If two of the top three competitions offered $500-1000 cash for first place, I’d guess the statement that even the top bodybuilders weren’t making much money would be fair. I wasn’t able to find Mr. Universe historical data, but if the $500 prize for Mr World was considered “magnificent” I’d guess it was comprable. Sweeping the “big three” competitions nets a guy ~$2000 per year in that timeframe.
I leave it to the reader to determine if this is enough to pay the rent and put aside a “nest egg” on.
And what about promotional fees? Sure, the contest itself paid little, but I remember seeing Arnold on all sorts of products back then. He had endorsements from fitness supply companies, television appearances, and god knows what other products.
I suspect the prize money for the actual contest was a pittance compared to endorsements and appearance fees.
Indeed, but the very source of the alleged potential allegations would be from Arnold’s various “endorsements”. Was there a “casting couch” type effect here? Did he get those endorsements, which it seems established that he would need because prize money was a pittance, on merit, or on some other grounds?
I am not interested in arguing either side of this position. I saw a request for info on what prize payouts were for bodybuilding contests of that era. I provided that info. Where the rest of Arnold’s money come from, or how he earned it, interests me not at all.
Sam: You beat me to the punch. Most athletes, even today with the gigantic salaries, get the lion’s share of their earnings from endorsments. Mr Universe is going to have every fitness suppliment company in the world lining up with endorsement contracts.
You’re one sick puppy, you know that? Do you realize he was on the Lucille Ball show?!? Now there’s a visual for you!
Seriously, though, the available evidence suggests that Arnold was actively involved in a lot of things besides bodybuilding. For example, he very quickly became a real estate mogul in Venice, California. He apparently began buying property for a pittance in depressed areas just before they began to boom. To this day, a substantial amount of his net worth is in Venice/Santa Monica real estate.
I’d also point out that, back in 1968, 1000 USD was somewhat more in terms of purchasing power. The average annual salary in the U.S. was about 6000 USD/yr.
Sure, but this wouldn’t head off allegations of gigolo-type behavior during his early career. In fact, the entire alleged line of allegations spring from this kind of info. Where did the money to make those early investments come from? His bodybuilding prize winnings were fairly small. The three biggest prizes in the world total ~$2000 in the late 60’s early 70’s.**
Good point. I guess it wouldn’t be fair to call it a “pittance”. Winning the three biggest cash prizes in bodybuilding within a single year brings a person up to about a third of the average yearly salary amount. I guess he could have traveled extensively to get to other competitions for smaller stakes and eventually it would add up. But the more competitions you enter, the more your travel time and travel expenses, so at some point it isn’t worth it for such small prizes. Hit the big ones with big payoffs and use them to supplement the bread-and-butter endorsement deals and such. Doesn’t help to dispell allegations that he got the endorsement deals through “casting couch” type negotiations with his various sponsors. In fact, it highlights the fact that he relied on deals with various sponsors for his subsistence. Keeping good relations with those sponsors would have been a priority.
And everyone knows that sponsors like Wieder demanded blowjobs from musclemen, right?
This whole claim is offensive and absurd. Offer up some evidence, or stop smearing the man. Your whole case is, “Hey, Arnold had some money. He must have been a gay gigolo!”
When charges are that offensive, you had better be able to provide some sort of evidence.
I remember Arnold from those days. He was on EVERY fitness product. Everything from weight supplements to T-shirts. He was on TV all the time. He was a household name.
People who are household names and have a modicum of intelligence can find ways to make a good living without resorting to blowing scumbag promoters in the back room. And Arnold has more than a modicum of intelligence.
Never made a claim. Don’t have a case. Not making charges. Just showing that the claims made to shoot down other people’s charges don’t hold water.
Nope. Nowhere near. The money came from somewhere else. Sponsors, corporate certainly, private, possibly. No idea what was given or gotten in those deals. Nor do I care. Stop conflating my checking of Dewey’s claims with support for the rumor elucidator mentioned. Different thing entirely.
As I mentioned before, I sometimes listen to wing-nut radio - Gallagher, Pronger, Michael Morbid - and some of the flack Arnie is catching from that end of the spectrum inclines me to give him a second look. Enemies like that, must be doing something right.
