Patrick Bet-David discussed his ideas for Mr. Olympia with Bradley Martyn if he was able to acquire the event.
The Mr. Olympia competition continues to be the Super Bowl of bodybuilding each year. The show is headlined by the Men’s Open category being crowned Mr. Olympia at the end of the weekend. Patrick Bet-David joined Bradley Martyn to talk about his attempt to purchase the Olympia and make changes to emphasis different divisions.
Bet-David is an entrepreneur and businessman who has his hands in many areas. He founded the YouTube channel Valuetainment and has helped build it to over five million subscribers. Along with many other ventures, Bet-David recently became a minority owner of the New York Yankees.
This is not the first time he invested in a major organization and attempted to do the same with the Olympia. Bet-David explained to Martyn that he attempted to buy the Mr. Olympia before Jake Wood purchased it. He also explained how The Rock was also involved in attempts to acquire the event.
“The Rock and Danny Garcia wanted to buy Mr. Olympia and they were all involved and all this stuff. I think the Olympia made a mistake not selling it to The Rock. It would have been great for The Rock to buy Mr. Olympia, for the brand. The bodybuilders would have much rather have The Rock buy Mr. Olympia.”
The conversation continued as Bet-David discussed different ideas that he had to change the Olympia competition.
Patrick Bet-David: “What If Mr. Olympia Changed The Standards?”
Patrick Bet-David pitched changing the Mr. Olympia title being given to the competitor with the best overall physique, not just the biggest. Of course, the competition began with Chris Bumstead and his impact on the sport of bodybuilding.
“What I wanted to do with Mr. Olympia is flip it. You look at Chris Bumstead, who’s got this incredible freakin’ physique. What a physique this guy’s got, right? 22 million followers on Instagram and he’s super chill, likable guy. So he is 6’1, 235, right? And he doesn’t compete in the main Mr. Olympia. He doesn’t go compete with the bigger guys, he goes and competes in Classic.”
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The duo discussed how Bumstead’s physique might be the best on the planet right now but how he also brings plenty of attention to the sport. Bumstead has created an empire off stage and on social media, including over 22 million followers on Instagram.
Bradley Martyn shared with Bet-David that the Mr. Olympia champ wins $450,000 while other divisions, including Classic, win $50,000. This came as a surprise to Bet-David, who believes incentives should be different.
“If you are just looking at the numbers and the data, it shows that people are looking at that more than this. So, why wouldn’t the incentives go to the ones that are bringing the larger audience? I just don’t know why it hasn’t gone that way. I think just because they want to hold it to that level still,” Martyn said.
How Could Mr. Olympia Change Standards?
The idea of giving the title to the best overall physique is one pitched by Patrick Bet-David. With technology nowadays, he believes there are ways to do this fairly.
“What if Mr. Olympia actually changed the standards? And it’s no longer about who’s the biggest? What if we actually used AI and we actually used data and symmetry and we put it on a system to see who has the best symmetrical, Frank Zane, Arnold type of physique. What if we made that look the look to win Mr. Olympia?”
Along with changing the incentives, Bet-David believes it could change the way guys train and substances that they take. He referenced the devastating losses of many competitors at a young age due to health issues.
“The reason why so many guys are dying in their late 30s, early 40s is that they’re putting so much in to compete at the highest level and are getting crushed. If they changed the incentives, my opinion, I think it would be a different story.”
Patrick Bet-David missed out on purchasing the Olympia but it is clear that he has thought about ideas to change the event. He is not the first to bring up the idea of prioritizing Classic Physique to add even more attention to the event.
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