by Christian Duque
So this text is a rewrite. I had a 3-page magnificence that was able to go about 4 or 5 days in the past and it was primarily based on the truth that I believed that Bob price Phil the 2025 Masters Olympia by the use of an interview that he did on Muscle Discord on September 4th, 2024. In that interview Bob completely trashed Phil, accused him of being anti-federation, and tore him down personally. He dropped a number of the largest names within the trade and he did so in an interview that was under no circumstances flattering to Clahar. That was my article then; nevertheless, a lot extra has occurred that I scrapped the earlier article and am scripting this one as a substitute. Though the Masters O seldom will get a re-evaluation, the 2025 might go down in historical past as considerably of a novelty for some, and a theft for others.
Now though Bob has already lengthy clarified the purpose that he’s in actual fact not the Athlete’s Rep and that the Athlete’s Rep is basically ceremonial, for that specific interview he wasn’t singing that tune. The truth is, one among his largest grievances with Phil was the truth that Phil didn’t use him as an middleman between himself and the federation. In any case, that was the fiction that was bought to us for nicely over 20 years. And that’s that Bob was the voice between the troubled lots and the powers that be in Pittsburgh. It was as if he had a seat on the huge desk and as if the bigwigs consulted with him previous to implementing new guidelines and coverage. I can guarantee you that nobody in Pittsburgh consults with Bob earlier than implementing any adjustments. It simply doesn’t occur and the concept that it will, is laughable.
Even nonetheless, Cicherillo went out of his solution to pull the wool over the eyes of the bodybuilding group. Bob takes credit score for the introduction of recent divisions, he takes credit score for getting the athletes medical health insurance, and he even takes credit score for getting Lee Priest’s professional card reinstated. I consider if Chick had a solution to do it, he would take credit score for inventing the web, however I feel Al Gore beat him to it. So since Phil didn’t undergo Bob and as a substitute selected to make his case on his personal social media platforms and by happening podcasts, apparently that earned him Cicherillo’s disdain. Because of that, it will appear that 10 months later Phil getting screwed out of the most important title of his profession, would increase just a few crimson flags.
Once more I simply wish to make the case that whereas it has occurred earlier than that bodybuilders win the prejudging and lose the competition, none of these situations have ever been ones that don’t increase an eyebrow. Each instance the place this occurs has led to a variety of turmoil throughout the followers and a variety of division throughout the media. The instance of Bev Francis, was one which created a variety of friction within the sport. The choice to let Lee Haney defeat Lee Labrada in 1990 was fairly weird, to say the least. The choice to offer it to Ronnie Coleman in 2001 regardless of the actual fact Jay Cutler had defeated him within the prejudging created a variety of turmoil. And so does this determination on the Masters Olympia. Whereas it’s true that the Masters Olympia was not a contest that was talked about a lot, this uncommon determination has created a tsunami of curiosity by followers, media personalities, and commentators alike. It simply by no means occurs. And never by this variety of factors, both.
So what might clarify this? What might clarify Phil successful the prejudging however then allegedly falling aside within the finals. After which taking 2nd place? Somebody who falls aside, will get 2nd place, third place? How does one who has fallen aside also have a case for being within the Prime 5 of any contest? Once you begin asking your self these questions, most of you’ll begin drawing blanks. THAT is the place we’re at.
Now Phil’s competitors included the man that will go on to win the title, Dorian Haywood, and a few different guys that had been in unimaginable situation. The highest 4 deserved to be within the Prime 4. I’m not taking something away from them. However I believed it was fairly clear who received the competition. I believed the prejudging was the a part of the present the place the winner was determined. It has usually been stated that the finals are for the followers. That’s the place you’ve got the person posing routines and the extremely entertaining pose down. It is also the place they crown the Finest Poser, Most Improved, and Most Muscular. Generally, they use the finals to crown a Folks’s Champion.
However by the point the finals come across the judges have already just about determined who received the competition. Now I perceive the nuances of the game and the powers that be desirous to create a affirmation spherical however that’s hogwash. A affirmation spherical? We’re speaking about judges who choose the Olympia, we’re speaking about judges that see hundreds if not tens of hundreds of physiques stroll throughout them each 12 months. In the event that they had been take a look at judges or native judges I might perceive a affirmation spherical, however once you’re coping with the very best judges on the earth, do we actually must have them verify their opinion from the prejudging? I imply, I perceive what the coverage says however I additionally perceive the best way the actual world works. If you happen to dominate the prejudging in a bodybuilding present, you win the present. If you happen to’re first name outs, and also you’re useless heart for all the prejudging, until there’s an act of god, you’re going to win the bodybuilding present. So when followers begin asking questions, when rivals begin asking questions, it isn’t essentially all that unreasonable.
