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A lot of people aren\u2019t ready for the fact that Martin Fitzwater could be Mr. Olympia in less than a week. He could literally walk off stage with a Sandow and all the respect and all the bragging rights. Many people aren\u2019t ready for it because they don\u2019t like him. And they don\u2019t like him because they don\u2019t understand him. Or maybe they don\u2019t like him because they don\u2019t like the fact that he\u2019s so in touch with his feelings.\u00a0The fans like comeback stories but they also don\u2019t. I think we can all agree that Martin has had moments where his emotions got the best of him, but it isn\u2019t entirely his fault. There are other factors at play, as well.\u00a0Many media outlets do not have clean hands. They have taken it upon themselves to pick at this guy, to make him unravel,\u00a0to mess with him to no end. I don\u2019t care what anybody says. I know that a lot of people accuse me of being a Martin acolyte, but I call it like I see it. The guy has a lot of haters. And what\u2019s worse, his haters act like they are just being impartial. Give me a break!!<\/p>\n
I have been writing about physique-based sports longer than some of you have been alive. I have been covering the sport actively for the better part of the last 15 years and before that I was a fan for another decade or so. And even during that decade, I did cover the sport so that\u2019s almost like 25 years of work. I may not be a Peter McGough or a Robert Kennedy, but I\u2019m no stranger to physique-based sports and media. That being said, nobody can say that I don\u2019t know a smear campaign when I see one.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s being objective and then there\u2019s being critical. I would hope that all writers would strive for objectivity. I know that it can be difficult when you\u2019re a fan to be impartial. I\u2019ve never denied that. A lot of people who lash out for my support of Fitzwater always like to bring that up. They like to throw it in my face that I\u2019m his fan. That\u2019s no smoking gun, guys. You didn\u2019t just break the story of the century. I will admit that being a fan of a competitor and being objective can be tough, but we\u2019re professionals. When you\u2019ve written as many articles and posted as many videos as I have, you can do that. Objectivity is not the issue. \u00a0Being critical isn\u2019t really a major issue, either.<\/p>\n
Being critical surpasses objectivity. That said, it\u2019s still tolerable because it can come from many places. Some people are critical because they\u2019re not convinced an athlete is good enough. That tends to border on being a hater, but critical coverage is still in the good faith department. You may not like someone, but you give them their props. They may be given begrudgingly, but flowers are still given. Then there are those who are critical because they might think an athlete has tremendous potential but maybe isn\u2019t working hard enough. This could come from a writer or outlet that believes in the athlete. They might even be fans, only, they\u2019re not just cheering, they\u2019re laying out expectations. And when the athlete falls short of those expectations, they employ a take-no-prisoners style to their writing and\/or commentating. Sometimes these writers can be angrier than the haters. This is because their support isn\u2019t unconditional. They expect big things because they know that the competitor is capable of it. If they perceive the shortcoming to be the product of laziness, they\u2019ll go berserk. They might seem like they\u2019re employing a scorched Earth approach, but the athletes can usually see them for who they are (I know I can). They\u2019re not haters or trolls; they\u2019re fans who demand more. A lot of times, elite-level competitors will go out of their way to do interviews and\/or programs where these critical writers\/creators work. The reason is because they understand where they\u2019re coming from.<\/p>\n
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