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Would broadcasting major BB competitions (Olympia, Arnold Classic) on main streaming platforms increase appreciation for buff women?

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Under the Ms Olympia 2024 thread, a user made a post suggesti tnghat there would be a higher appreciation for muscular women if competitions like the Olympia were broadcast on a major streaming platform like Netflix or Amazon Prime. The idea was that since those platforms have high subscription numbers, it would generate a lot of views of those competition, and it would increase the visibility of buff women to the masses and thus "increase" appreciation for them.

I wanted to expand on that post in this thread to hear others' opinion on if that would be a realistic outcome or not. For me, I don't think it would. Bodybuilding is a niche sport among even other niche sports, and I think even if it was shown on one of those streaming platforms, it would still attract a relatively narrow audience. And, to be completely honest, the men would probably get far more viewership that the women. The Men's Olympia Winner, Samson Dauda, has almost a million IG followers, while Andrea Shaw has under 150K. I can't see those major platforms shelling out money for something like this. Hell, as much as I liked watching bodybuilding competitions and fitness shows on ESPN 2 back in the day, there is a reason that channel revamped its programming.

And while women in the weight room is more accepted and encouraged now than it was in decades past, there is a massive gulf of a difference between that statement and having interest in bodybuilding competitions that show physiques at the most extreme of muscularity. And at that, while I do find buff bodies very attractive (as do everyone here,) a shift in what society finds "conventionally attractive" is not going to come from simply broadcasting bodybuilding on a major streamer.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

I agree with Gatsby28 but why streaming services? Why not on a free to air network? Yes Gatsby28's argument applies there too and I don't think simply showing it on any form of broadcasting, free or pay, will automatically increase appreciation or participation or sponsorship or anything else but with free to air it would at least be available to many more people than streaming services, which a lot of people such as myself do not subscribe to, and you never know what that could lead to.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

It wouldn't change anything even though bodybuilding women are more mainstream now than ever, with women appreciating a more sturdier look and that motivates them by the numbers to go to the gym now more than ever but still, buff women are somewhat of a "taboo" in our society and that's why even though that were to happen the sports itself might be overlooked but the female Olympians will always be underappreciated by normies who would always say they are trying so hard to look like dudes as a matter of fact it probably won't even last after a couple of years for any streaming platform Netflix probably won't pick it up because of its potentially low viewership

Oct 14, 2024 - edited Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Just want to add to what @kuchi said because I completely agree with him.

most female bodybuilders lack personality, compare FBBs to their male counterparts and you’ll see what I mean.. it’s the same reasons why the NBA is better than the WNBA it’s all about who has the biggest, brightest most entertaining interesting, personalities at the end of the day so to the average person whose curious about these competitions looks come last.. I’m pretty sure this is part of the reason why physiques was born because of zyzz and how much attention he was able to grab (he was very charismatic), though I could be misremembering things.

Anyway I said all this to say that @kuchi is right and the best way to grab people’s attention is by being entertaining, I can’t think of a single FBB whose as interesting as Sam sulek or as charismatic as zyzz.. shit even going back to when Arnold was active there really were no women as entertaining as him.

The rise of onlyfans has helped a bit but relying on looks solely to put butts in seats can only get you so far, TikTok could have the answer but then theres the possibility that the bar would drop and the big women we love to see would more than likely cease to exist 😞

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Just want to add to what @kuchi said because I completely agree with him.

most female bodybuilders lack personality the average everyday person gravities towards people who are charismatic and entertaining, compare them to their male counterparts and you’ll see what I mean, it’s the same reason why the NBA is better than the WNBA it’s all entertainment and personalities at the end of the day.

The over/under was 5 posts.

Everyone who took the under wins.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

No because nowadays we can just watch everything we want on YouTube and other free platforms. and I think if you are on the internet on a regular basis it's only a matter of time before you see a picture or short clip of female bodybuilders. and then people will decide if they want to see more or not most people just ignore it and move on. but if you are like me you want to see more.