The very fact is Phil didn’t dominate Dorian and Dorian didn’t dominate Phil. Neither man was leagues forward of the opposite; nevertheless, they each deserved to be within the prime two in my view. The third and fourth place finishers might have received the entire present if it was a present primarily based solely on situation. I’m not the one one which has stated this and I’m not the final that’s going to say it, both. These guys had been dialed in they usually did their homework. They had been TOTALLY dialed in, however bodybuilding isn’t just about situation. It’s about muscularity, symmetry, and posing. All in all, I actually do consider that Dorian and Phil had been To 2 – all day. I’m not going to say that Phil was robbed due to the truth that Dorian didn’t look pretty much as good. However I’ll say that Phil was robbed as a result of he received the prejudging and he misplaced the finals in a really odd form of approach.
Now usually if we had been coping with a deadheat and the judges wanted some additional rounds of posing or to see the mandatories once more, we might increase a crimson flag on the reality they picked the improper man for no matter cause. However that’s not what occurred right here.
These guys weren’t in a stalemate – not less than the scorecards didn’t mirror that. Phil clearly received – practically by double digits – within the prejudging. And anyone that noticed Phil on the finals might inform that he was in nice form and was not a lot completely different than he was within the prejudging. So given the truth that Dorian needed to make up for a deficit within the prejudging after which all of a sudden wins the finals, that’s mathematically very troublesome to realize. And that’s the place individuals, like myself and others, begin to search for different clues, different potentialities that might have resulted in stated end result. We don’t know something concrete. What we all know is a few historical past, some conjecture, and we throw in a few of our instinct into the combination. It’s in no way an hermetic case. However a variety of instances there’s one thing to it.
When you’ve got coated the game of bodybuilding for over 20 years, you begin to develop a reasonably good sense of who performed it and what occurred. And thoughts you, 20 years is a drop within the bucket. Me overlaying the game for 20 years is nothing to brag about. There are individuals on this sport like Ron Harris, for instance, or the late nice Peter McGough, or the late nice Joe Weider, who spent their complete lives writing about bodybuilding, overlaying bodybuilding reveals, doing interviews and actually studying concerning the intricacies of the game. 20 years is nothing. I don’t ever brag about doing this for 20 years as a result of 20 years is nothing, however I can let you know that in 20 years I’ve developed sufficient insights to form some fairly rattling near-decent views. what Bob did to Phil on that September 4th, 2024 interview at Muscle Discord paints a sure image some might not wish to have a look at. That stated, if a tree falls within the woods, it makes a noise, even when nobody’s round to listen to it.
What Bob did to Phil is inexcusable. What’s additionally inexcusable is the video that Bob did with “Sugar” Shawn Ray lashing out at Ron Harris. Bob accused Ron of agreeing with every thing Matt Tsinkorang and Phil Clahar needed to say on the 2025 Masters Olympia on Muscle Discord. That by no means occurred. Ron listened attentively, didn’t interrupt, and provided restricted dialogue. In hindsight, I can see the place possibly he was uncomfortable being there, but when that was the case, he shouldn’t have performed the podcast. Both approach, what Bob and Shawn did was mischaracterize Ron and all however lie about what he stated. Then Cicherillo accused Ron of “not having any nuts.” Finally, Bob and Shawn’s video brought about Ron to tug away from Muscle Discord. Whereas I agree that Ron ought to deal with doing his personal content material and needs to be extra assertive with regards to sharing his opinion, I felt that his “No Extra Mr. Good Man” video pandered to Bob’s intimidation techniques and can greater than doubtless embolden Bob to do this method when coping with different critics – perceived or precise. Will he go after Muscle Discord, subsequent? Possibly StrengthAddicts? Possibly IronMag?
You NEVER give into bullies. That solely makes issues worse.
In any occasion, I don’t know why Phil took second on the Masters Olympia. I feel that Dorian will probably be an excellent champion. Nonetheless, nobody has been capable of clarify to me how the discrepancy in factors was made up. Phil appeared phenomenal for the prejudging and he appeared phenomenal for the finals. But he acquired second. Solely time will inform, however I’ve a sense we’ll by no means know. The identical approach we by no means knew about 1980, ‘81, ‘90, 2001.
Do you agree with the placings and the scoring on the 2025 Masters Olympia? Do you assume Bob is finished bullying those that disagree with him? As at all times, I sit up for studying your suggestions within the feedback. Please remember to copy and paste a hyperlink to this text on all of your social media feeds. It’s sure to generate some energetic dialog.