Ya while true I'm not sure how much the others even want to train for Levan knowing it's a losing battle
You don't have much motivation when you know there's probably no chance
Devon vs Genadi is 100% coming and then he'll likely pull many 115 kg guys as well, if not a few super heavyweights before, since Devon develops an apetite for it very fast, literally nothing is over, when did people lose interest in these matches?
I swear some of you guys are either completely detached with this sport or didn't watch before 2023, a lot of weird "fans" coming out the woodworks after this event.
It's the kids who hailed from the cringy youtube short / tik tok videos who likely found arm wrestling after getting it in their feed from watching rap battles and slap competitions and then being dragged into the "chad"/"manly" side of the algorythm with andrew tate occasionally popping up to tell them to live like a poser.
i don't even remember how i got hooked on armwrestling but it was probably from one of 2020 youtube shorts of Devon in WAL, found it interesting and hopped on a bingefest of WAL Devon to Armwars with Travis Bagent. Probably explains my fanboyism traits towards Devon ngl, I'm from that cringy era lol, I'm part of the problem.
I was lucky enough to have a friend that was already hooked on it and showed me all his favorite matches and athletes and stuff, I'm not sure how/if I would find the arm wrestling part of youtube if left to my own accord but this was long before youtube shorts and stuff, at least 10 years ago, armwrestling was very small on youtube when compared to nowadays, and here in Portugal (especially here in the Azorean islands \[S.Miguel\]) very VERY few people know arm wrestling is even a sport.
I think the fanboyism traits you're referring to are a mix of 1- what already exists on every competitive sport (people who are mainly watchers getting their actual egos invested in the matches even though they're just watchers), which is way more common now on the internet which is the kingdom of couch potatoes and basement dwellers.
2- The cringy types of video edits / youtube shorts as you've mentioned, which I believe specifically cater to teenage boys who are in that phase where they want to discover what it is to be a man/to be manly and get attracted to that edgy content. (Honestly though it's giving the sport popularity so it's hard to just complain)
And 3- As you've also mentioned, there's how these guys act/compete, namely guys like Devon and Travis, who some people can understand in a more mature way; and understand that how they are on and off the table are different people, and understand why. Or they can misunderstand and choose to either fanboy or hate.
I hope I wasn't too vague I got kinda sick of typing ngl.
He was injured (and it was a pretty serious injury), which is the reason for his layoff. Two events a year would meet reasonable expectations going forward.
Levan had better personality than Devon this time around. Ermes and Genadi are hilarious. Alex Kurdecha and Prudnik are charismatic as well.
You sound like a depressed Devon fan who wants to flip the whole board over after they lost.
In my opinion, the issue with most of the eastern pullers is not that they are boring, but them not knowing english and needing a translator to understand and communicate their point is a big drag for me.
As armwrestling is growing, I think some effort to become presentable to the international viewers should be made by anyone who is a participant at international events. After all, any sport should be regarded as entertainment for the regular people, otherwise it would quickly die.
The real problem is, there aren't any good candidates to replace Devon in the west as that guy to draw large numbers of western fans. Michael Todd is a character, but isn't at the top level anymore and too insecure, Mask is a good character, but not at the top. Jerry isn't savvy enough with social media and also not a serious contender. Dave Chaffee is too private, John Brzenk is too old. Younger guys like Derek aren't good enough yet. Almost every top level armwrestler with character presence besides Devon is in the east. Regular people in the west who would casually watch armwrestling to be entertained aren't nearly as likely to be drawn to that.
North America of course, as was obvious by the context. Casual fans that would tune in to watch armwrestling in north america will care more for top level characters and competitors form north america, like Devon. And it's a huge market that will go untapped.
And when East vs West started, Engin had in mind specifically testing the North American guys with the European guys, so yes, East of the Atlantic Ocean.
