The Arnold Classic and other Arnold events are some of the biggest in the entire sport of bodybuilding. However they are apparently going to be continuing without the support of Redcon1, who are not happy with comments recently made by Arnold Schwarzenegger, himself.
Redcon1 is one of the most recognizable brands of supplements and nutritional goods in all of strength sports. They have sponsored a wide array of bodybuilders over the years, and regularly have booths at most major contests that take place within the sport, making them one of the most popular brands out there.
However it seems that they will no longer be supporting the Arnold Classic or any other Arnold branded competitions. Speaking in a video on Instagram, CEO Aaron Singerman revealed that they would be withdrawing their sponsorships of these contests, in the wake of some comments made by Arnold Schwarzenegger, regarding the global pandemic and whether or not it impedes freedom to enforce mandates, saying that they can not support contests represented by a man with such different beliefs than their own.
“When somebody says ‘Screw your freedom,’ I can’t and Redcon1 can’t, in good conscience, continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring that show with a name honoring that person. So there’s no way that I can continue, Redcon1 can continue supporting the Arnold Classic for the future,” Singerman said.
“When you say screw your freedoms, or you’re a schmuck, or a moron, or anything else because you disagree with somebody… I’m not for canceling anybody. Don’t cancel Arnold, but don’t support him, if you’re me. If you like it, go there. I won’t be there unfortunately, so if you’re looking to see Kai Greene and the rest of the Redcon1 athletes and myself, unfortunately you won’t.”
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This does bring up a question about what this means for Redcon1 sponsored athletes who were planning to compete at the Arnold Classic in September, since Singerman says there will not be any athletes there who are sponsored by him. Hopefully, he will not be dropping athletes, simply because they are expressing their own freedom to keep competing there, despite what Arnold said.
Another important thing to note, is that Aaron only picked a small segment of an entire interview with Schwarzenegger, in order to make his point. The full video is below, so fans can draw their own conclusions on what Arnold had to say, and whether or not he is being, as Aaron called him, “un-American.”
“There is a virus here,” Schwarzenegger said. “It kills people and the only way we prevent it is: get vaccinated, wear masks, do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about, ‘well my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’ No, screw your freedom.”
Obviously, this is a complicated and contentious issue, and Redcon1 is entitled to give their money and support wherever they choose. That being said, the real concern is that this might negatively effect the athletes involved, both with the brand, and the Arnold Classic.
Catch comprehensive coverage of the 2024 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analyses, and complete Arnold Classic results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic