by Christian Duque
Okay so this is the second article from Derek Lunsford’s microphone mishap. We’ve already talked about how dangerous it is to speak out of school with any kind of audio device on you. I mean I think that that is pretty clear, but hey sometimes you have to state the obvious. This article is more about a few words that were in earshot of what Derek was saying when he was oblivious to the fact that a microphone was hooked up to him. And it isn’t so much what he said as much as it is what was said to him. We know that he did not want to take his shirt off and pose with Nick and Samson. What is important to include is why he ended up doing it.
I mean when you’re Mr Olympia, you’re the ambassador of the sport of the world. You are the number one bodybuilder – bar none – on this rock called Earth. No other person can lay claim to that distinction. Now our sport is a lot about illusion. I think we can agree on that, right? The illusion being that when athletes look their strongest they’re actually their weakest. The illusion that a competitor can present a seemingly flawless physique while hiding flaws through lighting, angles, and the way in which the mandatory poses are executed. I think we can agree on that as well, right? But let’s move a little bit further.
Another huge illusion is that just because a competitor is Mr Olympia or just because a competitor is the Arnold Classic champion that somehow means that that competitor is more or less able to write their own ticket. Meaning that they don’t have to get the approval of random officials or promoters to act. Meaning that they are pretty much able to say and do whatever they want in the sport. And while the New York Pro and the Arnold Classic are the top shows there is no bigger show than the Olympia. So it would mean that if you won the Olympia you essentially would be the king of the roost. You would be basically God without sounding sacrilegious, which obviously is an oxymoron, but you know what I mean. That is another illusion just like the others It is not an accurate portrayal of reality.
Let me explain.
The clip that has made the rounds on social media is Derek Lunsford having a conversation with another individual. In this conversation Derek is saying he does not want to take his shirt off, he does not want to take photos with two individuals, and he thinks that doing so from a marketing standpoint is a step back for himself and for the Mr. Olympia. It’s almost as if he’s pleading with the individual as to why he does not want to participate alongside these other two competitors. It’s an interesting conversation as well because it does not sound like Lunsford is speaking from a position of power, rather, he seems to be in a subservient role trying desperately to get his way. Just the tone of the conversation and the context of it already sort of debunks the myth that just because he is Mr Olympia that he is somehow in charge. Clearly, he was not. But moreover is the fact that the person who is trying to win is not budging. No matter what Derek says, no matter what reasoning he provides, the other person is steadfast on their point. And that point is that Derek must comply with the directive. There is no room for further discussion. And that person not budging is the one speaking from a position of power. Derek unfortunately submits to that person’s authority.
Now that person was not Jim, it was not Steve, it wasn’t Gary, either. Now I’m pretty sure I know who it was but they are not in that upper echelon of power. At least not in the upper echelon of power that I just described. They’re definitely high up the ladder but they’re not at the top of it. And it’s interesting because Derek did as he was told.
Now this is something that I think is also very important to discuss. Because if Mr Olympia is going to basically be told what to do, then it stands to reason that any competitor is going to be told what to do and will be expected to follow the directives to the letter of the command. And that right there is not a good look for the sport of bodybuilding. The same way that Derek essentially got caught with his pants down by having a hot mic with the promoter or whoever that other person was, the promoter also got caught in a certain regard because of the fact that he’s basically telling the number one bodybuilder in the world what to do. That’s the top competitor!! And the fact that he is ordering him to do it at least to me suggests that he’s been ordering competitors to do things for a long time. And it’s not just this one official, rather, it might be many officials and many promoters. So while these bodybuilders look huge, jacked, veiny and strong, they’re basically going to do what they’re told. If one of these officials says jump, these bodybuilders are simply going to respond with “how high?”
Now I don’t know about you but to me that does not seem like a serious sport. I mean we constantly hear about bodybuilding and how it’s evolved over the years and how great the competitors have it but in reality this would never happen in the NFL or NHL or Major League Baseball. Or would it? Maybe that’s also an illusion. Maybe when you’re a professional athlete you have to do what you’re told, but I just don’t think that what we see in bodybuilding is necessarily seen in any other sport. I don’t think we even see it in other niche sports like powerlifting and crossfit. I just think that this phenomenon is reserved for bodybuilding and not bodybuilding as a whole, rather, bodybuilding in the ifbb and npc orbit.
Because again I can’t imagine an NGA Pro or an OCB Pro being told what to do by a promoter and them doing it without question. I mean this is not a directive of where to stand on stage or what fees to pay to compete. Derek was told to take his shirt off and pose with guys for promotions and he did what he was told. And even though it’s a very short clip you can hear who’s in command in the conversation. Honestly it does not make me have a lot of faith in the future of the sport. If the top guy gets no respect, then what about everybody else?
It almost feels like we’re speaking in circles at this point. I feel like I’m being redundant and I probably am l, but again I just don’t understand why Derek would allow himself to cow-tow to what this official was telling him. If he didn’t want to take his shirt off – he shouldn’t have taken it off. End of story. But by doing what he was told, he basically perpetuated the nonsense for one more year. Because if he’s going to do what he’s told at that point, he’s going to do what he’s told during his whole reign. Then maybe the next guy after him will do the same as well. Maybe that’s just what you have to do to be the best bodybuilder in the world, but I tell you if that’s the case – that’s pretty sad.
What do you honestly think? Do you think that Mr Olympia should be ordered around like a child and he should follow the directives – or – do you think he should have his own opinion and say no every so often? Again we all have a right to our opinion, but here at Iron Magazine I am able to make articles with mine.
I invite you to copy and paste this URL on your social media feeds. I guarantee you it’s going to generate some really good conversation.