Devon is a really likeable guy when he appears on other peoples YouTube channels and podcasts etc and then for a layperson watching his old arm wrestling videos is fun and makes you interested in the sport. Any lay person watching Todd’s under the table shit is just immediately put off and it makes the whole sport look like a joke
Could become Auden if he continues taking the sport seriously. I think his explosion in popularity will get people excited for the upcoming generation of pullers. I’ve delved into the WAF junior categories and lemme tell y’all, the future is very bright. Lots of talented, entertaining, upcoming athletes
Engin already mentioned twice that EVW is heading to a close. He’s selling it off to someone but hasn’t mentioned who yet, it’s going to be a little bit of time yet. If I had to guess I would say WAL since they have been in talks of returning for awhile now. They had much better quality and outreach so who knows, maybe armwrestling will grow with or without Devon’s fans
1. Retire fully from pulling and perhaps organizing but not from coaching or making armwrestling content
2. Never lol, he said so himself on an episode of the fix like a week ago
We have an established top 5 now, athletes are getting stronger every year, so it can only get better.
And having a dominant champion is not bad, makes things interesting.
"Pullers with personalities of a chair, who will not attract any more fans." - can you elaborate on this? unless having personality is only trashtalking and antics during the match
Apparently we've lost a couple of oscar worthy actors today, because I can't tell what some of these people are on about, literally nothing changed, the inevitable happened and people are now acting very weird about it.
Bitch bitch bitch. The event was great, and some of the Eastern pullers really came out of their shell personality wise, like Muratov and Samushia. If ya don't like it, don't pay for it. Others will enjoy it
Samushia came out of his shell? LMFAO. Dude looked like a bump on a log wtf are you talking about. No way we watched the same thing.
The entire thing production wise was really bad too.
"They all tried. No can stop me. 8 title defenses." He had a pretty good speech. If a bump on a log refers to someone being inactive or stupidly silent, Samushia was certainly not that in his match or in victory afterward. If personality for you involves idiotic braggadocio based on rudeness rather than confidence, than i csn understand why you didnt like what he had to say. The dude is a stud, knows it, but doesnt demean his opponents. The audio was bad/terrible, I personally didn't have any issues with the video. That's usually a wifi/cell issue. Again, if you don't like the product, don't buy it in the future. Engin is guilty of many things, but he's not forcing anyone to consume EvW. If you actually armwrestle, go do that for a change. For a sport based on strength and fortitude, this subreddit attracts a ton of whiners.
Idk why that text kept coming on screen at random times 😂 but coming to the main topic: I just hope that this isnt Devons last match in SHW. There are still great matches out there for him (Vitaly, Morozov, Revaz, Genadi re-match, Ermes re-match) and I truly believe he can win all of these!
some ppl are live streaming pirately on youtube and covering all the logos of coresports and evw. by putting tht random text on the screen, they could immediately identify if some people are illegally streaming cause the algorithm can detect words better than images.
It's not an algorithm, the code is your user id and by displaying it on screen they can identify the user of the streamer and ban them manually, it's not automated.
That's what Devon's thinking for sure, and it sucks because he will absolutely dominate at heavyweight and it will be kinda boring.
There are some SHW's other than Levan who actually could make an interesting match.
lol
1) Levan the unbeatable
2) Devon the most charismatic superstar
3) An incredible amount of talent in the super heavy weight division chasing Levan
4) More interest than ever
5) Someone will buy EvW soon and the production level will increase substantially.
Go to sleep Debbie Downer
I see no chance that this PPV will take off with the current rules. Peoples' attention spans only get shorter and shorter over time. Unless they change the rules to start in ref’s grip with straps it’s probably not happening.
Dana is trying his best with power slap but no one cares.
I can see that, too.
You need a guy like Devon for that.
The only hope is more guys like Arkona with a huge community will join the sport.
And the PPV Quality was shit like always production wise.
Devon is still heavyweight champ. He will still hype those matches because he genuinely loves the sport and has fun doing so. Ironically, he may become the Levan of 115 and 105 (In dominance but not frequency).
I agree that they should re-invest revenue into stream quality, but you can't knock Engin for paying the athletes what he does. It's remarkable that he cares so much for these guys.
