- Joined
- Aug 3, 2010
- Messages
- 1,089
We see the swift response from the ifbb here to disassociate itself from him. The optics of this I see 2 different ways. If I am the ifbb I think this is probably a calculated response they are basically hedging against being associated with someone who is alleged to commit this type of crime. For them, they think ‘This guy is 44 years old, we don’t have a ton invested in him like we did Ronnie or Phil back in the day. Theres a talented line of guys behind him who can come in and take his place, and we can put this dude & situation in the rear view mirror.’ From a PR standpoint this is probably the worst crime a Mr. O can commit, next to brutally beating or murdering someone. To the general public they see this massive bber who looks like he could hold down and rape any women (or man for that matter) he wants to. He ‘looks’ guilty, even if you had never heard of him before these allegations came out. If he was a 175lb guy selling insurance, the optics are much different. Ifbb brass are in the media business, they have a much better temperature on how the public will react to things then most people think. Would Joe Weider have done the same thing? I can’t say for sure, but I would bet his response to this would have been much more mild, maybe even letting it play out over time before he made his decision. In fact, I think he probably would have contacted Shawn behind closed doors and told him to release a statement pulling out of the show and taking some personal time to sort out these issues. Ifbb could have then issued a statement saying “they accept Shawn backing out of the show and taking a leave to address these allegations 100% and defend his innocence.” Doing this would be a neutral stance so to speak where they can’t be accused of ‘supporting a rapist’ but could still back their champion if he was proved innocent… Or if he is proven guilty condemn him, cut all ties and donate his back/frozen pay to a charity that supports abused women etc.
I think the ifbb is simply calculating what makes the most sense and how they can come out of this unscathed, and this MR. O (and probably the majority of them) are just not profitable enough to support or even take a neutral stance with in this ‘me too’ day in age. A bit off topic here, but does anyone remember what the if ifbb’s stance was with Craig Titus and Kelly when they were accused/arrested? Did they cut all ties immediately?
I think the lesson here is for all BBers in the ifbb. They should be seeing and hearing the ifbb’s message loud and clear. All Pro bbers in the IFBB have a choke collar around their nuts, thats held by the IFBB. Lets say he is innocent here. The fact the ifbb can cut him down at the knee's and abandon him here is kinda scary for other bbers to watch. You can be Mr. O, the best bber in the world and be cut down to size overnight based off an allegation.
As a business man I look at this the same way if I am innocent or guilty of this crime. If the ifbb turns its back on me, I am fucked. Being Mr. O is every bbers dream, but few realize that while accomplishing this dream they are failing to insure their future if they don’t have another revenue source that is not bbing based/sourced. Shit, just being able to make it a full year as Mr. O and not get injured is hard enough, you get injured and pull out of the show and your income source drops dramatically let alone having to deal with something like this. I really wish more of these guys would get some binoculars and see further down the road of life so they can better understand the fragility of what they are doing and how fast the $ goes away if something does not go as planned. On the other hand I totally understand the path these guys choose as they are knocking on the door for years trying to turn pro, then trying to be one of the top pro’s, theres really not a lot of time left to conquer the business world and set up other revenue streams to help support you for life after bbing… but it can be done if your calculated and understand the game.
I guess my message to any am/pro bber would be to take a moment to get a view from 40k feet and use the money your making now to set up some income streams for the future. The obvious choice for most of these guys is something in the supplement/gym/fitness industry, but don’t be afraid to venture into something else thats not connected to bbing or fitness. Look at this situation with Shawn (wether he is innocent or guilty here) he just got convicted by the ifbb, and if the organization you work for/with is so quick to convict you, the court of public opinion will follow suit.
I think the ifbb is simply calculating what makes the most sense and how they can come out of this unscathed, and this MR. O (and probably the majority of them) are just not profitable enough to support or even take a neutral stance with in this ‘me too’ day in age. A bit off topic here, but does anyone remember what the if ifbb’s stance was with Craig Titus and Kelly when they were accused/arrested? Did they cut all ties immediately?
I think the lesson here is for all BBers in the ifbb. They should be seeing and hearing the ifbb’s message loud and clear. All Pro bbers in the IFBB have a choke collar around their nuts, thats held by the IFBB. Lets say he is innocent here. The fact the ifbb can cut him down at the knee's and abandon him here is kinda scary for other bbers to watch. You can be Mr. O, the best bber in the world and be cut down to size overnight based off an allegation.
As a business man I look at this the same way if I am innocent or guilty of this crime. If the ifbb turns its back on me, I am fucked. Being Mr. O is every bbers dream, but few realize that while accomplishing this dream they are failing to insure their future if they don’t have another revenue source that is not bbing based/sourced. Shit, just being able to make it a full year as Mr. O and not get injured is hard enough, you get injured and pull out of the show and your income source drops dramatically let alone having to deal with something like this. I really wish more of these guys would get some binoculars and see further down the road of life so they can better understand the fragility of what they are doing and how fast the $ goes away if something does not go as planned. On the other hand I totally understand the path these guys choose as they are knocking on the door for years trying to turn pro, then trying to be one of the top pro’s, theres really not a lot of time left to conquer the business world and set up other revenue streams to help support you for life after bbing… but it can be done if your calculated and understand the game.
I guess my message to any am/pro bber would be to take a moment to get a view from 40k feet and use the money your making now to set up some income streams for the future. The obvious choice for most of these guys is something in the supplement/gym/fitness industry, but don’t be afraid to venture into something else thats not connected to bbing or fitness. Look at this situation with Shawn (wether he is innocent or guilty here) he just got convicted by the ifbb, and if the organization you work for/with is so quick to convict you, the court of public opinion will follow suit.