Can anyone take down Phil Heath? Does it matter?
Phil Heath is like the Yankees in their prime. An unstoppable force that leaves nothing but victory in its path. He’s the expected winner at this year’s Mr. Olympia and no matter how many people may whisper Kai Greene or Dennis Wolf’s name – even their fans deep down know that the odds are in Phil Heath’s favor.
Much like the Yankees, for many Phil Heath has already won.
But what does that mean for the competitive nature of the sport? When a win is so obvious on the horizon, can anyone really get amped up about the competition? It’s like watching a movie when you already know the twist ending – the excitement and surprise just sort of disappear.
Or maybe the excitement doesn’t disappear. Maybe having a titan like Phil Heath simply fuels the excitement. If it’s assumed by most that Phil will win this competition – that only gives much more ammunition for opposing fans to rally for victory. What if Kai Greene won? What if Dennis Wolf took over? What if a wild card came out of nowhere and changed the game?
In a way, an underdog victory will be so much more memorable, so much more exciting simply because it seems so impossible. Think about it. What would be more memorable? Kai Greene winning the Sandow amongst a bunch of other competitors who all had equal odds of winning or if he surprised the world and took down Phil when no one thought it was possible.
That’s drama. That’s excitement. That’s history.
And what better time for there to be such a surprise? With this year marking the 50th anniversary of Mr. Olympia, it would be so incredibly monumental for a big surprise during the finals. It would mark this anniversary as something etched forever in the story of bodybuilding.
So can Phil Heath be beat this year? Most likely not, but that’s okay. Because as long as an unstoppable titan like Phil exists, there will always be incredibly hungry competitors waiting to take him down. With every Olympia victory the spotlight is further focused on Phil Heath – waiting to catch glimpse of his fall.
Now that’s exciting. That’s competition. That’s bodybuilding.
We just landed in Las Vegas last night and are surrounded by Mr. Olympia fever. You can catch constant coverage of the even right here on our website. As well as sneak peaks into the event before it starts. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get all the Olympia updates all week.