The seizure of the Republican Party by ignorant troglodytes is the worse thing that has happened in a long time. We need a rebirth of the moderate right, the kind of people GeeDubya pretended he was. An honest right, that you can negotiate with in good faith. Used to be, you made demands, they told you to fuck yourself, you threatened, they gave up a little more power, and you reset the negotiating positions. It was a good system.
I would like to bring this back into the realm of politics.
So far I know of two people on his campaign party: Tom Arnold and Warren Buffet. Both have claimed him as a Libertarian.
Based what little I know about Arnold’s actual political stances, I would call him a Libertarian as well. Well, as close to a Libertarian as this high of an office has seen for a while, if ever, but don’t quote me.
Apparently Arnold claims that he is a fiscal conservative, pro-choice, and against gun laws, and he’s smoked dope. That is all that I have heard so far.
To the California Democrats, he appears to be a Republican. To the White House Republicans, he is a Democrat.
This is at least refreshing. Maybe he’ll be the Republicans’ “Clinton”?
So when a guy like that comes along, like Arnold Schwartzenegger, let’s all make up stories about how he must have blown people and let them fondle him to get where he is. Because after all, he has some money.
Yeah, that’s elevating political discourse to a high level.
Arnold is not a Libertarian. Libertarians don’t go around championing state-funding for after school programs. But he may be close to one - most of the other positions I’ve heard from him have a fairly libertarian streak to them.
Hear, hear, Chicago Faucet! A not-stupid man, married to a very politically connected and not-stupid woman, Republican, and not beholden to the religious right. Now, his policies may need work, and frankly, it looks like he’s in for a hell of a time, with Cali being a bit screwed, but everything I’ve heard about his positions are sane and reasonable.
The only thing that was bothering me was the financial end… and then he got Warren Buffett. I mean, who else could you ask for?
“Never underestimate the Republican Party of California to come apart at the seams over who should be its candidate.”
It appears to be happening.
Also there is a recent poll which puts Bustamente a little ahead of Arnold. As I expected the split of GOP votes is going to make life difficult for Arnold.
I think he is trying for the centrist vote by bringing on Warren Buffet but that will only alienate core GOP voters further. Because there are two serious candidates on his right flank (Simon and McClintock) he has a really tough balancing act and I don’t think he will be able to pull it off.
You’d think Arnie would have learned from Richard Riordan’s gubernatorial run – the California Republican party doesn’t want moderation and consensus-building…
I have read Education of a Bodybuilder. Arnold mentions that one gym owner in particular offered to subsidize his career in return for a sexual relationship. Arnold turned him down.
The implication that since bodybuilding contests don’t offer large prizes, Arnold must have been a gay gigolo is ridiculous. Arnold made most or all of the money he used to invest in real estate (on the advice of Joe Weider) from selling bodybuilding books, protein powders, vitamins, and weightlifting equipment, as well as seminars, publishing articles in magazines, and all the other amenities that come with winning the Mr. Olympia seven times. Arnold ain’t dumb - his bachelor’s degree is in business (from, of all places, the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater).
There are some skeletons in Arnold’s closet - he was filmed smoking marijuana in the last scene of Pumping Iron, but it was IIRC in South Africa, not in the US. He has admitted to steroid use. And I believe his father was, in fact, a member of the Nazi party.
The part I find vaguely unsettling is that, in Education of a Bodybuilder, Arnold says specifically that his goals are:
[ul][li]To become the best-known bodybuilder in the world[/li][li]To make a lot of money[/li][li]To marry a beautiful woman[/li][li]To become a movie star[/li][li]And to get into politics[/ul][/li]
So far, he is batting 1.000.
Does anyone know what his actual positions are? He is referred to several times as a “moderate Republican”, which is usually short-hand for pro-abortion. Has anyone in the CA race said in detail what he will do to fix the mess?
Davis said today on CNN that he will (essentially) blame the Republicans for trying to get him recalled, and hope (I guess) for the sympathy vote. Nobody else has any clear answers.
I suppose the only resolution will be gridlock to the point that the goverment shuts down.