I grew up in an odd hybrid period were the internet existed but it was not very accessible. so I was watching tv or reading magazines and I saw gymnastics Olympic swimmers and fitness models I thought they were so beautiful I loved the shape of the legs and abs. but I didn't understand why I went on the internet when my parents weren't home and looked up fitness models and gymnasts. and there was this one site with pictures of all types of athletes and there was a section with female bodybuilders. and at first I was like I didn't even know there were female bodybuilders only men. and I assumed they would look bad. but then I saw pics of Heather armburst and Diana Dennis and some others that I can't spell and my mind was blown. everything I liked about fitness models up 1000000x better I couldn't believe such goddesses existed it was then that I realized that was attached to strong women.

so this is what things were like in the 2000s. now it's a lot easier to just stumble upon some fbb related media and you quickly find their best stuff. having it on the front page of Netflix will just feel forced. and even some shmoes probably wouldn't like it because they don't want to be horny all the time. like I have developed a dumb mindset were when a woman flexes I automatically think it's sexual I try to not do this anymore.

if you like fbbs and are not living in primitive society without electricity you know it. and if you don't like fbbs then you probably won't be convinced by a lot of marketing. the first time you saw a muscular woman you will probably have made up your mind and nothing will change it.

[deleted]
Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

The over/under was 5 posts.

Everyone who took the under wins.

Yep, the tired trope of WNBA lacking personalities from someone who doesn't watch a second. Outside of Anthony Edwards, it's the NBA lacking if anything.

Oct 14, 2024 - edited Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Yep, the tired trope of WNBA lacking personalities from someone who doesn't watch a second. Outside of Anthony Edwards, it's the NBA lacking if anything.

Have you not seen how many reaction gifs have come out of the NBA over the last decade?

How many have come out of WNBA?

The most popular gifs from lebron alone are from him being silly off the court not on it, There are other examples I can point out that prove my point they aren’t just grabbing peoples attention by being great players there’s more to it than just talent. People really want a full show.

[deleted]
Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Have you not seen how many reaction gifs have come out of the NBA over the last decade?

How many have come out of WNBA?

The most popular gifs from lebron alone are from him being silly off the court not on it, There are other examples I can point out that prove my point they aren’t just grabbing peoples attention by being great players there’s more to it than just talent. People really want a full show.

Three words. Ellie the Elephant.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Three words. Ellie the Elephant.

This kind of proves my point..

I have to go to bed and I want to find more girls on here before I do but when I come back later I can pull up statistics for you on how often these memes are shared and how they compare (most popular vs least) should be enlightening.

[deleted]
Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

This kind of proves my point..

I have to go to bed and I want to find more girls on here before I do but when I come back later I can pull up statistics for you on how often these memes are shared and how they compare (most popular vs least) should be enlightening.

Don't bother. Gifs are the territory of those who can't express themselves with words.

Oct 14, 2024 - edited Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

I couldn't ever see a service like Netflix or Amazon for example offering bodybuilding. Nor would I see it being on traditional free-to-air networks.

In my teens, we used to get male and female bodybuilding covered quite regularly on subscription-based cable sports channels. I remember that predominantly from the mid to late 1990s. It just seemed to disappear then.

I guess it's not regarded as sport in the same way bodybuilding is not considered for inclusion in The Olympics on the basis that competition isn't based on performance on the day.

But sports channels can be extraordinarily flexible in what they include for broadcast. You can get up to 20 separate sports streams/channels where I am and they show some distinctly minority stuff as filler content.

In addition, whilst I could understand some reticence with bodybuilding, it should be less so with physique and other classes as these fit more with the concept of sports and healthy living in society generally.

If badminton and yachting can make their way onto sports channels, albeit limited and infrequent, as warranted by the minority interest, then bodybuilding and the other classes deserve some coverage too.

