The long-running debate over whether bodybuilding qualifies as a sport resurfaced once again. But this time, the Hall of Famer, Shawn Ray, delivered an unfiltered take during his appearance on The Menace Podcast with Dennis James. 

In a conversation with Milos Sarcev, Ray compared bodybuilding to Miss Universe. And as expected, it reeled in a heated debate between Ray and Sarcev.

According to the Hall of Famer, the preparation for a bodybuilding competition is certainly demanding. But unlike other major sports, the participants aren’t judged with respect to their performance, speed, or strength. 

“What my experience has told me is don’t ever compare bodybuilding with any other sport in the world, because it’s not,” he asserted. 

He pointed at Miss Universe, where 50 women enter the competition, but only one wears the crown. And not everyone gets a participation award. And the same is true with bodybuilding competitions. Only one bodybuilder wins, leaving the others without any significant award. 

Shawn Ray claimed, “It’s a pageant, bro. It’s who looks the best. It’s based on looks. It is an art.” 

“Nobody has ever asked me how much I can lift when I stand on the Olympia stage. It’s a beauty pageant and an art form.”

The conversation has ignited familiar divisions split among the bodybuilding community. While some in the comments saw Ray’s take as brutally honest, others argued that the time and body that goes into preparing to stage at the Olympia alone makes bodybuilding a sport.

Even Arnold Schwarzenegger stood behind bodybuilding as a sport. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger Defied Shawn Ray’s Reasoning

One of Schwarzenegger’s popular quotes states, "Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet, and mental approach."

"My definition of a sport is that it's a physical activity that involves competition,” the former Californian Governor said in another instance. “Since bodybuilders certainly train and then compete, we are certainly a sport."

Ray’s comments highlight the central paradox in bodybuilding- should competition be determined by physical output or visual judgment?

While training mirrors any other elite sport, the stage rewards aesthetics over measurable performance. This contradiction keeps the question of identity within bodybuilding far from being settled.

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Joyita Das