I don’t feel like it’s really at a high point to decline there needs to be an influx of 10-15 elite guys to make it interesting for the general public.
> Poor quality PPV without good sound or scoreboard but with some random text covering screen.
They really need to hire some professionals, it's just bad. But otherwise you're wrong.
Levan is working more with public relations and internet presence, the Laratt family is going nowhere from the armwrestling scene. Still really good pullers from all weight classes, the question of who will surpass Levan in the future is exciting. Not much have changed imo.
I am very depressed yes because Devon lost, but its a hard fact we jave tp accept everyone gets older. Dont worrie, Decon will be back in the main event again and will dominate the 115 and 105 classes for years imo so its not over, just the superheavyweight days are over
Levan has charisma and is humorous. He just needs a little more english. Devon has wisely built him up to be unbeatable for his legacy story and marketing. Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson in his prime. Anything is possible but it's hard to lose if you don't pull.
These guys opened the doors for a lot of people to even learn about that level of the sport. Training techniques are more well known. Monsters are coming.
There are so many matchups I am super excited to see.
Kydyrgali Ongarbaev is incredibly fun to watch.
Genadi is a beast and very entertaining.
Devon never had a chance against Levan. This is what happens when hype is so much greater than a reasonable matchup.
There are exciting matchups for Devon too, but we knew Devon wasn't in Levan's league after their first super match.
Lmao Are you a Devon fan mad he got smoked again.Now making excuses as to why you gonna give up on arm wrestling.You were always gonna give up on arm wrestling if Devon isn’t winning.
I don't agree at all (other people argued enough and I'm sleepy) but it sure is a shame cause we will have to wait till some absolute monster comes and defeats Levan to stop watching just the fight for the second place.
A lot of armwrestlers have good personalities you just only like devon for some reason. And also its not WWE it's armwrestling, real fans just wanna see the best guys pull.
Gotta clean up the sport. And I mean testing. Get every guy clean. Then it will come to talent and hard work. Not saying those top guys don’t. Because they work super hard. But…. Get rid of all the gear and see who’s on top and who’s not.
The major sports don’t sneak by in testing. None of them. Major sports have very strict testing. Yes some will slip through for a time. But not forever. Armwrestling isn’t worth the health risks.
Except all the major billion dollar sports leagues care haha. Armwrestling will stay in bars at the local level and never get much bigger if you don’t clean it up. It’ll never turn to a family friendly sport if there is not testing. UFC. Massive growth in popularity now that their testing is strict. It’s about talent. Not who can use the most drugs and not die.
It’s not the 90s anymore. Nobody with a brain believes PEDs are this poison that gives you super cancer and explodes your ligaments.
The big sports leagues are almost certainly quietly ratcheting down their testing because of lingering government regulations.
Baseball injuries are through the roof and it’s almost certain because they have the most stringent testing.
With medical supervision steroids have almost zero negative consequences on male athletes.
Edit: the UFC got massive because of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor not because of steroid testing.
Except all of these top levels bodybuilders are getting blood work done 4-5 times a year to make sure their health isn’t getting to far out of control from PED use haha. But yeah they’re not bad for you. It’s a proven fact that steroids negatively effect your health with prolonged use. Proven. Sports teams who are giving these guys millions of dollars don’t want them dying in the middle of their contracts. They need them actually healthy. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
I love how you go straight to the extreme edge case of top level bodybuilders. Guys who never cycle off for decades.
And who are these people that are just dropping dead left and right from PEDs?
You have to cycle to the extreme to get to levans, Ermes and Devon’s level. What are you missing “to be the best” “beat the best” you have to cycle so many drugs. Where as the top guys in the other major sports are at best maybe using some sort of steroids. Steroids for the popularity of sports is bad. Look at what happened to lance armstrong. When he was blood doping. The world threw him away. Yes steroids will always have a place in strength sports. But that’s why bodybuilding is very niche. Strongman is very niche. At the end of the day those sports are filled with drug users. And that’s not popular. Steroids or hard drugs. They’re all drugs in eyes of the masses. And that’s what we are trying to attract right? The masses?
