Do more pros = less quality?

Becoming a bodybuilding pro is no simple task. It requires years of training, dedication, and sacrifice in order to acquire the kind of quality muscle needed in order to convince judges that you’re worthy of joining the professional ranks of the sport. In other words, anyone out there thinking that they can just roll out of bad, train for a couple of months, and become a professional bodybuilder will be sadly mistaken. Yet it seems that there are rumblings of a new concern growing in the bodybuilding industry: bodybuilders these days are being gifted pro cards too early and too easily.

Many pro bodybuilders as well as media outlets, Muscular Development in particular, have shared their views on the ease in which amateur bodybuilders are receiving pro cards. At the last NPC Nationals, 25 competitors were given pro cards allowing them to compete in the IFBB. Many believe this to be an issue, that 25 pro cards are a bit too many to give out, that amateurs should have a longer road to becoming professional bodybuilders. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, we here at Generation Iron respectfully disagree with that stance.

Sure, many of the points against handing out these pro cards are somewhat valid. We’ll have pros that didn’t have much of a long road to travel in order to obtain their cards, which could make these competitors feel entitled. Once joining the rank that could be lacking in areas that a seasoned pro has already mastered and it could very well discourage them from continuing on in the sport. But the most important question to ask yourself about that is this: is that really such a bad thing?

Bodybuilding is an endeavor that requires a great deal of dedication. Professional bodybuilding requires even more than that, damn near obsession in fact. But in order to succeed in any endeavor you need to have that drive and obsession in order to better yourself, to master your craft. If a pro becomes discouraged during that journey then maybe the sport just isn’t for them. If someone is discouraged and want to quit that’s entirely on them. It’s the ones who persevere through adversity that will get to the next level and sometimes a trial by fire is the best way to weed out the weak from the strong.

For those who think that 25 pro cards is a steep amount of cards to give out at one NPC event then just consider that the NFL drafts take in ten times as many new players per year in one sitting. Though many believe 25 to be a high number, in the grand scheme of things it’s truly not that unreasonable. Who knows, one of those 25 could easily become the next Mr. Olympia champion. Who are we to say they shouldn’t be allowed their pro card if they put in a tremendous amount of work. If they’re strong-willed enough to stick with it one of these men or women could easily change their lives for the better with major victory.

Then there’s the issue of the quality of both the pro and amateur leagues being lowered as a result of more “inexperienced” bodybuilders move up in the ranks. The basic concern is – if we make it easier to get into the pro league then we’ll start seeing less impressive physiques on the stage. While this may be a valid concern in some respects… it’s also necessary in order for the sport to grow. Sure, right now there maybe a few young guys on the stage that don’t look up to snuff with the prestige of the IFBB pro league – but that’s because we are transitioning to a bigger size and scope. Instead of demanding less pro cards, we should be demanding the bodybuilders to step up their game.

In order to gain more exposure for the sport, we also need to throw our athletes straight into the fire. Sure some will get discourage – hell even the fans will get discouraged – but after a little bit of a mess the athletes, fans, and sport will rise out of the ashes even stronger than before.

So are there more pro cards being given every year? Absolutely. But is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. It’s a sign of growth. And like all things, there may be some growing pains – but in the end it will all be for something far greater. A better sport.
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Do you think it’s too easy to obtain pro cards these days? Let us know what you think in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.

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