Samir Bannout Says Social Media Influences Judges, Compares Arnold Schwarzenegger & Chris Bumstead – Fitness Volt

So, have you heard of Samir Bannout? He’s a retired bodybuilder who won the Mr. Olympia competition back in 1983. Anyways, I read an interesting article on Fitness Volt about him talking about how social media influences judges in bodybuilding competitions. Apparently, he thinks that some of the judges are influenced by the hype on social media around certain athletes, which can affect their decision-making. He even compared Arnold Schwarzenegger’s era to that of Chris Bumstead, suggesting that Arnold was a more well-rounded athlete without relying solely on aesthetics like some of the modern-day competitors.

To be honest, I’m not surprised by Bannout’s comments. It seems like social media has become such a huge part of our lives that it’s hard to avoid its influence in any industry. Plus, with so many people having access to social media, it’s easy for certain athletes to gain a wider following and potentially sway judges in their favor.

I remember when I used to compete in gymnastics, judges would always talk about how they had to remain objective and not let personal biases affect their scoring. But I can definitely see how that would be a difficult task in this day and age.

Overall, I think it’s important for judges in any competition to remain as impartial as possible, regardless of outside influences. It’s all about creating a fair playing field for everyone involved. But it’s definitely interesting to think about how social media has changed the game in so many different industries.