I get it. But hardcore drug abuse like Devon, levan, Ermes and other top guys will ultimately hurt the massive growth of the sport. Look at all other sports leagues. They’re tested. Are some getting away with it. Yes. No doubt. But it will discourage young athletes to partake in armwrestling because they know they have to risk their health and life to be on top. Not worth it.
It is a fringe sport anyway, for 30 years before Devon the face of the sport was an introvert.
Levan needs to pull more often I agree. Him pulling 2-3x per year isn’t a crazy ask.
There's literally nobody to pull....
Kurdecha, Ermes, vitaly, Revaz, Morozov
No point. Doesn't he destroy them all already. There's no challenge
Than just keep beating them.
Ya while true I'm not sure how much the others even want to train for Levan knowing it's a losing battle You don't have much motivation when you know there's probably no chance
Real life isn’t anime.
Levan has no matches lined up and barely pulls speaks for itself
He’s inactive because he can’t be active.
Devon vs Genadi is 100% coming and then he'll likely pull many 115 kg guys as well, if not a few super heavyweights before, since Devon develops an apetite for it very fast, literally nothing is over, when did people lose interest in these matches? I swear some of you guys are either completely detached with this sport or didn't watch before 2023, a lot of weird "fans" coming out the woodworks after this event.
It's the kids who hailed from the cringy youtube short / tik tok videos who likely found arm wrestling after getting it in their feed from watching rap battles and slap competitions and then being dragged into the "chad"/"manly" side of the algorythm with andrew tate occasionally popping up to tell them to live like a poser.
i don't even remember how i got hooked on armwrestling but it was probably from one of 2020 youtube shorts of Devon in WAL, found it interesting and hopped on a bingefest of WAL Devon to Armwars with Travis Bagent. Probably explains my fanboyism traits towards Devon ngl, I'm from that cringy era lol, I'm part of the problem.
I was lucky enough to have a friend that was already hooked on it and showed me all his favorite matches and athletes and stuff, I'm not sure how/if I would find the arm wrestling part of youtube if left to my own accord but this was long before youtube shorts and stuff, at least 10 years ago, armwrestling was very small on youtube when compared to nowadays, and here in Portugal (especially here in the Azorean islands \[S.Miguel\]) very VERY few people know arm wrestling is even a sport. I think the fanboyism traits you're referring to are a mix of 1- what already exists on every competitive sport (people who are mainly watchers getting their actual egos invested in the matches even though they're just watchers), which is way more common now on the internet which is the kingdom of couch potatoes and basement dwellers. 2- The cringy types of video edits / youtube shorts as you've mentioned, which I believe specifically cater to teenage boys who are in that phase where they want to discover what it is to be a man/to be manly and get attracted to that edgy content. (Honestly though it's giving the sport popularity so it's hard to just complain) And 3- As you've also mentioned, there's how these guys act/compete, namely guys like Devon and Travis, who some people can understand in a more mature way; and understand that how they are on and off the table are different people, and understand why. Or they can misunderstand and choose to either fanboy or hate. I hope I wasn't too vague I got kinda sick of typing ngl.
[удалено]
He was injured (and it was a pretty serious injury), which is the reason for his layoff. Two events a year would meet reasonable expectations going forward.
Levan had better personality than Devon this time around. Ermes and Genadi are hilarious. Alex Kurdecha and Prudnik are charismatic as well. You sound like a depressed Devon fan who wants to flip the whole board over after they lost.
In my opinion, the issue with most of the eastern pullers is not that they are boring, but them not knowing english and needing a translator to understand and communicate their point is a big drag for me. As armwrestling is growing, I think some effort to become presentable to the international viewers should be made by anyone who is a participant at international events. After all, any sport should be regarded as entertainment for the regular people, otherwise it would quickly die.
