Ali Bilal Exposes Why He’ll NEVER Compete at the Arnold Classic Again | Prize Money Solution

Episode Overview

• The hosts discuss the mindset of successful entrepreneurs, highlighting how the fear of failure and the responsibility to provide for family serve as powerful, constant motivators.
• The conversation delves into the financial and cultural dynamics of the Men's Physique division, exploring its global popularity and its role as a major revenue driver for bodybuilding competitions.
• A central focus is the significant disparity between the division's high participation rates and the disproportionately low prize money awarded to its athletes.
• The episode examines a specific instance of perceived disrespect at the Arnold Classic, where champion Ali Bilal felt sidelined in favor of a social media influencer, leading to his decision to boycott the event in the future.

Key Concepts

• Entrepreneurial Mindset: The "fear of it all going away" is a primary driver for entrepreneurs and successful athletes, pushing them to maintain their work ethic and never become complacent.
• Bodybuilding as a Platform: A successful career in the sport can provide the financial foundation and platform for other business ventures and long-term stability.
• Men's Physique Division Dynamics: The division is the most popular in terms of competitor numbers at many shows, making it a financial backbone for the NPC/IFBB. Its appeal is global, partially due to cultural and religious modesty standards that favor board shorts over posing trunks.
• Financial Disparity in Prize Money: Despite its popularity and revenue generation, the Men's Physique division receives significantly less prize money compared to others, particularly Open Bodybuilding.
• The Reality of Athlete Winnings: Prize money is often substantially reduced by taxes, international currency conversion rates, and other fees, making the actual take-home pay much lower than the advertised amount.
• Athlete Grievances with Promoters: The discussion highlights a specific issue with the Arnold Classic event organizers for a perceived pattern of disrespect, distinguishing this from a problem with the IFBB federation itself, which is seen as providing a valuable platform.
• The Press Conference Incident: A professional champion (Ali Bilal) was given minimal attention and dismissed from a press conference, while an amateur winner and popular influencer (Sam Sulek) was brought on stage and given extensive time, highlighting a conflict between professional achievement and social media popularity.

Quotes

• At 1:13 - "Bodybuilding has given me the platform to kind of to kind of make the money that I make today." - Erin Banks reflects on how his career has enabled his financial success.
• At 1:59 - "Yeah, every day." - Erin Banks's immediate response to whether he fears losing his success as an entrepreneur.
• At 2:13 - "It gives me a sense of motivation to never quit and then to always think about, well, sht, if this sht left today, like, what what are my kids gonna do?" - Erin Banks elaborates on how the fear of failure and his responsibility to his children drive him.
• At 20:48 - "Not everybody want to see someone's ass, you know? Not everybody is a fan of that." - Ali Bilal explains that Men's Physique appeals to a global audience with diverse cultural and religious values.
• At 21:27 - "I think bodybuilding should always be the top, right? Because we would have never been there if bodybuilding was not there." - Ali Bilal clarifies that his critique of prize money is not an attack on the foundational Open Bodybuilding division.
• At 27:07 - "You have arguably the most popular division by people that are competing, they're getting the least amount of money." - A host makes the central point that the division with the highest participation numbers receives disproportionately low prize money.
• At 31:12 - "They took tax off... conversion rate, all these things. So I'm left with 14,700 something, okay? From the 25,000." - Ali Bilal gives a specific example of how his $25,000 prize from the Arnold Classic UK was significantly reduced.
• At 45:57 - "Why don't you bring us all the way to Ohio and then disrespect us? It's like you get invited to a wedding and then at the end of the day they tell you, why did you came?" - Ali Bilal uses a powerful analogy to describe being invited to compete at the Arnold Classic only to be treated poorly.
• At 47:12 - "I felt uninvited. That's how I felt." - Ali Bilal succinctly describes his feeling during the post-Arnold Classic press conference.
• At 47:44 - "I'm the guy, you know, who walked from Afghanistan. I'm the guy who walked 10,000 kilometers, started his life from nothing... but they didn't even ask me that." - Ali Bilal expresses frustration that his unique and motivational backstory was ignored at the press conference.
• At 49:42 - "Why would you replace him with me and ask him 500 questions just because he have more fan following?" - Ali Bilal questions the decision to give extensive stage time to influencer Sam Sulek over himself, the professional champion.
• At 51:51 - "No, no, no. Never. I'm a man of my word, man. I'm not gonna go there." - Ali Bilal gives a definitive "no" when asked if he would compete at the Arnold Classic again, even with an apology.

Takeaways

• Use the fear of failure as a productive tool; channel it into a relentless work ethic and a motivation to continuously achieve more, especially when linked to providing for loved ones.
• Leverage success in one domain to create opportunities in others; view your primary career as a platform for building broader, long-term financial security.
• Athletes must be prepared for the financial reality that advertised prize money is not what they will take home, and should budget for significant deductions from taxes and fees.
• When voicing grievances, directing criticism at the specific source (e.g., an event promoter) rather than an entire governing body (e.g., the federation) can be a more effective strategy.
• Standing on principle, even at a potential financial or career cost, is a powerful statement that can command respect and draw attention to systemic issues.
• The value of respect and professional recognition can be just as important as monetary compensation for athletes, and a lack thereof can be a deal-breaker.
• In the modern sports landscape, be aware that social media influence can sometimes be prioritized over competitive achievement by event organizers, creating a new dynamic for professional athletes to navigate.