There would be more interest in it for sure than for of other sports/events, even if that was made up to a degree by the sexualised /fetish attraction to bodybuilding. But there is already some of that with female athletes at The Olympics recently.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

MSG used to show bodybuilding competitions, albeit female bodybuilding was at like 5:30am and sometimes it would just be skipped.

Theoretically, streaming could work but bodybuilding is such a niche sport. Not much of a draw.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

From a business perspective, this is completely backwards thinking. You don’t put a show on your network, hoping to make people like a subject more. You put a show on because you believe they already like it. High viewer count drives revenue. Netflix getting 50 more lusty dudes to subscribe to their service because they added bodybuilding, doesn’t make sense to them.

Shows like The 100 on Netflix help determine interest for something like a bodybuilding competition. If those numbers don’t come out high enough and test audiences don’t say “I’m watching this for the hot muscle chics” then they’re not gonna bother with Fbb competitions.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Most men don't like this, especially Olympia level muscularity. It's weird and unsettling to see women who have taken male hormones that have blown themselves up to hard, veiny anatomical drawings with orange skin, high heels, and glittering bikinis. It's not athletic and there's no tension or drama. Most people don't care for beauty contests. Crossfit games. MMA, and game shows like Gladiators are about as close as it can get. Count yourself fortunate. We have far more access to our fetish than ever before. Just don't kid yourself everybody has it. They don't.

[deleted]
Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

From a business perspective, this is completely backwards thinking. You don’t put a show on your network, hoping to make people like a subject more. You put a show on because you believe they already like it. High viewer count drives revenue. Netflix getting 50 more lusty dudes to subscribe to their service because they added bodybuilding, doesn’t make sense to them.

Shows like The 100 on Netflix help determine interest for something like a bodybuilding competition. If those numbers don’t come out high enough and test audiences don’t say “I’m watching this for the hot muscle chics” then they’re not gonna bother with Fbb competitions.

'Drive to Survive' goes against your theory in regards to what it achieved in creating new F1 interest via Netflix with females until viewers saw enough of it live to see it's garbage.

Oct 14, 2024 - edited Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

Don't bother. Gifs are the territory of those who can't express themselves with words.

It’s one of the best ways to measure public interest, by sharing memes of athletes we’re acknowledging their existence.

For example, If 200k+ users are sharing memes of Steph curry everyday for a year on social media platforms then that’s a lot of people paying attention to him and athletes like him who are being shared in a similar way.. so in other words users find NBA players entertaining enough to spend their valuable time promoting them en masse which catches the attention of algorithms which pushes the memes to users who may or may not be interested in basketball, so there’s a great possibility that some people who weren’t interested in the sport tuned in at some point in time that year solely because of some silly face curry made during a interview.

I see cbum on the front page of Reddit right now and a bunch of non Olympic viewers are laughing/admiring his mustache just as much as they’re admiring his muscles.. imagine if he had went up their freshly shaven, yes he would still get a lot of attention for his physic because let’s be real it’s cbum but he would have been far less entertaining to watch which means his chances of hitting the front page of websites like Reddit (a non traditional social media platform) slim down dramatically.. The people want entertainment.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

'Drive to Survive' goes against your theory in regards to what it achieved in creating new F1 interest via Netflix with females until viewers saw enough of it live to see it's garbage.

To be so confident and wrong again… Between this and you intentionally pushing away facts when offered them I just cannot take any of your comments seriously anymore, ridiculous.😑

[deleted]
Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

To be so confident and wrong again… Between this and you intentionally pushing away facts when offered them I just cannot take any of your comments seriously anymore, ridiculous.😑

When I care for your opinion, I'll let you know.

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

When I care for your opinion, I'll let you know.

Our “opinions” are solely based on facts maz which you clearly struggle to comprehend.. If anyone’s opinion needs to be skipped here it’s yours. 🫵

Oct 14, 2024 - permalink

In short, no. Bodybuilding didn’t last long on ESPN, and that was male and female. In short, that would be a losing proposition. It would be hard to get sponsors for that type of program.

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