STRENGTH SENSEI BOOKSHELF
Mr. America: The Tragic Life of a Bodybuilding Icon
The rise and fall of the first major bodybuilding competition
The Mr. Olympia competition is considered the premier bodybuilding competition in the world. In muscle magazines, many of the winners can often be identified by their first names: Sergio, Arnold, Dorian, and Ronnie. Before the Olympia, there was another competition that attracted the best in physique competition:
The Mr. America.
The first Mr. America competition was held in 1939 in Schenectady, New York, and was won by Bert Goodrich. He was 5-feet-11, weighed 195 pounds, and possessed 17-inch arms. Until Joe Weider created his Mr. Olympia (a name inspired by Olympia Beer – seriously), the Mr. America was the event that represented the ultimate presentation of manhood. Among the winners were John Grimek, Steve Reeves, Bill Pearl, Chris Dickerson (a future Mr. Olympia winner), and Casey Viator (who won the competition as a teenager).
The last AAU Mr. America was held in 1999, and the history of the event is detailed in John D. Fair’s Mr. America: The Tragic Life of a Bodybuilding Icon (2015). A history professor, Fair has been a weightlifter, powerlifter, coach, meet director, and (especially relevant for this book) a bodybuilding judge. In researching this book, he interviewed 25 Mr. America winners. However, this is not the first time Fair has written about this competition.
Fair is also the author of Muscletown USA, which was published in 1999 and focuses on the life of Bob Hoffman, founder of the York Barbell Company. Although Hoffman was involved in bodybuilding and his company published two fitness magazines, Muscular Development and Strength and Health, he was primarily interested in promoting weightlifting.
One major issue with the way amateur bodybuilding was handled is that the competitions were held after the weightlifting events, which drew smaller audiences than the bodybuilding. Weightlifting competitions, particularly when three lifts were contested instead of two, often lasted well into the evening. This meant the exact times of the bodybuilding events could not be guaranteed, and the later start times often discouraged many from attending. Because Hoffman blinked, Joe Weider was able to step in with his “bodybuilding first” mentality and take over the sport. It was also good business to be involved in Weider.
In addition to prize money – the 2021 Mr. Olympia winner Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay took home a check for $400,000 – endorsement deals were more readily available. A few of Weider’s bodybuilders became millionaires and movie and television stars. For a deep dive into the Weider empire, check out the amazing three-part book series by Randy Roach Muscles, Smoke and Mirrors.
Fair organized Mr. America into the following three major sections. Here is the table of contents:
Preface
Introduction
PART 1: PRECEDENTS
- TheGreek Ideal
- The Athletic Body
PART 2: THE GOLDEN AGE
- TheFirst Mr. America Contests
- TheGlory Years
- MultipleMr. Americas
- Windsof Change
PART 3: DECLINE AND FALL
- TheArnold Era
- TheSprague Revolution
- ProfessionalizingAmateurism
- Eclipseof an Icon
Epilogue and Conclusion
Appendix: Mr./Ms. America Titlists
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Part 1 focuses on the Greek Ideal, and is an extensive study of the history of the physical culture (and is most likely a section many readers are likely to skip). However, it does contain some fascinating photos that move the content along.
Part 2 is the heart of the book, exploring the rise of the Mr. America contest and its influence on American culture.
Part 3 goes into the fall of the Mr. America contest, which was discontinued after the 1999 contest was won by Tracey Dorsey. Fair discusses not just how Weider was able to take over, but how the sport had changed with the focus on mass over symmetry.
The Appendix is particularly valuable as it provides a complete list of not only all the AAU Mr. America winners, but other titles associated with the event, including the AAU Teenage Mr. America, AAU Collegiate Mr. America, and AAU Ms. America. Many IFBB top pros came out of the teenage event, including Boyer Coe, Dennis Tinerino, Branch Warren, Ray Mentzer, and 8x Mr. Olympia Lee Haney. Likewise, AAU Ms. America produced many top female bodybuilding stars, including Ms. Olympia Carla Dunlap.
At 473 pages (and over 19 hours as an audiobook!), Mr. America is not an easy read, but it provides an interesting study of physical culture and how the sport of bodybuilding evolved. TSS
[You can purchase Mr. America: The Tragic Life of a Bodybuilding Icon by John D. Fair in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats through Amazon.com.]
Lead photo by Miloš Šarčev
