It’s apparently official – Ed & Betty Pariso have ditched the NPC. The couple have promoted a number of contests for the National Physique Committee, the amateur division of the IFBB Pro League, and seen thousands of competitors cross their stages. The powerhouse couple has also promoted professional events and have forged countless relationships in and out of the fitness industry. When it comes to Texas – Ed & Betty Pariso are major players.
But what about the break from the NPC?
The wording of the press release suggests that the break may not have been amicable. One can only imagine how Pittsburgh, the power hub of the Pro League, has reacted. One particular zone chairman who has been used as of the last five years to represent the powers-that-be has far expanded his reach , moving into places like Indiana, Illinois, the Carolinas, Florida and now (maybe) Texas. Will he be used to TRY to fill the void left by Ed & Betty?
As the NPC and IFBB Pro League split more zones into districts (smaller areas) and opt to have less and less state chairs, the Pariso’s departure may also have had to do with being pushed out. A certain Ohio-based natural NPC promoter often complained about the zone chairman in question putting smaller, less producing shows he promoted around his blockbuster productions. Essentially, the effect of the smaller contests was to dilute the reach of the bigger, more successful event. And what’s a promoter going to do? Complain about a zone chair to the federation? Yeah, right. Maybe the Pariso’s choice to leave the NPC was purely a business move. Perhaps there was more to it.
In any event, the NPC has taken a beating from the mainstream media over the last couple of years. This is why promoters like Brent Jones and Rich Siegelman broke away. Brent had two wildly successful shows in Kentucky and Siegelman had three in Baltimore. Jones was able to get bodybuilding on the prestigious Kentucky Derby roster (all on his own) and built the KentuckyMuscle brand all from his own hard work. Jones couldn’t risk any negative press and left. Siegelman, a retired police officer and sought-after actor, also felt it necessary to make the break for similar reasons. The wording of the Pariso’s press release seems very much in line with the departure remarks of Jones, Siegelman, and Tim Estell of Virginia.
There is also growing talk of the release of the much anticipated Ron Howard documentary on the NPC and IFBB Pro League. Since The Washington Post went silent (no more headline stories) and other news programs, like Inside Edition stopped covering the NPC, many believed the storm was over. That being said, should this documentary ever come out, it might deliver the hardest blow yet. Perhaps, the Pariso’s wanted to get out before this film was released. Texas is a very conservative state and sponsors/vendors may run for the door if this film does what many think it will.
Again, there’s a lot we don’t know. One thing that I do think is safe to say, it’s that Ed & Betty Pariso probably have been planning this for a while. I would imagine they have sponsors lined up, venues secured, and (more than likely) a pool of would-be competitors to pull from. While promoters like Brent Jones, Rich Siegelman, and Tim Estell found it very difficult to get athlete sign-ups (more than likely due to a certain federation’s handy work), I suspect Ed & Betty Pariso have a strong Plan B to get bodies on the stage and shows off the ground. I’m sure these two have quite a plan ready to go.
Will Ed & Betty Pariso reach out to former NPC promoters like Brent Jones, Rich Siegelman, and others? Only time will tell. But to date, the NPC has seen some of it’s most successful contest promoters walk out, and despite being shunned by 95% of their former “lifelong friends,” none of these promoters have broken down and/or tried to come back.
Let’s see what happens.
