Athletes rep Bob Cicherillo is known for tackling controversially-charged topics. In his latest Voice of Bodybuilding Podcast, Cicherillo took issue with low bodybuilding pay and called for a minimum of $20,000 to be distributed at each pro show.
Prize money in bodybuilding has remained steady for quite some time. And over the past decade, competitors have seen the financial landscape change dramatically. From magazine covers to supplement contracts, bodybuilders have been afforded a handful of options for accruing wealth. However, those avenues have mostly dried up. In their wake, social media took over and athletes have adapted and used the platforms to bring in extra income.
Fortunately, the bigger events like the annual Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic shows continued to offer impressive purses. In fact, 10 years ago, when Phil Heath won his third Mr. Olympia title, he was awarded $250,000. Fast forward to 2022, the latest Mr. Olympia winner, Hadi Choopan, raked in a grand prize of $400,000.
Meanwhile, the second-most prestigious contest of the year, the Arnold Classic’s prize money continues to go up. Last year, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his promotion announced that the prize money had jumped from $200,000 to a staggering $300,000.
And while Bob Cicherillo doesn’t believe the major events need a makeover, he did highlight that smaller shows should start offering more suitable purses given the expenses an athlete incurs before stepping on stage.
Bob Cicherillo Says Bodybuilders Are Opting Not to Compete Due to Low Prize Money
Cicherillo blamed a lack of lucrative supplement contracts and social media for low turnout at contests. He shared that supplement contracts used to have stipulations in which athletes would have to compete at a minimum number of events per year. Bob also said supplement sponsors used to match an athlete’s prize money if they won first place.
“I was thinking about this the other day and thought to myself, ‘Well what has changed over the past 10 years that’s made this a little different.’ Well, lack of supplement contracts. This isn’t a topic a lot of people have explored but as somebody who has been on the block for a few minutes, I can tell you first hand this has absolutely had an impact.
How? Really simple. In the old days, when you signed a supplement contract it was usually in the contract that they wanted you to compete X amount of times throughout the year so you were out there in the marketplace. You were out there representing yourself, representing the company in effect, and putting it forward and of course, they wanted you to win a show or just try and do your best and ultimately try to get to the Olympia,” said Bob Cicherillo.
“If you had an athlete on your staff or on your team so to say, you absolutely want them at the Olympia. It’s the biggest stage we got throughout the year and in the world. Now with that, came bonus structure. Usually, if you were to win a show there was a clause in your contract that might pay you a bonus, maybe it was $5,000 or $10,000 a lot of times they matched the prize money. If you won 20 grand they would match it with a $20,000 bonus. With less contracts coming in for these guys, there’s less bonus structure, and that of course, means there’s less opportunity and less money.”
Since competitors aren’t bound to obligations via a contract, they feel no need to push themselves at various shows throughout the year. Considering the amount of money that can be made on social media, Cicherillo added that there’s not as much incentive to prepare for competitions.
“The guys aren’t feeling the heat that they’ve signed a contract with a company that says you need to compete three times this year. So, has that taken a toll, has that made an impact, I believe it has. There’s no obligation to get out there and compete other than your own goals and even those have changed. Social media has changed over 10 years.
Now, everybody has a platform to get out, put themselves out there, whether you’re a personal trainer, you have a podcast, you have other business ventures, whether you make money on YouTube or any other venture that’s out there. So all of a sudden, it maybe becomes not very important to compete,” said Cicherillo.
Cicherillo says prize money is stagnant and promotions are still disbursing a relative amount to what was awarded 15 years ago. He called for a minimum of $20,000 per show and said bodybuilders who win first place and earn $10,000 are likely losing money after expenses are tallied.
“These purses got to come up, $20,000 should be the minimum.”
“And let’s face it, let’s not overlook and gloss over the fact that the prize money has not really significantly changed in the last 10-15 years. This is not good for anybody. Not in the sport, not in the federation and certainly not for the athletes. A lot of shows are still $10,000 shows. I was complaining about this myself and a host of other people 20 years ago. 20 years ago… we were talking about $10,000 shows. You know what a lot of shows are today, $10,000 I’m talking about first prize. First-place prize money.
Maybe it’s a $20,000 purse, 10 for first, 5 breaks down from there. Literally with those numbers and the market of today, if you win a show and you win $10,000. You take taxes out. You take your expenses out. Preparation, money, travel, everything else that’s concerned. YOu don’t have a company sponsoring you or paying for these things — it’s out of pocket. The guy who wins the show loses money. I’ll guarantee it. If you win $10,000 for a show, you’ve just lost money,” said Cicherillo.
Cicherillo believes the lackluster prize money isn’t good for the sport, the community, or the competitors.
“This is something I do believe we need to look at as an entity, as a federation, as a community, what can the bodybuilding community do to increase prize money at the shows,” wonders Cicherillo. “The money has to come from somewhere. If it comes from sponsors well that’s one thing but sponsors are harder and harder to come by these days because of social media, direct to consumer, a lot of companies don’t have to be out in the marketplace these days.”
“But $10,000 purses and such, again, we all get it’s a stage and platform folks but that’s not going to cut it in this day and age and I think it’s showing itself. A lot of these guys are just opting not to compete. And that’s not good. Not for our sport and it’s not good for any sport.”
This isn’t Bob Cicherillo’s first time addressing low bodybuilder pay. Last August, he joined Dennis James on The Menace Podcast to lay out his opinions on the subject. According to Bob, his best solution for athletes would involve a pay-per-view revenue-sharing system, similar to what is offered to high-level fighters/champions under the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) banner.
Cicherillo, who serves as an athletes rep and announcer for Mr. Olympia, would love to see a prize money increase across the board in the IFBB Pro League. Though, he understands it’s a steep hill to climb since sponsorship opportunities aren’t what they used to be.
RELATED: 2023 Masters Olympia Announces Overall Prize Money at $229,000
You can watch the full video from the Voice of Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:
Published: 30 June, 2023 | 8:33 PM EDT
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