Arnold Classic champion Jose Raymond, 3x NPC Teen Nationals & 2015 NPC Mr. USA Cody Montgomery, and now... 2015 Arnold Classic 2nd runner-up Justin Compton are all at the top of their game, and all have been let go by a magazine that claims to be the premier bodybuilding publication in the industry. The firings and layoffs would make any rational human being wonder, just who the hell is running the ship over there? Clearly, anyone worth their salt on the Muscular Development staff would have been able to tell Boss Blechman that Jose Raymond is a huge draw and that Montgomery was destined for greatness. Had MD not let Montgomery go, they would currently have an exclusive contract with the youngest IFBB Pro bodybuilder in history.
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| Has MD just sacked next year's Arnold Classic champion? |
With regards to Compton, many fans believe he represents a true, future Mr. Olympia. Despite the fact that the term is thrown around the message boards all too often, many insiders find themselves agreeing with those in the peanut gallery. Hunches were confirmed after seeing Compton onstage at the Arnold Classic where he finished 3rd. I'm sure the powers that be at MD had big plans for their secret weapon at the Olympia. Compton had different plans though. The 3rd place finish lit a fire under him; he wanted to focus on the feedback from the judges and take some time off. His goals were to give his body a rest, spend some time with friends & family, and go to work on areas that needed improvement, particularly his posing. Let's not forget that posing is what kept Cutler from finishing the job in '01 (or Yates in '91). Nothing can be left to chance when deciding the two biggest shows in bodybuilding.
A pro athlete knows all too well what is required to be a champion. Sometimes the decisions may not be popular with fans, but a champion is able to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Sitting out the Olympia is not always a wise choice, but if it means winning the 2016 Arnold Classic, that has way more media buzz and credibility than say a guy who finishes 6th or 7th at the Olympia. Justin needed a rest and I’m sure he thought his magazine & supplement sponsor would support his decision. Sadly, just days ago, Shawn Ray penned the contrived farewell letter, stating that both Justin & MD benefited from the past relationship, and that everyone was happy in the end. That's a crock of shit. There's no way the athlete, the writer, or any employee could be happy about being deprived of a salary. Justin did his job; he brought his best package ever and took a great placing in a deep lineup. Still, he was dropped.
So who or what's to blame? Do we attribute the terminations of Raymond, Montgomery, & Compton to tough economic times? When I asked my good friend, Dave Palumbo, the RxMuscle & Species CEO had this to say on JC's termination: "Compton is one of the most promising young pro bodybuilders on the circuit. Losing his magazine contract with Muscular Development is a clear cut metaphor for the decline of print media as a whole in the bodybuilding industry." But I'm not convinced. If MD has the deep pockets to sign Dana Linn Bailey, how do they justify dropping a future ASC Champion and top level Olympian? Another question that I keep asking myself is why keep Victor Martinez, who's best days are arguably behind him, but drop a guy who's in the prime of his career? If it really is "just business"; I'm quite frankly at a loss for words.
Then again, keeping Victor might have had more to do with the efforts of Dave Palumbo & Joe Pietaro than anything else. Maybe if Compton had had these guys in his corner, leading up to the sacking, he may also still be getting a check. I don't even want to give it any more thought. Could you imagine holding onto your job just because your employer fears being outted by his media rivals? It doesn't exactly inspire a lot of job security, does it?
In terms of our fascination with MD, something needs to be said on the matter. I often have this very discussion with Ron Harris on Facebook. Ron is the staunchest defender of the magazine that I know. He'll ask me why don't I ever write about layoffs from Flex, MMI, or IronMan? Why is it that I (and the usual suspects) always have something to say when it's MD sending people to the soup line? The answer there rests in the number of fired employees that have gone public over the years. Whether their versions are true or not, there are stark similarities in their stories (from staff members & athletes alike). If enough people say the same thing it doesn't mean it’s true, but it sure does sound suspicious. Please, given all the firings, Blechman’s #whycutback war cry certainly does seem hypocritical!
As times change for the magazines, opportunities for writers, artists, and athletes are drying up. Exclusivity contracts require money, magazines are running low on funds, and rather than come up with different ways to do business, they've taken a note from Fortune 500 companies, cutting jobs and benefits on their work force. In the end, in some board room in the sky, a select few play ring-around-the-rosie with peoples' lives. They fire off a memo to their resident parakeet to put out a canned HR “Fuck-You-With-A-Smile” letter like Shawn Ray posted on the No Bull Forums and that's it. It used to be that the big magazines could sign a guy and take him off the market. If you were with MD you couldn't talk to Christian Duque writing his Muscle in the Morning stories or to Adam McVey taping his Gear'd Up podcast or to Dave Palumbo taping his Heavy Muscle Radio show. The moral of this story seems to have been prevalent during the signing of Dana Linn Bailey. In fact, Joe Pietaro hit the nail on the head when he said, "There should be absolutely no exclusivity contracts for bodybuilders by any media outlets!” 
Change isn't always good. I'm no forensic accountant, but I'd have a hard time believing that the online versions of the giant print magazines are making enough money to keep the ship afloat. While magazine sales are down and less and less retailers choose to have hardcore bodybuilding magazines on their shelves, the ad money that trickles in must still be quite lucrative. Although some publications opt for cheaper paper, keep unit prices high, and annoy readers with incessant advertisements that dominate the magazine they just spent $7 for, print media continues to bring in the green. The question is, how long will the gravy train keep running once the great articles & great athletes become less and less visible? What will they do? Have Ron & Peter write the magazine content cover to cover? Will every other photo be of Victor or DLB?
When asked about Compton, Joe Pietaro spoke candidly, "I suppose that it is merely another example of Steve Blechman finally coming to the realization that I did in 2014. But then he brags about signing Dana Linn Bailey to an exclusive contract (which is another story in itself with what that actually entails), sending mixed signals to the likes of the athletes that he 'cut back' on before (Jose Raymond and Evan Centopani being two of them).Inconsistencies like this do not exactly go over well with MD's readership, with fan favorites being shown the door while others are welcomed through it."
In the end, the readers will make the ultimate decision. Will they continue buying MD at the newsstand, subscribing, and/or even logging onto the website? Magazines should be appealing to the readers. If all the best writers and all the best athletes get the boot, why would anyone want anything to do with them?
The future of the magazines are in question, but in the end, the people will decide. Great writers won't be silenced, just like great athletes won't be forgotten. Jose Raymond will be an even bigger threat come the Olympia, Cody Montgomery will continue his ascent, and Justin Compton will do everything in his power to return next year to Columbus, OH with only one thing on his agenda - WIN THE ARNOLD CLASSIC!!
Justin's next appearance will be this Saturday, August 8th at Gene & Tina Goode's KY Open / KY State Championships in Frankfort, KY. Justin will be the special guest and will surely bring the house down. I've had the chance to talk to him before and I've seen him guest pose at other shows, and I have to tell you, this guy brings a ton of heart to each and every appearance. If you're in the area, get tickets and check out this world class event. For more information on the contest, log onto: http://www.kyopenbodybuilding.com/
