Fox Sports One and the Bodybuilding/Fitness World...Could It Happen?

For those that are sports fanatics, a new multi-sports channel called Fox Sports One will be launched on August 17 of this year. This is a big thing as it will give sports-news juggernaut ESPN a run for their money. Currently, the main sports that will be part of Fox Sports One are college basketball and football, MLB (in 2014), NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), soccer and UFC.

Photo credit: Fox Sports MSN website

On that note, FitGems was thinking...can Fox Sports One eventually be a future home for our sport? ESPN used to be the home of bodybuilding events. A lot of you can recall the days that the Fitness America Pageant was broadcast on ESPN2 and for some, it launched their careers in a big way. I owe them a reason  for me even FINDING OUT about the sport of bodybuilding. But sadly, that's no longer the case on ESPN and I highly doubt they will ever show events like that again...not at long as spelling bees and hot dog eating contests are telecast on there. That, and more OPINIONATED material rather than actual sports news and sporting events.

Fox Sports One has the opportunity to truly become an alternative to ESPN by broadcasting some of the events of the bodybuilding world such as the Arnold, Olympia, and Nationals. The market seems to be out there. I mean, people watch "crap" (and I'm using it the nicest way I humanly can) such as Honey Boo Boo and the Kardashians on a weekly basis, so why not? There are crazier things on TV...things that get big ratings, BTW. And if it can't be a cable network, maybe make it an online channel for apps or something. It seems like with the emergence of divisions that are less about size and more about a more attainable look (bikini division, I'm looking right at you) now would be a great time to truly take this sport to a mainstream level in terms of exposure.

What do you think? Should Fox Sports One look into having bodybuilding (and by that, I mean all the divisions) on their upcoming channel, or even with the more "mainstream-look" divisions, the sport is too "cult-like" for mainstream television? Comment below or leave a comment at our Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/fitgemsnation.

Who FitGems would cast as Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman, from back cover of Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Princess

For those that are fans of the iconic superheroine Wonder Woman, a new TV series is set to be made soon. And the actress that will play this iconic role is Adrianne Palicki. For those that don't know, Adrianne is from Friday Night Lights. I've done some research on her, and has found out that she can act, she's pretty tall, and she can take a hit or two. Not to mention, she's very beautiful. Be that as it may...I'm just not convinced that she's the right person. This is not meant to be a knock on Adrianne, just my own personal observation. When I envision Wonder Woman, I see someone who has an athletic, imposing look about her. Again, for some reason or another, I just don't see that in Adrianne...not right now, anyways.

However, I do know of five past/present women from the fitness industry who (in my honest opinion) could pull off being the most iconic superheroine of all time:

1) Courtney West

Photo credit: Muscular Development

This rising figure star in IFBB Figure is among the tallest figure competitors out there today, with one of the most slender and toned physiques in the industry as well. I don't know much about her acting skills though, but from what I've heard, she has one heck of a personality on her. Plus, as far as having heart is concerned, anyone who donates their entire paycheck for their first pro win to a worthy cause such as breast cancer is truly has a great heart. To me, Courtney strikes me as someone who could wear the suit with pride.

2) Erin Stern

Photo credit: Muscular Development

Much like Courtney, Erin has that imposing yet slender physique that resembles most people's idea of what a superheroine looks like. She's also a bit of a goof as well (which is a good thing. You don't need to be TOO serious all the time), for those that have her on Facebook. Another one of those people that you just want to be around, as she's that cool. In addition to that, she's pretty strong as well. She trains almost like how you expect to see Wonder Woman train.

3) Amanda Latona

Photo credit: Muscular Development

Perhaps the most experience when it comes to mainstream exposure, Amanda is one of those women who you have to be absolutely CRAZY not to like. I've heard from many that she's one of the most energetic and craziest people you'll ever meet. She's established herself as one of the top bikini competitors in the world right now, with two pro wins and a top-five finish at this past year's Bikini Olympia. She's unbelievably gorgeous. She's got the height for it as well. Oh...and did I mention that she's got some talent on her?! If you haven't heard her sing, you need to. Someone as multi-talented as Amanda would be a great Wonder Woman.

4) Valerie Waugaman

Photo credit: Muscular Development

Take one good look at Valerie, and one wouldn't have to guess why she would be a great choice to play Wonder Woman. She's tall, EXTREMELY built, and she's tough as nails, as she proved to the world as Siren on NBC's revamp of American Gladiators. No to mentioned that she's strikingly beautiful. She's even been giving a cool superhero nickname (The Green Goddess)! IMHO, she might have the best "Wonder Woman" combination.