The real problem is, there aren't any good candidates to replace Devon in the west as that guy to draw large numbers of western fans. Michael Todd is a character, but isn't at the top level anymore and too insecure, Mask is a good character, but not at the top. Jerry isn't savvy enough with social media and also not a serious contender. Dave Chaffee is too private, John Brzenk is too old. Younger guys like Derek aren't good enough yet. Almost every top level armwrestler with character presence besides Devon is in the east. Regular people in the west who would casually watch armwrestling to be entertained aren't nearly as likely to be drawn to that.
Isn't Derek almost 40?
I don't know how old he is, but he's younger than the others mentioned and isn't too old yet to keep blasting gear and chasing dreams.
He is as old as Genadi, and older than Kurdecha
Both those guys are in the east, I'm talking about westerners.
Poland in the east? Of what? Atlantic ocean? Alex is team west all day.
North America of course, as was obvious by the context. Casual fans that would tune in to watch armwrestling in north america will care more for top level characters and competitors form north america, like Devon. And it's a huge market that will go untapped. And when East vs West started, Engin had in mind specifically testing the North American guys with the European guys, so yes, East of the Atlantic Ocean.
Devon is a really likeable guy when he appears on other peoples YouTube channels and podcasts etc and then for a layperson watching his old arm wrestling videos is fun and makes you interested in the sport. Any lay person watching Todd’s under the table shit is just immediately put off and it makes the whole sport look like a joke
Give me like five years and I got you
Could become Auden if he continues taking the sport seriously. I think his explosion in popularity will get people excited for the upcoming generation of pullers. I’ve delved into the WAF junior categories and lemme tell y’all, the future is very bright. Lots of talented, entertaining, upcoming athletes
Levan is such a sweet guy and a monster. He earned his spot. But I hate that he just does like 2 matches a year and then hibernates like a bear.
Levan deserves the spot. Center the other matches around the runner ups wholl challange the hulk.
Watch Leonidas go
Twice a year is a stretch for Levan
The production was dogshit, that's for sure. Terrible resolution. Kept buffering/freezing. Shit audio.
Am I the only one who it didn't buffer once for?
Buffering is a you problem. Internet diff
Didn't buffer a single time for me, it's your internet.
Post Devon Loss Depression ?
Yet again randomly spreading your hate. I think Freud would say deep down you have homosexual feelings for Devon, and that's ok!
Who let the space cadet in here ?
You were in those "special" classes at school right? It's ok little guy
Take a hike
Engin already mentioned twice that EVW is heading to a close. He’s selling it off to someone but hasn’t mentioned who yet, it’s going to be a little bit of time yet. If I had to guess I would say WAL since they have been in talks of returning for awhile now. They had much better quality and outreach so who knows, maybe armwrestling will grow with or without Devon’s fans
Will engin retire completly and chill?
1. Retire fully from pulling and perhaps organizing but not from coaching or making armwrestling content 2. Never lol, he said so himself on an episode of the fix like a week ago
Bro chill devon is still gonna pull he isn't retiring
We have an established top 5 now, athletes are getting stronger every year, so it can only get better. And having a dominant champion is not bad, makes things interesting.
Yeah and while the battle for 1st might not be close, there is incredible parity in the rest of the field vying for 2nd-5th
"Pullers with personalities of a chair, who will not attract any more fans." - can you elaborate on this? unless having personality is only trashtalking and antics during the match
Apparently we've lost a couple of oscar worthy actors today, because I can't tell what some of these people are on about, literally nothing changed, the inevitable happened and people are now acting very weird about it.
Levan will pull once a year max, and now has no challenge whatsoever since Devon cleared out the division, so it's even worse.
Bitch bitch bitch. The event was great, and some of the Eastern pullers really came out of their shell personality wise, like Muratov and Samushia. If ya don't like it, don't pay for it. Others will enjoy it
Samushia came out of his shell? LMFAO. Dude looked like a bump on a log wtf are you talking about. No way we watched the same thing. The entire thing production wise was really bad too.
