Tag: Chris Minnes
Bodybuilding Promoter Chris Minnes: How Prize Money Is Determined… And How It Can Be Raised
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Bodybuilding promoter Chris Minnes goes into transparent detail about how bodybuilding prize money is determined and ways in which the sport can raise higher payouts.
Bodybuilding competitions, the athletes who compete in them, and the fans who attend them are the lifeblood of the growing sport. But many believe that the sport will hit a plateau in growth and popularity if the prize money cannot be raised to higher amounts. While passion is an important factor for athletes who compete in bodybuilding – prize money is what allows these competitors to become career athletes. So what can be done to increase total prize money and help further grow the sport? In our latest GI Exclusive, bodybuilding promoter Chris Minnes explains how prize money works and what can be done to increase it.
Prize money for big events such as the Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic often catch a lot of attention due to their big payouts. However, only one bodybuilder can earn first place, and the big cash prize, per year. Beyond these two pinnacle shows, the remaining pro shows offer relatively much lower amounts. Unlike other team pro sports like Football, Baseball, or Basketball – bodybuilders do not get paid simply for being pros and competing. They have to win.
This causes most pro bodybuilders to find other sources of income – as prize money alone cannot support their careers. While there is a successful infrastructure of entrepreneurial spirit and sponsorships – some believe that the sport needs bigger cash prizes in order to further grow into the next step. This, of course, is easier said than done. That’s why we turned to Chris Minnes, a successful bodybuilding promoter, to help explain the prize money process.
Everything you need to know about bodybuilding prize money
Chris Minnes starst off by explaining the NPC and IFBB Pro leagues have a minimum required cash purse. Most starting NPC and Pro shows will start at this minimum amount as they attempt to build more attention in order to grow the competition in the future. Running a bodybuilding competition comes with costs beyond running the event including registration fees to the league in order to legally put on the show.
So how do bodybuilding shows get past the prize money minimum while also still making a profit? Chris Minnes explains the next go-to decision is to bring in sponsors to help allow for higher cash prizes. But as Minnes further explains – even high level sponsorships cannot cover the cost of a big bodybuilding prize similar to what you’d see at the Mr. Olympia. So if sponsorships aren’t enough – what can be done?
Luckily the rise of the internet has allowed for much more direct advertising of a bodybuilding show. And most recently, PPV live streaming is finally getting a foothold on competitive bodybuilding – with even mid-tier shows being able to somewhat easily set up a stream. This opens up the possible ticket sales astronomically in theory. No longer is a local NPC or IFBB Pro show limited by it’s location. It can be seen across the world.
Yet the technological ability is only one part of the equation. Promoters still need to get people interested in large enough droves to bring in bigger revenue for bigger prize money. With so many competitions each year – getting to stand out for a more local show can be challenging.
This, Chris Minnes argues, is where the power of the athletes is vastly important. Minnes believes that athletes need to promote the events they compete in far more and far earlier to help drive sales. This just isn’t a plea for free advertising to make Minnes more money. It’s to make the competition earn more money so he can then raise the quality of the show and raise the prize money. Minnes believes that athletes, with their own online followings, can help directly improve their own profits by helping to promote shows.
Lastly, Chris Minnes also talks about how piracy is becoming an increased problem in the era of live streaming PPV events. Bodybuilding promoters do not have the massive network on the same level as a UFC PPV event – so it cannot obtain the same kind of security to stop illegal free streams. Minnes claims that he has seen pirated streams of his shows garner tens of thousands of views. In his mind – that’s the fans directly stealing prize money from the athletes.
There are a lot of hurdles to overcome – and many can perhaps be consider growing pains as the sport evolves alongside new technological options. You can watch Chris Minnes talk about it in full and refreshing transparent detail in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Bodybuilding Promoter Chris Minnes: Should Michal Krizo Move To The IFBB Pro?
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IFBB Pro/NPC Promoter Chris Minnes looks back on how the IFBB Pro vs IFBB Elite Pro split affected the sport – and his thoughts on Michal Krizo.