5) Jennifer Widerstrom

Much like Valerie, Jennifer has amazing strength and beauty that is hard to duplicate. She's a well-likable person, appearing in multiple advertisements and most recently, the Weider X-Factor workout machine. Her major claim to fame was being Phoenix on NBC's American Gladiators, and her physical appearance and dominance was definitely one worthy of Wonder Woman.

For the record, this is not to change the minds of NBC, or to spark fires. I simply wrote this to see how you would think about having Wonder Woman casted by someone from the fitness industry (which I think would come off more believable in this day and age, just saying). Do you agree or disagree? Is there someone I missed? Leave your comments below, and if there's enough replies, I'll share your answers on a future post.

What do YOU want me to write about on FitGems Nation?

I'm thankful that many of you take the time to read on things and opinions I have to say on some parts in the industry. So as my way of saying thanks, I'm going to give the power to you. What is it that YOU want me to write about? WHO is is that you want me to write about? It is a certain show? A certain competitor? My views on today's figure standard? My thoughts on whether or not a bikini division should exist in the IFBB? Should another federation step up and challenge the IFBB for supremacy? I want to hear your ideas. I'm open to any and all ideas and suggestions.

You can either send me a Twit (http://twitter.com/fitgemsnation), email me (admin@fitgemsnation.net), leave a comment via the Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/FitGems-Nation/172803974346?ref=ts), or leave a comment below.

Once again, thank you everyone for all the support! :)

Poll Results for April-May 2010 and New Poll for Summer (June-August) 2010

Thanks to everyone that voted on the poll that was supposed to have been just for April, however I decided to give the poll another month of voting. I asked you How do you feel about IFBB Pro Bikini, with its first couple of shows in the books? 59% of you said that it's a great addition to the IFBB (which I agree with entirely),while 41% of you said that it's just another T and A division for the IFBB. I'm very surprised no one chose the option of "I need to see the rest of this year's shows to make an opinion". I can only assume that either you like the new division or you hate the new division. All I can say that the division is here, and it will be here for quite some time. Deal with it. :)

Now, onto a new poll, which I'm PURPOSELY extending until the end of August, because I really want to get your opinion on this one. The poll question for Summer of 2010 is...

Should IFBB follow the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and NASCAR, and adopt an All-Star Weekend? Yes, No, or Maybe?

Some of you might be scratching your heads on this one, but it will make a bit more sense with a post I'll be doing about it within the coming days. I think you mike like what I have in store for you. 

Uhh...Jillian?! Babies DON'T ruin bodies...Just ask OUR ladies! :)

I was going through the news on Yahoo like I usually do, and I came upon an article about some controversial comments made by Jillian Michaels. For those that don't know who I'm talking about (if you have a TV, how could you not?!), she's known as TV's Toughest Trainer for NBC's The Biggest Loser. The thing that made it controversial was the fact that she didn't want children because of what it would do to her body. I won't quote what she said; I'll let you look at the link for yourself.

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/jillian-michaels-criticized-for-antipregnancy-comments--1178

Uhh...I will never know how having a baby will affect your figure (I'm male, for those that don't know), but I can say from some of my fitness friends that childhood is NOT the end of your body. You CAN get your figure back. Heck, some seem to thrive better AFTER having a child. There's a lot of examples out there, here's a few that come to mind.

IFBB Figure Pro Christine Pomponio-Pate became pregnant with her first child in 2007, and gave birth to Riley sometime after Christmas that year. Nearly two months later, she lost all of her baby weight (and btw, she didn't have much to lose thanks to her eating habits and workout routine...during labor.) She has went on to do big things, and will go on to even bigger things, if you've all been paying attention to the recent FitGems posts on Christine.

Last year's FitGems FitMom winner, Niki DelGrosso, is a mother of TRIPLETS and is competing her heart out even to this day of one day achieving her pro card.

And don't even get me started on Tanya Merryman and Jennifer Gates. Both women have children and have worked hard to hold top honors in their organizations. Tanya became the first mother to win the Fitness America overall title, and Jennifer became the first mother to win an Olympia championship (from ANY division). Yeah, to me, I think this is one of those times that I think Jillian MIGHT have put her foot in her mouth. For those wondering, this is NOT a diss at her whatsoever, just my own personal take on the matter.

So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with what Jillian had to say? Sound off in the comments below.