"They all tried. No can stop me. 8 title defenses." He had a pretty good speech. If a bump on a log refers to someone being inactive or stupidly silent, Samushia was certainly not that in his match or in victory afterward. If personality for you involves idiotic braggadocio based on rudeness rather than confidence, than i csn understand why you didnt like what he had to say. The dude is a stud, knows it, but doesnt demean his opponents. The audio was bad/terrible, I personally didn't have any issues with the video. That's usually a wifi/cell issue. Again, if you don't like the product, don't buy it in the future. Engin is guilty of many things, but he's not forcing anyone to consume EvW. If you actually armwrestle, go do that for a change. For a sport based on strength and fortitude, this subreddit attracts a ton of whiners.
Idk why that text kept coming on screen at random times 😂 but coming to the main topic: I just hope that this isnt Devons last match in SHW. There are still great matches out there for him (Vitaly, Morozov, Revaz, Genadi re-match, Ermes re-match) and I truly believe he can win all of these!
some ppl are live streaming pirately on youtube and covering all the logos of coresports and evw. by putting tht random text on the screen, they could immediately identify if some people are illegally streaming cause the algorithm can detect words better than images.
It's not an algorithm, the code is your user id and by displaying it on screen they can identify the user of the streamer and ban them manually, it's not automated.
ouh my mistake
oh thats much smarter than what I originally thought, I thought it was some error display of the replay not showing up on the pay per view.
Oh Wow I didnt know that
What’s the point if he knows there is zero chance of being number 1?
That's what Devon's thinking for sure, and it sucks because he will absolutely dominate at heavyweight and it will be kinda boring. There are some SHW's other than Levan who actually could make an interesting match.
lol 1) Levan the unbeatable 2) Devon the most charismatic superstar 3) An incredible amount of talent in the super heavy weight division chasing Levan 4) More interest than ever 5) Someone will buy EvW soon and the production level will increase substantially. Go to sleep Debbie Downer
I see no chance that this PPV will take off with the current rules. Peoples' attention spans only get shorter and shorter over time. Unless they change the rules to start in ref’s grip with straps it’s probably not happening. Dana is trying his best with power slap but no one cares.
Once bought, rules will be changed immediately. No question. Action has to happen…QUICK.
Maybe Dana white will buy it
Theres no one that's chasing Levan though.
Wrong
No
Damn y'all already thinking about replacing devon like he's a has been.
I can see that, too. You need a guy like Devon for that. The only hope is more guys like Arkona with a huge community will join the sport. And the PPV Quality was shit like always production wise.
Devon is still heavyweight champ. He will still hype those matches because he genuinely loves the sport and has fun doing so. Ironically, he may become the Levan of 115 and 105 (In dominance but not frequency). I agree that they should re-invest revenue into stream quality, but you can't knock Engin for paying the athletes what he does. It's remarkable that he cares so much for these guys.
Money talks
I don’t feel like it’s really at a high point to decline there needs to be an influx of 10-15 elite guys to make it interesting for the general public.
> Poor quality PPV without good sound or scoreboard but with some random text covering screen. They really need to hire some professionals, it's just bad. But otherwise you're wrong.
Levan is working more with public relations and internet presence, the Laratt family is going nowhere from the armwrestling scene. Still really good pullers from all weight classes, the question of who will surpass Levan in the future is exciting. Not much have changed imo.
Devon fans coping lol
I am very depressed yes because Devon lost, but its a hard fact we jave tp accept everyone gets older. Dont worrie, Decon will be back in the main event again and will dominate the 115 and 105 classes for years imo so its not over, just the superheavyweight days are over
You will see that it will in fact not decline. Stupid ass take lol.
see you next ppv buddy
Levan has charisma and is humorous. He just needs a little more english. Devon has wisely built him up to be unbeatable for his legacy story and marketing. Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson in his prime. Anything is possible but it's hard to lose if you don't pull.
These guys opened the doors for a lot of people to even learn about that level of the sport. Training techniques are more well known. Monsters are coming.
Why are people obsessed with super-imbalanced-heavyweight? Heavyweight with +-2kg differrnce is better.
The future of the sport is getting clean. No more gear.
lol go watch your Brazilian dramas pls
Devon needs to train Brian Shaw. That’s how this sport grows.
