by Christian Duque
Marc Lobliner is one of the most recognizable fitness industry icons in the world. He has been making YouTube videos since YouTube wasn’t even in the conversation for most influencers. Even the term influencer is somewhat novel when you think about how long this individual has been hammering away putting out original content into the social media spheres of YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and others. He is not the typical troublemaker or clickbait aficionado, either. Rather, he is someone that tells it like it is. Whether it’s about mainstream politics, supplementation, or as it turns out in this case, industry happenings.
Bob Cicherillo, on the other hand, has created a tremendous amount of bad blood given the amount of things he’s said throughout the various platforms. He runs Voice Of Bodybuilding which he contends is one of the biggest podcasts in the sport. He is also allegedly the athletes rep, which is a role that he himself has admitted is more so honorary than anything else. It doesn’t really wield any influence, much less power, but he doesn’t miss an opportunity to mention it whenever he is trying to make a point. Some have accused him of using it to give him more relevant than he deserves. At the end of the day relevance and importance are all subjective concepts. Everyone that has access to a phone and an internet connection can put out content into social media. It’s a question of who listens, who reads and who follows. That really comes down to a variety of factors.
We cannot deny the fact that Bob is relevant in that he is an MC extraordinaire. He is somebody that has been doing MC work all throughout the industry, especially the Mr. Olympia, which happens to be the position that Marc wants to see him fired from. Because at the end of the day how can somebody who is emceeing an event have a grievance with one of the competitors? And it’s not even a grievance, Bob and Nick Walker are downright feuding all over Instagram and Youtube. Bob has said that he is the person who’s going to give Walker his eighth place trophy at what is known as a Super Bowl of Bodybuilding.
Now I’m not suggesting that Bob has any sway over the judges, but perception is huge. How can you have an MC at the biggest event in the sport flat out attacking one of the main competitors doing the contest? It’s a very bad look. In reality, it’s a black eye for the sport.
A lot of people think that bodybuilding is rigged. Many believe that politics play a great role in determining the placings and the scores. And while I’m not suggesting that that is the case, I’m just merely pointing out what a lot of people say throughout the message boards and the Facebook groups. It can be unsubstantiated and completely baseless, but the fact is it’s the word around town. Now when you have an individual that supposedly has the ear of the federation insofar as athlete relations talking about how an athlete can’t win a show or is going to get 8th place at a show – that’s terrible for the Integrity of the sport. It doesn’t look well for the judges and it doesn’t look well for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is the base of power for bodybuilding. It is the base of operations for the NPC, the amateur wing, and the IFBB Pro League, the pro wing. At the end of the day, even if the athlete’s rep doesn’t have any influence or power, it’s the perception that is troubling to many.
There have been growing concerns about Bob holding this position for quite some time. In fact, there have been calls for a while. These calls have gone back as much as 5 or 10 years. The reality of the matter is many believe that the athletes rep should be an active competitor, meaning somebody competes in at least one or two shows per year. Bob has not competed since 2006, when he won the Masters Pro World. Many competitors take issue with that because they feel that Bob does not understand what they go through today. They feel that his viewpoint is somewhat dated and many competitors do not trust him enough to confide in him what is going on with them personally and professionally. Many competitors choose to go to other veteran athletes who they believe may in fact do something about their issues. Whether those issues are related to prize money, membership fees, per diems, you name it. Many people believe that telling Bob is essentially talking into a dead phone. They don’t think that he is going to do anything with it and they don’t think that he is going to be able to facilitate any kind of change. I think a big part of this perception is the fact that he holds an honorary position. Honorary positions without any kind of pay are usually nothing more than a little bit of talk and not much action.
Maybe back in the day, some 20 years ago when Lee Priest, Shawn Ray, and Bob Chick were trying to stir the pot, maybe back then the athletes’ rep post might have held some influence over Pittsburgh, but even that is arguable. The only way the athletes would ever have had a voice would have been if they unionized and that is something that is just simply never been in the cards. So asking Bob to resign or asking the Federation to fire him is a moot point. It is an empty position with no influence and practically no power. Therefore calls for a new athletes rep have often fallen on deaf ears.
That being said, Marc Lobliner’s call to fire Bob as the MC of the Mr Olympia is a completely different request. Despite being somewhat of a long shot, considering that the Olympia belongs to Jake wood, it could in fact have some results. The Mr. Olympia is not just the biggest show in bodybuilding, but it’s also a business. Do they want an MC that is actively engaged in feuds with competitors? And not just any competitor, competitors that are responsible for being a main draw. Competitors that could potentially win the contest at one point in time? It’s not a good look for the Olympia as a venture and it’s also not a good look for the Federation that sanctions the event. And even if Bob were to walk-back his statements – once the toothpaste comes out of the tube, you can’t put it back in. The damage has been done. And this is not to suggest that Bob would ever walk back anything he’s ever said. But even if he did, it really wouldn’t have the desired effect. This is why Marc and others in the industry are calling for his immediate termination. As Marc said on his Instagram video, it isn’t just that Bob needs to be fired, but that Bob can’t come anywhere near the Olympia stage in 2025, or thereafter.
Now the interesting question is who in fact has the final say? Is it Jake Wood as the promoter and owner of the event? Or is it Pittsburgh as the base of power that sanctions it? If it’s the latter, I don’t think they would get rid of Bob. Again I’m not really sure why because he is not part of the power structure and never really has been. That being said he may have favor within the top brass. Maybe they look upon him kindly or maybe they recognize that he is a good fit and that he can entertain an audience and keep the show going without a hitch. That is definitely a valuable skill set for somebody in this very unique position. But at some point that unique skill set is no longer enough. I’m sure that he has been told in the past to shut up or maybe change the subject. I know for a fact that he has gotten in trouble for calling himself the voice of bodybuilding during tense situations that involve top talent.
On the flip side, I don’t think Jake would fire him because I don’t think Jake would appreciate the gravity of the feud between an MC and a top competitor. Jake may look at this as nothing more than entertainment, but in reality it hurts his event more than words can even begin to describe. Because it makes the event look like it is not as legitimate as it needs to be. Again this is not Mr Maple street. This is the most important contest in bodybuilding. This would be the equivalent of the Olympics in basketball or baseball. So when the mainstream media sees that a man who purports to be the voice of bodybuilding is essentially saying that a top competitor will not ever win the top title, it looks very shady.
In the end, what do you think should be done with Bob? Do you agree with Marc that he should be fired as Mr Olympia MC? Do you agree with many of the Insiders in the sport that believe he should be terminated as athletes rep? Even if the position itself is essentially a non-factor?
As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It is guaranteed to generate some lively conversation.
