The Washington Post investigates the NPC and Pro League.
The bodybuilding and fitness world has been turned upside down with the news of the NPC, Pro League and the Manion family being investigated by the Washington Post.
Throughout the years, there have been hundreds of stories about events that took place within the NPC and Pro League, that have been swept under the carpet.
Evolutionofbodybuilding.net has reported on a number of occasions about the wrongdoings within the industry, but the reaction was either hate towards this website or it was immediately denied.
The majority of the media in the bodybuilding industry, align themselves with the NPC and Pro League. These websites never report news about other federations or athletes not affiliated with the NPC and Pro League. Due to the support the NPC and Pro League have from these websites, they only publish positive news and rarely report about anything negative.
Getting back to this website, Evolutionofbodybuilding.net was always punished for being independent and covering every major federation.
When it comes to publishing investigative articles, not one major bodybuilding and fitness website has the budget to do a good job. They can make a point, but taking it to the next level, the bodybuilding media would need substantial financial backing.
Then, one fine morning, the world wakes up to the Washington Post publishing an article focusing on sexual exploitation within the NPC and Pro League.
The Washington Post Investigates the NPC and Pro League
The Washington Post published the first of a series of articles investigating the NPC, Pro League and the Manion family on 25 October, 2022.
Titled “Built & Broken – Female bodybuilders describe widespread sexual exploitation“, the newspaper investigates the alleged sexual exploitation of women within the NPC and Pro League.
The Washington Post, is one of the most respected and powerful newspapers in the world, with a team of some of the best investigative journalists in the world.
The journalist leading this investigation is Desmond Butler, the son of the late George Butler, the writer, director and producer of ‘Pumping Iron’.
Read More: How I wound up investigating the sport my father made famous
The first article features a number of interviews with former female athletes that competed within the NPC and Pro League. Focused on their experiences with the Manion family, judges and officials, some serious allegations have been revealed.
While many believed that Jim Manion, the president of the NPC and Pro League, would be singled out, the focus would be on his son J.M. Manion.
The Washington Post revealed that J.M. Manion, who is a photographer by profession, allegedly shot the photos and operated a network of paid soft-core pornography websites, that at one point advertised “over 30,000 images” of competitors in the sport, according to the Washington Post.
According to the article, a review of website archives identified more than 200 female athletes in photos allegedly ranging from casual bikini shots to graphic, sexual images, including those of nude women together in beds, bathtubs and showers. One of J.M.’s sites, Fitness Divas, bluntly stated: “Your Favorite Fitness Athletes …Naked!”
The article continues with various female athletes telling their side of the story about their experiences with J.M.Manion and other officials.
How will this affect the bodybuilding industry?
The article by the Washington Post will surely not go unnoticed, starting a chain reaction of events that will surely hit the NPC and Pro League in a negative way.
Some questions will need to be answered:
How will the major sponsors react to this article and the others that are to be published?
Will the major sponsors, promoters and athletes want to distance themselves from the NPC. Pro League and the Manion’s?
Will Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jake Wood,the owner of the Olympia Weekend, continue to work with the NPC, Pro League and the Manion’s? If not, will they align themselves with another major federation?
Will the Manion’s try to fix the situation or continue to deny that there was any alleged wrong doing?
Will these alleged revelations force promoters to reconsider working with the NPC and Pro League for the 2023 season?
These and many more questions will need to be answered in the near future.
Evolutionofbodybuilding.net will continue to cover the investigations by the Washington Post in the following weeks.
Click on the image below for the full article by the Washington Post