Promoter Chris Minnes has been quietly at work producing some of the fastest rising bodybuilding competitions and events of recent years. Starting originally with the Tahoe Pro, Minnes has grown his endeavors extensively and now runs some of the sport’s biggest shows such as the Legion Sports Fest Pro. With an extensive behind the scenes knowledge of bodybuilding, we connected with Minnes to talk about the IFBB Pro’s future, it’s past, and how the IFBB Pro and IFBB Elite Pro split changed the directory of the sport. Chris Minnes also touches upon the IFBB Elite Pro superstar Michal Krizo and whether or not he should move (or be even be allowed to move) into the IFBB Pro league.
The IFBB Pro league has long been the number one bodybuilding league in the sport. Home to the Mr. Olympia competition and the biggest names in bodybuilding. But a monopoly this sport is not. There are a wide variety of other leagues across the globe providing events for athletes passionate about bodybuilding. One such league is the IFBB Elite Pro. If the names sound familiar – well, that’s because they were once one united organization.
The IFBB Elite Pro was originally part of the IFBB Pro proper. They organized the international and amateur league (separate from the NPC – which resided largely only in the US). In 2017, it was announced that these two entities would split. This changed the landscape to some degree in terms of qualifications for the Mr Olympia – especially for international competitors. Ultimately we landed on two parallel leagues, the IFBB Pro and the IFBB Elite Pro.
During our conversation with IFBB Pro bodybuilding promoter Chris Minnes, we asked for his reflection on the split and how it looked from behind the scenes. Minnes has been promoting bodybuilding shows for quite some time – and can recall the conversation he had with Jim Maino, president of the NPC and IFBB Pro league, just after the decision of the split.
Chris Minnes points out that the split ultimately led to two different approaches to the sport. The IFBB Elite Pro league now receives funds from the government at each international location. Minnes believes that this, in some respects, limits the possibilities of what a bodybuilding competition could be. On the flip side, it also allows the budges of the events to not be solely based on income from fans and athlete registration fees.
That being said, the IFBB Elite Pro league has been making a bit more headlines over the past year due to a viral rising superstar. Michal Krizo is an IFBB Elite Pro bodybuilder who is turning heads amongst fans of the IFBB Pro. This has led the community to call for Krizo to switch leagues. The logic being that most of the biggest talents in bodybuilding still compete in the IFBB Pro league. For Michal Krizo to really prove himself – he should be able to compete against these talented competitors.
But the IFBB Elite Pro and the IFBB Pro are now separate. Unless Michal Krizo formally switches leagues – he cannot quality to compete against the likes of Big Ramy or Brandon Curry at the Mr. Olympia.
We asked Chris Minnes if he felt that it would be a good move for Michal Krizo to switch leagues – when he’s already found great success in the IFBB Elite Pro. Minnes admits that he had never even heard of Krizo’s name. Which he attributes to proving just how much farther behind the IFBB Elite Pro league is compared to the IFBB Pro.
Of course, there are many others who know his name. He’s gone viral online across the divisions of all leagues. He even won Best Arms in the fan-voted Generation Iron Bodybuilding Awards 2021. Minnes believes that if Krizo were interested – he should be 100% allowed to switch leagues. But this comes with one condition – Minnes doesn’t believe in cutting to the front of the line.
Chris Minnes would be happy to see Michal Krizo enter into the amateur NPC league, compete, earn his pro card, then earn qualification to the Olympia. If he goes through the paces – and still proves himself to be a threatening athlete. Then he will really start to turn heads.
Until then, Chris Minnes points out that photos are very different than the real thing. Until we can see Michal Krizo standing side by side with the best of the IFBB Pro league, there’s no real way of knowing just how threatening his physique really is.
You can watch Chris Minnes’ full comments about Michal Krizo and the aftermath of the IFBB Pro vs IFBB Elite Pro split in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!