We Need A Commissioner To Clean Up Body Building

Says Leo Stern

The present state of affairs in our Sport, the open partiality, the politics, the complete disregard of AAU rules can do one thing only . . . WRECK BODYBUILDING. Right NOW we must clean up the Game and make it possible for EVERY AMATEUR ATHLETE to get a fair and square deal.

I HAVE recently arrived at a conclusion after long and serious thought. Bodybuilding needs a Commissioner in complete control of the Sport, a man answerable only to the highest officials of the Amateur Athletic Union.

The question now is, "Why do we need such a Commissioner?" We'll place that question before the parties most interested, YOU the readers of this magazine who happen to be registered amateur athletes and let you decide, because you are the only ones who can do anything to change the poor state of affairs in Bodybuilding.

Those of us who have been active as officials and competitors, and who also have the best interest of the Game at heart, have seen some strange and unusual occurrences during the past few years. I speak for myself now, because I realise that mine is a small voice in this appeal to help straighten out Bodybuilding. All I can do here is to pass the facts along so that you can first judge, then decide what should be done.

I am no crusader I am simply a man who believes in fair play for all. I have no axes to grind, no barbells or courses to sell, no athletes to sponsor as my pupils. All I want to see is a Commissioner who will enforce the rules of the AAU as they apply to Bodybuilding all over the nation , and require every registered amateur athlete and AAU official to obey them regardless of affiliations. In other words the AAU rules should be obeyed by all and are not meant to be ignored with impunity by a favored few.

What has been happening from 1946 on, has almost tempted me to give up all support and sponsorship of shows, When you witness injustice, you can either ignore it or protest. I choose to protest. For years I have spoken freely when such injustice has occurred I have done so not only when members of my own gym were involved but when others were involved too. They were all registered amateur athletes and I an AAU official trying to observe AAU laws.

Over the years I have personally witnessed total mismanagement of contests and complete disregard of AAU rules. I have protested these infractions when they took place, only to have my protests brushed off. But I have kept up these protests.

I ask you these questions now. "How is it possible for any amateur athlete to run or manage a gymnasium, be paid for bodybuilding instruction, appear in professional shows, have his picture appear in ads, act as editor of a bodybuilding and lifting magazine, write a book on weightlifting for financial gain and still retain his amateur status?

These among other things have actually occurred and indicate that not only is efficient organization lacking in some phases of our sport, but that some people have been able to break rules continually. Why is it that some men have had their amateur status revoked (and rightly) for violations of the rules, while others carry on lifting and appearing as amateur athletes, despite the fact that they are guilty of those same violations? Is there any AAU official who can give me an answer?

Let's dig a little more deeply into the subject. Analyze the problem and we find we are as much to blame as anyone for sitting back and allowing these things to happen. We let certain individuals dictate the course of events to a point where they begin to think it is their special privilege to do so. While this is a human reaction, it is wrong and unfair.

No one should be allowed to dictate in our sport, nor should politics be allowed to play any part. Nevertheless, men have dictated and politics have entered into the picture. So we either have to have a set of rules for all, or throw the rule book away and let Jungle Law prevail. Let me confess that I am not up-to-date on the AAU rules. I have seen them changed so many times recently, that I am sure the AAU Rule book bas been rewritten at least half a dozen times during the past year.

Let's take up the question of amateurism and professionalism. Where is the line drawn? When I competed as an amateur, I had to sign a form swearing I was such and stating I had not received any trophy valued over $35.00, nor had I received more than a certain sum a day for expenses. In short I could not make a living at my sport nor anything connected with it.

I obeyed the rules and protected my amateur status. My last contest was in 1946 prior to opening my, gym in San Diego. The event was the Mr. America contest of that year. My trip was paid for by friends and family, and I resigned myself to the fact that this was my last amateur contest. Henceforth I would appear as a professional.

Recently I contacted the head of the AAU in Los Angeles questioning him about certain men in his area who were competing as amateurs, when it was a known fact that they either ran gyms for others or worked as instructors in gyms. I also mentioned the names of others in various parts of the country who were doing the same things, and said that if this was allowed I'd like to apply for an AAU card and start competing again. The reply was to the effect that all the men mentioned bad signed statements saying they had not coached anyone for lifting or physique contests, and were therefore amateurs.

Here are examples of top lifters and bodybuilders able to act as gym instructors, or run gymnasiums as a means of earning a living yet still remain amateurs. Why?

I again had reason to contact Dave Matlin concerning the movie "Athena". Mr. Matlin informed me that anyone appearing in the movie, displaying his torso or entire physique would be classified as a professional. Abiding by Mr. Matlin's ruling, Bill Pearl remained out of the movie to protect his amateur status. He had been accepted as one of the men to take part, but we felt it was not worth jeopardizing his amateurism.

The movie was produced and all the men in it received special permission to take part and remain amateurs. Why? Then we had the Mae West show, in that show both amateur and professional bodybuilders appealed together, and the amateurs did not lose their status. Can any AAU official tell me why?

My view is that these amateurs were taking part in a professional act, wearing only trunks and sandals, and thus exhibiting their physiques. One man even received top billing, and used a title he had just won in advertising matter connected with the show. The AAU rules state that no amateur athlete must let his name be used in any advertisement. All the men taking part in this Mae West show earned a good salary, received more than the AAU rules allow with regard to expenses, appeared right along side professional performers and still retained their amateur status. Can any AAU official tell me why?

I used to run an annual Strength and Variety show, AAU officials informed me there had to be a definite break, an intermission of at least 3 minutes between amateur and professional acts, in order to protect the status of the amateurs. Now it appears you can appear in a professional act with professional performers, be paid for doing so and still be classified as an amateur athlete. Can any AAU official tell me why?

