Written by Lee Haney
10 February 2015

15NN013-HaneySports

Lee Haney on Sportsmanship

The Eight-Time Mr. Olympia Speaks Out!

 

As we approach the start of the 2015 IFBB Pro season I really feel the need to address the subject of sportsmanship. At last September’s Mr. Olympia we witnessed episodes of bad sportsmanship at the press conference and during the contest itself.

     In my day, we also had rivalries with each other, of course. It’s not a team sport, and only one man was going to be awarded first place at the end of the night. But we still had a brotherly love and mutual respect for each other. You never saw us trash talking each other or worse, pushing and shoving each other onstage! That’s just not cool, and I don’t feel it makes our sport any more “exciting.” It just looks unprofessional. Each athlete prepares to the best of his ability, and then takes the stage and displays the finished product of all those weeks and months of dieting as well as he can (presentation is a critical component). Beyond that, the decisions are entirely up to the judging panel. Being rude or aggressive toward a fellow competitor isn’t going to make your physique any better than his.

     I can honestly say I never had that type of animosity toward my comrades in iron, even when they beat me. In the photo accompanying this feature, you see me lifting up Mohamed Makkawy after he was announced the winner at the 1983 English Grand Prix; one of five times he placed above me that year, in my rookie year as a pro. I didn’t hate him for beating me! He brought out the best in me and made me improve. As a result, nobody ever beat me again after that season.

     And Mohamed never held any grudge toward me either. In fact, I caught up with him in Canada a few years ago, and it was just like old times. We talked about the old days, our families, our businesses, and how the sport was so good to us and gave us those opportunities that we seized once our days on the stage came to an end. You see, that’s what it’s all about. As athletes, we are only going to be competitors for so long. It’s what we do in that time, and how we carry and present ourselves, that will have an impact on our lives and careers after we retire. You never want to do any type of damage to your image or reputation, because then you have to work a hundred times better on damage control— which is rarely 100 percent effective anyway. You need to be positive and carry yourself with dignity, because people will remember those moments when you don’t.

STORMING OFFSTAGE

Case in point. I am granted the opportunity to attend many NPC events to promote my training certification and my nutritional products, and speak with many of the competitors at their athlete meetings to wish them well. At one of those contests, a young man was deeply upset with the placing he was awarded, and immediately stormed off stage in a rage before the awards were even finished. It was very uncomfortable for all who were there. NPC judges, promoters and state chairmen are all people with feelings and opinions. You can bet they will never forget that man’s embarrassing display of negative emotion and immaturity. Your physique is only part of who you are as a bodybuilder. Your actions and demeanor factor in as well. It’s not so different from professional leagues like the NFL or the NBA. The actions of the players off the field matter, and they are disciplined, fined or even released from their teams in some cases when offenses are serious.

     As a pro bodybuilder, competing is just a small part of your income. Most earn more from sponsorships and appearances. Sponsors will definitely think twice about having anybody represent their company who has a bad image, and you can be sure promoters won’t want to bring them out to their events in the USA or abroad. You need to market yourself and project positivity. That’s what Tom Platz did. He never won the Mr. Olympia, or a single pro show for that matter, but the fans of his era couldn’t get enough of him. Tom did more appearances around the USA and Europe than anyone else he competed with, bar none. Yes, he had those tremendous legs, but it was more his personality, passion for what he did, and his sincerity that made him in such high demand.

     So my best advice to all the competitors out there is to carry yourselves as professionals on and off the stage, and especially not to overreact when you don’t win. Respect the judges, your fellow athletes and yourself. Take that experience and use it as motivation. Figure out what you need to work on to make sure you come out on top next time, and then get to work!

     Would you like to train with eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney? Lee offers both online and personal training for out-of-town guests. Visit www.leehaney.com for a complete list of services!

     For details on Lee’s Personal Training Certification Program (IAFS) click on, http://iafscertification.com

 

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