The fitness industry has always had some puffery involved. There’s a number of ways to hype up competitors, contests, and supplements. A lot of times it’s just smoke. There are a number of products that are made with cheap ingredients but that come in fancy tubs and sleeves, with fancy labels, and big-ticket ad campaigns. There’s some competitors that use airbrushing, goon lighting, and/or fake weights. There are contests that play with audience numbers. Maybe they block off 70% of the seating areas to make the 30% they could sell out appear as if the contest was standing room only. There was such an overwhelming interest in the Mr. Maple Street that people flew from across the pond just to sit on folding chairs at the local high school auditorium… (Lol)
All of that is fine by me. Is it honest? No, not entirely, but it’s still a bodybuilding show, right? We’re still selling some kind of supplement, right? The bodybuilder may not be the next Mr. O, but he’s still a good bodybuilder, right?
Listen, I’m not trying to keep the next man or woman from making a living. I’m also not foreign or unsympathetic to the need for marketing. I totally understand wanting to stand out. But if everything you put out is based on a lie – that I don’t understand. I think operating this way is shameful. And we don’t see that so much with competitors promoting themselves for the stage because whenever they actually do step foot on it, that’s where the rubber meets the road.
The real issue with content based on lies comes into play with business. Fast-talking “motivational speakers” promoting get rich quick schemes and self-improvement at a huge cost, are the people that turn my stomach the most. Guys like The Liver King should be ashamed of themselves. I don’t care if these hacks are promoting raw meat diets, ostrich eggs, or eating one 1500 meal per day while bodybuilding, powerlifting, and holding onto tons of muscle mass – NATURALLY… are just so full of it!
Unfortunately, there’s no one to hold these fitness scammers accountable. The general way these con artists operate is, they’ll deceive and defraud their unsuspecting victims until the lies catch up to them. Many times they will employ in-house counsel to fire off cease and desist letters to silence critics. Because the single best defense to defamation is the truth, these letters aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. Nonetheless, a cease and desist letter is a cheap way to suppress whistleblowers.
For the more persistent critics, it may require buying them off (or settling). It’s sad, but true. Sometimes, people will sell-out for a few Benjamins, maybe more. If that doesn’t work, the scammer might actually use the terms of service (TOS) of the various social media platforms to silence dissent.
Although their critics are using their name and likeness under Fair Use (which is protected), the platforms scare easily and may side with the scammer if their lawyers reach out. The lawyers don’t have a case, but they have their little letters. Openly calling out one of these fraudsters-gone-viral can be risky business, but thankfully, there are courageous people who take these bums on. They shine the light at all costs. And as a result, they’re saving countless individuals from getting bamboozled out of their time, money, heart and soul.
Kudos to one page I recently discovered through Jonny Bravo of Jon Bravo Films which is BallerBusters! They do incredible work and should be commended for it. Be sure to follow them on Instagram, TikTok and all other platforms. You following them, liking their posts, and commenting on them will make sure the algorithm treats their page favorably. Because that’s yet another risk of this kind of work – the brave critics may see their platforms get shadowbanned or canceled. Again, major kudos Baller Busters and other pages like theirs for risking it all to get the truth out! That’s real journalism!
And for those of you out there who may think I’m being melodramatic by saying speaking of victims losing their heart and soul, I’m not. While it’s true there are folks who are looking for washboard abs for the pool or to get a little stronger on the bench, there are also people who are fighting for a second try at life. They may be pre-diabetic, working out after a stroke, or tired of living morbidly obese. Imagine them forking over thousands of dollars, wasting dozens of hours of their time, and facing seemingly insurmountable goals, just to find out it was all a con.
That person’s heart and soul is very much on the line, as well. These people are vulnerable enough as it is. They’ve been through a lot. Getting scammed on top of it all, may just be what puts them over the edge. It’s just so wrong, it’s so very wrong.
