Can you imagine that in a day and age where you can turn your television onto ESPN and find the national spelling bee or the world series of poker on that this would still be a debatable topic? The fact of the matter is that both sides have a valid argument on this issue. From the outside looking in it would seem that bodybuilding competitions are nothing more then male pageants. Let's face it! The men in these competitions wear bathing suits while parading on stage to music and flexing their muscles. Is there more to it then that? Yes there is a whole lot more that the uneducated eye may miss and certainly after reading the rest of this article you can pick which side of the topic you fall on! What constitutes a sport? This a question that has no definite answer. When golf, Nascar racing and darts are constituted as sports without any resistance, why is it that bodybuilding still garners such a high level of negativity? To first understand where bodybuilding is now, we must understand where it has been. The bodybuilding competitions of the early 1900s were a much different affair then what we have become accustomed to today. The competitions of old were broken into three different categories that each contestant would have to compete and be judged on. The first being a test of strength, followed by an agility competition and lastly by an overall muscularity showcase. It was not possible to win the event on any one category alone. The winner would have to excel in all 3 aspects of bodybuilding. It is safe to say that there was no debating whether bodybuilding was a sport in these past times. The fact that the two most athletic aspects of bodybuilding were pulled from formal competitions, leaves many people scratching their heads! It is safe to make the assumption that for the most part the people winning these competitions of old were never the best in each category. This would make the most sense for the reason that we now have individual competitions in each of these categories. We're certainly aware of the arguments many people have for bodybuilding not being a sport but what are some of the reasons in its defense? I've always said if you don't have to train for your competition then there's no way you can be categorized as a sport. Bodybuilder's workout from 5-6 times a week for up to 2 hours per day! I don't know what the statistics are but all of us are at least acquaintances with someone who has taken up bodybuilding to get in shape but had to quit either due to lack of dedication or too many injuries. You are not going to find anyone claiming these routines are easy nor are you going to find many people that enjoy giving up the foods they enjoy for 3 month spans. All this dedication and sacrifice they put in is for the day of the competition. I bet you most people also don't understand that bodybuilders actually hire choreographers to assist them with their routines. All the detractors are saying to themselves that yes bodybuilders may put work in at the gym but that still doesn't change the fact that their competition is nothing more then a glorified pageant for males! If you are up for the test I challenge anyone reading this article to stand up right now and continuously flex your muscles at full strength for a 3 minute duration. If you took the challenge I hope you have regained consciousness by now and are able to continue reading. That challenge wasn't too fun now was it? My point was never to convince you that bodybuilding is or isn't a sport but to open your mind up to the possibility that their can be and is, a lot more to a bodybuilding competition then meets the proverbial eye. So next time you are asking yourself if bodybuilding is a sport keep in mind how much effort, dedication and sacrifice these people make to even get to the point of being on stage! |