Just recently, two members of the Mae West show took part in the Amateur Mr. Universe contest. I'd like to know how they obtained their amateur cards, if they received an official travel permit, and why they were allowed to compete with amateurs? Is this fair to athletes who follow the rules? Is this fair to athletes who use the sport as a means of physical improvement, and, not as their means of earning a living? I earn my livelihood as a gym owner and accept my classification as justified. And I say that any man who uses his physique and his bodybuilding and lifting knowledge to earn a living is a professional too and if he isn't, then I'd like any AAU official to tell me why he isn't!

Let's deal with some more unfair situations in Bodybuilding. We have a Rule Book said to be the final authority in any dispute. Yet rules are made on the spot to suit some officials whims. Recently certain physique contestants were required to total 3 times bodyweight on the 3 Olympic Lifts before they were aIlowed to compete. What would happen if lifters were required to have arms measuring 17 inches before they were allowed to lift? Are we running development contests or strength contests? Why do we discriminate against athletes who are not in the slightest way interested in the Olympic Lifts or their practice? Here are men entitled to appear in any contest once their applications are in and accepted, by virtue of the fact that they hold AAU cards. Yet this right, in defiance of the AAU National rules, was denied them. Can any official tell me why?

Take this incident as another example of unfairness. Kimon Voyages took part in the 1946 Mr. America contest in Detroit. The lights went out on him completely when it was his turn to pose. By every moral and sporting right he should have been allowed to appear again, but permission was refused . The excuse was that time was limited. Here was a man, who had come all the way from New York City to Detroit, paying his own expenses, and through no fault of his own prevented from displaying his physique for contest purposes. This happened almost ten years ago. Have we made any progress since then?

Let me ask AAU officials this question. "How is it possible for an athlete to live in, say, New York City, Florida, or California and represent an organization in a different state? Let's take up this question of representation more thoroughly. The AAU rules state that if a man leaves his club and joins another, he must compete unattached for the period of one year.

In the 1954 Mr. America contest, Ludwig Shusterich represented my gym according to the official program. I sent his entry in listing him as unattached because he had lost his AAU card and had to apply for another. However he was entered from my district. I was taken aside, questioned at length, and told that since Shusterich was from the East, he had to represent the district he was registered in, in that area. Yet a top lifter competing in the Nationals, living on the Coast for 2 years, representing a local gym all that time suddenly appears as the representative of an organization in the East. Can any AAU official tell me why?

This did not make sense to me then and it still doesn't. That is why on returning from the 1954 Senior Nationals I resigned as AAU Weightlifting Commissioner for the San Diego area and dropped my membership in the AAU.

The Rules and the way they are fractured are unfortunately not the only things that can be criticized. Let's get onto the subject of Sportsmanship. At the 1953 Junior Mr. America Contest, one of the entrants failed to place as high as he thought he should. After receiving his trophy, he smashed it against the wall. One month later he placed second in a big contest and his friends spent a lot of time talking him out of another childish and ill-tempered display. It has always been my thought that men compete for the joy of competing, to find out through the judges how they rate alongside other men. So deal with all such displays by suspending the responsible individual for 1 year. After all, if a man is a sportsman as defined in the dictionary, let this definition be enforced as a disciplinary measure for the good of the sport.

So far I've cited a few incidents and made a few suggestions. Neither time nor space permit a thorough examination of all Bodybuilding Problems. But one sentence can solve them all. "Let's organize and have a program based on the ideal of fairness to everyone." If you are fair to all there's little cause for criticism and little error in interpreting the rules. We've heard a lot of talk about the Golden Rule. Let's see it in action for a change.

Every man has a conscience. Let his conscience guide him in playing the game fair. Let each official so conduct himself at meets that he can look any competitor in the eyes, and be secure in the knowledge that he's rendered a decision without fear or favor, and fairly.

Let the contest results be made known to all, as each judge has given his decision. Let each judge sign his name to his score sheet. Let those sheets be seen on demand by all who so desire. Then, if an official has judged fairly he isn't afraid to have his decision made known.

Every competitor is just as important to the AAU as the highest official, and equal in the sight of the AAU laws no matter what his name, reputation and affiliation. The newest member should have the same rights and protection of those rights as the oldest or most famous member. But as we have seen, there is no guarantee of these privileges or rights. And that is why I say that Bodybuilding needs a Commissioner, a man who can guide the Game and its members and work through the highest officials of the AAU. So long as AAU rules clearly cover the definition of Amateurism, and so long as those rules guide the conduct of athletes and officials and meets, then any high AAU officer can help a Special Commissioner run bodybuilding.

The present state of affairs in our sport, the open partiality for certain bodybuilders and lifters, the dirty politics, the total disregard of AAU rules in some quarters can do but one thing, completely wreck bodybuilding and destroy what little progress the Sport has made since it was first accepted by the AAU.

Right now we need a man who is not afraid to hew to the line and let the chips fall where they may. We need an honest and fair minded man as Bodybuilding Commissioner, who can help Clarence Johnson, Weightlifting Chairman, do a greater job than the great job he has been doing and clean up our sport, making it possible for every bodybuilder and lifter to get a fair ana square deal.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- Some Physique contest judges are good . . . very good. But there are others, and it's against these that all Bodybuilding Contestants have to be proected, because they're entitled to a fair and square deal. Read what the author has to say in this important article.

- Is the status of the genuine amateur protected, his full rights preserved ? The author has definite opinions.