by Christian Duque
The question as to whether or not there should be security at big bodybuilding shows is somewhat of a novel concept. Bodybuilding is very much a niche sport and does not command the audience sizes of major league sports like basketball, football, hockey, and baseball. For those events it’s very common to go through metal detectors and get patted down by security before being admitted to the games. But in bodybuilding you’re dealing with a fraction of the number of attendees and nobody would ever think to put metal detectors outside.
Mind you, I’m talking about big bodybuilding shows or an expos. Usually the people that go are either relatives of the competitors or lifelong fans of the sport. Very rarely has there ever been any instance of violence and if there has been it might be a couple of fists thrown or maybe a competitor breaking their trophy or as we saw in Greece last year a competitor slapping a judge. But really there isn’t a need to have the kind of security that you would see at a major league sporting event.
The reality of the matter is that we are living in a different time. The world is not the same as we knew it just a few years prior. We have even seen death threats come out in social media as a result of placings.
For example, last year when Derek Lunsford won the Olympia against Hadi Choopan he received death threats on various social media platforms. And just about 2 weeks ago after John De La Rosa won in Tampa he also received death threats on social media platforms.
Just about a month ago president Donald Trump was nearly assassinated by a lunatic that scaled a building, got on a rooftop, and fired seven or eight shots. Again I’m not saying that that could happen at a bodybuilding show but I think it at least warrants a little bit of a second thought. We are now talking about the biggest bodybuilding shows and expos. I’m not talking about small contests that are held in a high school gymnasium. And what about school shootings? There’s violence everywhere. There’s no shortage of lunatics.
If you have an event with over 100,000 people coming in and out – security should be a key factor. But let me stress, I’m talking about the big shows, not contests at the local level.
I think that’s an important distinction because a lot of people are going to say that it simply is not cost effective for small promoters to invest any kind of money into security. A lot of people think that bodybuilding shows make promoters a ton of money. That’s not really the case. And in the vast majority of instances the money that is made is just enough to cut a small profit. After you’ve paid for the venue, union fees, lighting, etc, the promoter really doesn’t put that much into their pocket.
Now if we are going to talk about safety versus profits, that’s a discussion that will probably be very polarizing but one that may need to be had. Look at the Arnold Classic Expo, for example. Over the course of 3 days they may have as many as 100,000 people go through their doors. For $15 just about anybody can walk in there. Many have backpacks and handbags. Is anyone checking their contents? Also you have to think about the danger factor for all of the fans, as well as booth workers. Many booths really are pretty lax when it comes to security. People can cut the line, they can gain access to the booth, and they can even come pretty damn close to competitors. Maybe too close for comfort.
You have to understand that there may be folks that are traveling halfway around the world, sleeping in airports, and eating 7-Eleven-type food just to be able to get to the show and see their favorite competitor compete. Now imagine somebody coming from Iran or Egypt to see a Big Ramy or Hadi. Imagine that Big Ramy or Hadi does not win the show or much worse get a really bad placing. Some of these fans may not take that in stride. They may think that the reason their favorite competitor did not win was because of politics, they might think it has to do with some sort of a conspiracy, and if you’re dealing with somebody that is not 100% on the ball they may rely on certain methods that we frown upon. These methods might include violence, they may include negative behavior, you just don’t know. And let’s say, God forbid, that a real threat was had at one of these shows, who is going to deal with it? Is there a police presence? Is there security working at the event? Or what?
The bottom line is that promoters may be held liable if they do not at least look into security protocols and take special measures in the face of danger.
Again I don’t want to get all legalistic here but promoters do owe certain duties to their invitees. If you’re buying a ticket to a bodybuilding show or to a bodybuilding expo your safety should not be at issue. You don’t walk into an event at your own risk. Or maybe you do. But the reality of the matter is as the world gets crazier I do believe that bodybuilding events need to look into how they can ensure the safety of contest goers, competitors, booth workers and people working the show.
Some shows really have zero security measures. Meaning that anybody could pretty much go backstage, go into the tanning rooms, maybe even get into other restricted areas where the security of the contest could be compromised. I will tell you that all it takes is for one nutcase to go psychotic. Look at the guy that tried to assassinate the president. If the Secret Service couldn’t stop him, local law enforcement couldn’t stop him, what’s security at a bodybuilding show to do in the face of something like that? Again, there is no guarantee that taking security measures or enhancing security protocols can guarantee that a freak instance won’t occur, but does that mean nothing should be done?
The big question I think is – is it warranted? Should promoters read this article or watch the various shows or listen to the many podcasts talking about this issue following what happened at last year’s Olympia and following what happened at this year’s Tampa Pro and take action? Those are a lot of questions. They’re good questions and maybe promoters may not think much of them, but given the fact that there have been podcasts, that there have been articles written, if something were to happen and promoters of the biggest bodybuilding shows and expos in the world simply did nothing to ensure the safety of the people attending their events, then I think we might see some litigation.
Again you can sue a ham sandwich in the United states. Simply filing a lawsuit really doesn’t mean anything. The bigger question is do the promoters owe the people that buy tickets and the people that compete on their stages some degree of safety? What do promoters actually owe in this type of situation and what are they willing to invest in to protect not only their show but the people that make it happen?
It’s a sticky situation because anytime we’re dealing with money people will clam up. They don’t want to splurge. And they certainly don’t want to spend on something that really may not be warranted. That being said, I am writing this article because I’m torn on the subject.
At what point do online threats stop being limited to the internet and cross over into real life? They may or may not ever cross over, but what if they do? Then what?
Honestly, I don’t know the answer. I encourage you to copy a link to this article on your social media feeds and see what your friends and followers have to say. I’m sure it’s going to generate considerable conversation, as I think this is a pretty important subject. At the end of the day only time will tell what, if any, security measures are taken to ensure the safety of fans and competitors in the future. As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments.
