a special invite even if he asked for one. I think the Federation has come to the realization that the special invite is a bunch of bullshit and competitors should not be able to cut to the front of the line in order to compete at the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. If it truly is the most prestigious event in the world and it decides who is the top guy, or the top guys, then they cannot be issuing freebies in lieu of qualifying. Especially after what happened with the special invites issued to Big Ramy and Derek Lunsford. I mean I could never play that down. The fact that in the last 10 years two Olympia titles were awarded to people that didn’t even deserve to be there is absolutely outrageous. It throws merit completely out the window. That’s not how it should be. So, in all honesty, without there being a global pandemic and without there being something like serving in the military, Nick Walker really doesn’t have any business asking for a special invite. I don’t think the Federation is going to give him one anyways so Tampa has very much taken on a very do-or-die kind of vibe. And a guy like Jo claiming that he can win it all, beating Walker, makes some of the old school guys a little uneasy. In fact, it even pisses them off.
But you have got to believe you can win. That is bodybuilding 101. It isn’t even marketing. It is literally Bodybuilding 101. If you are going to be humble, you might as well not compete. And that’s as real as it gets. Because if you don’t believe in yourself, the competition is going to read it on your face. The fans, however few you may have, are not going to be rooting very strongly for you on the message boards, on Instagram, or on YouTube if you don’t believe in yourself. Sponsors won’t be too thrilled, either. They may even second- guess you doing the contest. What sponsor is going to want their athlete competing in a show they don’t they can win? What kind of a push are they going to give to a person who is essentially going in there with humility instead of bravado? Who the hell is going to want to put their money behind a loser? If a competitor doesn’t believe they can take 1st place, then they have a loser mentality. Maybe a loser mentality checks off the humility box, but this is not a sport about altruism and simplicity. It’s sport all about vanity and striving for perfection. Even if Jo comes off sounding delusional, he’s doing the business of bodybuilding.
That said, I understand where William is coming from. And perhaps Jo is being a little too loud for William’s taste. I mean let’s be honest, he’s gone on pretty much every podcast known to man promoting himself as a serious contender to defeating The Mutant. I could see how that could rub old school guys the wrong way. But again, it’s also not a popularity contest. Jo cannot manage his affairs based on how other competitors are going to react. He just can’t. What he needs to do is focus on himself being in the winter circle. Whether Nick Walker is there, whether Derek is there, whether Ronnie Coleman somehow got back on stage, he needs to believe that nobody can beat him. He needs to believe that he is the best man there. And that may very well fall under the category of sheer insanity, it may also fall under the category of arrogance, but it’s what he needs to do in order to do his best. I don’t fault him for that. Now does Jo actually believe his own hype? That is a whole other question. But he must at least have the poker face. He must at least be about the business to be taken seriously. The fact is, the media is biting. The media is giving him the time of day. With regard to Williams’ point, Jo does not have the resume. He hasn’t reached the mountaintops like Nick has, or like William has, or like the other top five or six guys have. So really all he has is hype and that belief in himself – he can’t give that up. He just can’t.
But back to Williams’ point, I totally agree with him. Jo is not going to get the respect of old school guys by talking all of this game about how he’s going to topple a giant. William is 100% correct on that point. When it comes to respect amongst the legends and amongst old school guys, you have to earn it. You can’t just start talking a big game without having the resume to back it up. I think that is a perfectly sound and perfectly logical point to make. But I don’t think Jo should stop. I think Jo should keep flying the Jo flag and he should keep believing in himself to the point of pissing off the old school guys. If he wants their respect, however, he’s going to have to back up that talk on stage. He can do that without beating Nick, but if he takes the stage looking like trash, those same old school guys will never let him hear the end of it.
Now is Jo going to win in Tampa? More than likely not. He knows that as well. I think the media knows that all too well. But the media needs something to cover. The promoter is probably ecstatic at what Jo is doing because he is creating interest in an otherwise boring show. If you ask most bodybuilding fans about the Tampa, they have already pretty much concluded that Nick is going to walk away with an Olympia qualification. So, despite the fact that Tim Gardener puts on one hell of a production, when it’s a one-man show, people are not really excited to watch. They’re not going to want to buy a ticket to the show or even pay-per-view. If it’s a foregone conclusion and everyone agrees that one guy is going to win, what’s the point? They will just wait till after the show to watch one of the YouTubers cover it and maybe read an article here at IronMag. But now that Jo is talking all this smack and now that Jo is hyping himself to the point of pissing off old school people, it’s creating buzz and buzz sells tickets. Buzz puts asses in seats and sells streams. It also gives a longshot some hope that he can pull off the upset. For a dark horse and or a longshot, that is all they have. That is the only thing keeping them sane and it is the only thing keeping their head in the game.
Whatever Jo is doing, he’s creating a shit ton of buzz and he is getting a lot of reactions. I say keep at it and hopefully he’ll surprise us all. But even if he doesn’t win, he has put himself on the proverbial map and that alone is worth all the aggravation that comes with it.
What’s your take with regards to self-promotion? What’s your take on Jo hyping himself up to the point that he’s even getting some backlash for it? Should he continue? Should he stop?
As always, I hope you enjoyed 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 is 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.
