Powerlifting and $$$

Years ago, one of the first message boards I ever stumbled across was Jason Burnell's Deepsquatter Forums. Jason Burnell has a way with words that you don't often find in the powerlifting community. I don't remember exactly when and where he wrote this, but here's his take on bringing money to the sport of powerlifting:

If powerlifters want to see the top "athletes" get paid and over the years I've heard a whole lot of APFers praise the PRO CONCEPT, then you have to face facts.

Fact 1) - the money has to come from somewhere. Right now, if Kidder dropped dead from a high blood pressure - possibly induced by that tiny ass jacket - the money for the WPO would stop and aside from the CUP there would be no constant $$$ flowing into the Pro Concept... unless you count the handfull of bench bashes etc.


Fact 2) Money for anything with weights comes from supplement companies - fitness, bodybuilding etc. and if we want to see powerliftiers getting paid then we need to jump on that "selling a dream" bandwagon ....unless someone can tell me of the other multi-million dollar industry willing to pay people money to lift weights.


Fact 3) Fat and bald is no way to go through life. Add in a few tattoos and some flames and skulls and you've got what "normal" people call an image problem.

Fact 4) Miss 70% of your lifts in front of crowds and you just look stupid - on top of fat, bald tatooed etc.

Fact 5) NOBODY buys fatburners or even weight gainer to look like anyone that is a SHWt powerlifter. I think I touched on this when I mentioned that Twinlabs isn't selling Fat****erFuel.

Fact 6) The world is full of 160 lb men who desperately want to get stronger and dream of weighing a massive 198 lbs. Those are the guys buying supplements and not a one of them wants to look like.... well anyone who is taking offense at this post.

Fact 7) Backne. Bloated. Balding. The three B's are a no-no. ACtually, Bald is still in but you actually have to have features to your face. If you look like a red eyed casaba melon chances are they're not laughing with you, they're laughing at you.

Fact 8) This is still America and sexy, blonde, white, in shape people can sell anything. Also, mentioning that something has been "used in Europe for years" helps but I digress.

Kennelly would sell. Yoked - square jaw, benches a lot.

Mendelson could sell. Same as above except bigger and looks sort of like Shrek (I mean that in a good way) but gets a dispensation for benching a whole lot.

Wade Hooper could sell. _A whole generation of short, small guys would sell their kidneys to be built like or lift like Hoop and if DwarfyFuel promises to do it, they'll buy it.

Goggins could sell. Ok... Goggins is a colored feller but yolked up brothers everywhere would buy man-in-a-can after watching Goggins pull.

Coan could sell. He couldn't sell tanning lotion but just short guys everywhere want to be 242 and lift like him.

Conyers. See Goggins but add in short.

Becca. I saw here in person once and I wanted to be as big as she is. Then she outlifted me. Now I hate her. LOL

Kara Bohegian. A drowning man would buy water if it came with Kara's DVD.