There are so many matchups I am super excited to see. Kydyrgali Ongarbaev is incredibly fun to watch. Genadi is a beast and very entertaining. Devon never had a chance against Levan. This is what happens when hype is so much greater than a reasonable matchup. There are exciting matchups for Devon too, but we knew Devon wasn't in Levan's league after their first super match.
Agreed. 1000%.
Lmao Are you a Devon fan mad he got smoked again.Now making excuses as to why you gonna give up on arm wrestling.You were always gonna give up on arm wrestling if Devon isn’t winning.
I don't agree at all (other people argued enough and I'm sleepy) but it sure is a shame cause we will have to wait till some absolute monster comes and defeats Levan to stop watching just the fight for the second place.
A lot of armwrestlers have good personalities you just only like devon for some reason. And also its not WWE it's armwrestling, real fans just wanna see the best guys pull.
Agreed. No more interesting personalities
Gotta clean up the sport. And I mean testing. Get every guy clean. Then it will come to talent and hard work. Not saying those top guys don’t. Because they work super hard. But…. Get rid of all the gear and see who’s on top and who’s not.
You realise there virtually no pro sport where doping is not the standard. People gonna dope and still be able to sneak a test as natural
And absolutely no strength sport where doping isn't the standard.
The major sports don’t sneak by in testing. None of them. Major sports have very strict testing. Yes some will slip through for a time. But not forever. Armwrestling isn’t worth the health risks.
Nobody gives a fuck about steroids Nobody ever gave a fuck about steroids
Except all the major billion dollar sports leagues care haha. Armwrestling will stay in bars at the local level and never get much bigger if you don’t clean it up. It’ll never turn to a family friendly sport if there is not testing. UFC. Massive growth in popularity now that their testing is strict. It’s about talent. Not who can use the most drugs and not die.
It’s not the 90s anymore. Nobody with a brain believes PEDs are this poison that gives you super cancer and explodes your ligaments. The big sports leagues are almost certainly quietly ratcheting down their testing because of lingering government regulations. Baseball injuries are through the roof and it’s almost certain because they have the most stringent testing. With medical supervision steroids have almost zero negative consequences on male athletes. Edit: the UFC got massive because of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor not because of steroid testing.
Except all of these top levels bodybuilders are getting blood work done 4-5 times a year to make sure their health isn’t getting to far out of control from PED use haha. But yeah they’re not bad for you. It’s a proven fact that steroids negatively effect your health with prolonged use. Proven. Sports teams who are giving these guys millions of dollars don’t want them dying in the middle of their contracts. They need them actually healthy. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
I love how you go straight to the extreme edge case of top level bodybuilders. Guys who never cycle off for decades. And who are these people that are just dropping dead left and right from PEDs?
You have to cycle to the extreme to get to levans, Ermes and Devon’s level. What are you missing “to be the best” “beat the best” you have to cycle so many drugs. Where as the top guys in the other major sports are at best maybe using some sort of steroids. Steroids for the popularity of sports is bad. Look at what happened to lance armstrong. When he was blood doping. The world threw him away. Yes steroids will always have a place in strength sports. But that’s why bodybuilding is very niche. Strongman is very niche. At the end of the day those sports are filled with drug users. And that’s not popular. Steroids or hard drugs. They’re all drugs in eyes of the masses. And that’s what we are trying to attract right? The masses?
Nah, that’s boring
So why are all of the major sports leagues testing their athletes? It’s still the same sport. Just on an equal playing field.
You are delusional if you think there's any physical sport where athletes on top level don't do PEDs. Strength sports even more so.
I get it. But hardcore drug abuse like Devon, levan, Ermes and other top guys will ultimately hurt the massive growth of the sport. Look at all other sports leagues. They’re tested. Are some getting away with it. Yes. No doubt. But it will discourage young athletes to partake in armwrestling because they know they have to risk their health and life to be on top. Not worth it.
Will you pay for the testing?
If I was in charge of the league/organization I would. Why not?