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Everyone often says they want to grow the sport of bodybuilding. Some people focus on marketing, others focus on physiques, but I think one of the most important ways to grow it is through accessibility. When it comes to going to the gym and building muscle, that is something that pretty much anyone can do. Even if you can\u2019t afford to go to a gym, you can get bags of sand or bags of water or you can use your body weight or that of your friends. You can always figure out a way to train. You can always figure out a way to eat better and to find lean quality proteins to sustain a transformation. But what happens when you want to go see a bodybuilding show? Whether it\u2019s at the local high school or it\u2019s the Olympia. What then?<\/p>\n
Bodybuilding shows cost money to do and they cost money to see, but everybody fan dreams of the day that they can see a professional event. Every bodybuilding fan dreams of the day they can go to the Olympia. There are so many fans right here in the United States that will never experience it. and they could potentially buy an airline ticket, get a hotel room, and get tickets to the show. It might be outside of their budget but it\u2019s conceivable. If they save money they can do it. But what about fans abroad? What about fans in other continents? What about fans that make just enough to eat? Yes, they can build their physique and yes they can eat clean but they will never know what it feels like to see the Olympia in real time. That\u2019s kind of sad if you think about it. It\u2019s like following a sport that you can only see from afar. And to me honestly, I think that\u2019s one of the barriers to making physique-based sports bigger.<\/p>\n
The Olympia is the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. It is the only show that decides the best in every division. Whether it\u2019s men\u2019s physique or bikini, whether it\u2019s bodybuilding, whether it\u2019s 212. Whoever competes there emerges as the best in the world. That\u2019s part of the allure of being part of that production. And if you have ever seen the cost of tickets to the Olympia they can get quite astronomical. Not to mention the fact they sell out in record time. Everybody wants to be there. This is the oldest show in bodybuilding. It\u2019s the show that Arnold won, it\u2019s the show that Ronnie won, it\u2019s the title every single bodybuilder wants. Sadly, very few fans can experience it. Moreover, very few outlets can even cover it because press passes are extremely hard to get. In fact, many press passes will allow for media on the expo floor or possibly in different parts of the venue but they can\u2019t film the actual event. There are very stringent rules when it comes to that. And while there is usually a livestream it isn\u2019t cheap. Nothing about the Olympia is cheap. It is very much like the FIFA World Cup. It is out of reach for most of the fans because of money. And like I just said, it\u2019s not exclusive to bodybuilding. Every sport has this problem. And every sport wants to make it better. But wanting to do something and actually doing it are two totally different things.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure that you\u2019ve all heard the great news by now, Jake Wood, owner of the Olympia Weekend, has made the livestream to this year\u2019s event totally free. Olympia President Dan Solomon broke the news on his social media platforms and word has spread like wildfire. For the first time in a long time, maybe ever, bodybuilding fans all around the world are going to have the opportunity to watch the greatest event in the sport in real time at no charge. That is unprecedented. It speaks to the vision and to the generosity of Jake. Before him, the event was owned by conglomerate. It was one more asset. It was just like a tabloid magazine or processed cheese or cigarettes. It didn\u2019t really mean anything. And that is where I think the difference lies. Jake is a businessman, but he loves bodybuilding. He single-handedly saved women\u2019s bodybuilding. He gave women\u2019s physique brand new life. but he also brought back the Masters Olympia. He has done so much to make bodybuilding better. And one of the best things that he has done is made it accessible. Now fans that could never see the Olympia will get a chance to see it. And who knows maybe that will motivate them to make the necessary budget to have them see the event in real time. But we all know that most people that see it will never get to travel to Las Vegas, but that\u2019s okay too. Because it\u2019s going to give them a renewed love of the sport. It will be a sport that will really come to life for them. Even if they can only see it from their computer screen, that\u2019s a huge win. It will finally let them see what they have been imagining all these years.<\/p>\n
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