Governor Flexes Moneymaking Muscle
Returning to his celebrity roots, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this weekend will visit the bodybuilding competition he helped create to admire sculpted physiques, greet fans who treat the event like an annual pilgrimage -- and make some money.
Schwarzenegger has a financial interest in the Arnold Fitness Weekend, a three-day exhibition in Columbus, Ohio, that also features archery, judo, table tennis and posing by the world’s “fittest, most shapely” women, according to promotional material. About 100,000 spectators and 15,000 athletes are expected.
Schwarzenegger’s partner in the exhibition, James J. Lorimer, would not disclose how much the event takes in or the governor’s share. “We don’t want to discuss that,” Lorimer said. “It’s never been about the money.”
Lawmakers and watchdog groups say Schwarzenegger should sever his ties to a moneymaking enterprise. Others cite another reason for staying away: a bodybuilding subculture tinged with steroids.
At last year’s exhibition, federal agents issued subpoenas, which led to the indictment of two men on charges of conspiring to import steroids. They have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial this month.
One of the products being sold openly by an exhibitor at the event last year contained a testosterone booster, androstenedione. A federal law outlawing sales of the substance, a steroid precursor, without a prescription took effect in January.
“It’s tremendously unfortunate that he’s not using his celebrity, his status as an icon, in a way that could really help stem the epidemic of steroid use among our young people,” said Charles Yesalis, professor of health and human development at Penn State University. “It’s no secret -- talk to anyone on the inside -- that in these contests at the elite level, drug use is rampant.”
Schwarzenegger, who arrives today, has faithfully appeared at what’s known locally as “the Arnold” for 17 years.
“I think that Arnold will want to be associated with and promote this contest for as long as he’s breathing,” said Paul Wachter, a friend and financial advisor. “And anyone who doesn’t feel it’s appropriate should just know that that’s who he is.”
A VIP ticket to the fitness weekend sells for $350. It buys admission to all events and a “dinner/dance with Arnold and competitors and more,” according to organizers. Sponsors on the event’s website include makers of dietary supplements, clothing and exercise equipment.
The focus of the weekend is the bodybuilding competition, “the Arnold Classic.” First prize brings $100,000, a watch and Schwarzenegger’s favorite vehicle on four wheels: a Hummer.
Schwarzenegger will travel to Ohio with an entourage that includes his chief of staff, two press aides, his communications director, California Highway Patrol officers and an advance team.
The bill will be paid by taxpayer funds and the governor’s campaign account. No breakdown will be available until after the trip, said Margita Thompson, the governor’s spokeswoman.
Because Schwarzenegger is making money on the event, some lawmakers argue that taxpayers should not pick up any portion of the cost.
“I don’t understand why the state would be spending for any of it,” said Sen. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough). “It has no state purpose.”
Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, said it is “unusual” for a governor to promote a “commercial event in which they have a financial stake.” He cited former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura’s moonlighting as a TV commentator for the now-defunct XFL football league.
It is “totally inappropriate for taxpayers to foot the bill for [Schwarzenegger’s] involvement,” Noble said.
A spokesman for Schwarzenegger, Rob Stutzman, who will attend the exhibition, said other elected officials have made money in private endeavors. He cited U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York), who received a reported $8 million advance for her memoir, “Living History.”
As for security, Stutzman said the governor of California is entitled to state-paid police protection wherever he goes. Governors, he said, “don’t take the oath of office and then promise not to live their lives.”
The trip comes at a time when steroid abuse is a national issue. Schwarzenegger has admitted to using steroids when he was a champion bodybuilder in decades past. He has since called for banning steroids from sports.
In a recent interview with ABC, Schwarzenegger was asked if he regretted using steroids.
“No, I have no regrets about it, because at that time, it was something new that came on the market, and we went to the doctor and did it under doctors’ supervision,” the governor told host George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.”
Schwarzenegger recently released letters he wrote years ago urging bodybuilding officials to banish steroids.
“I truly believe our sport must rid itself of steroid use and any drug use whatsoever,” Schwarzenegger wrote to the International Federation of Body-Building in 1990.
Another issue is dietary supplements. Products linked to the Arnold Fitness Weekend website promise “freaky gains in muscle size and power” and improved sexual performance.
Schwarzenegger has drawn a distinction between steroids and nutritional supplements, which have been a target of legislation in California. The governor’s office likens supplements to food.
“When it comes to the supplements, his position is that those are a food substance, and he’s very leery about that being regulated by government,” Stutzman said.
Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill by Speier last year that would have created a list of banned substances for interscholastic sports and barred supplement manufacturers from sponsoring school events. Speier is offering the bill again this year.
Controversy notwithstanding, the governor’s friends say he will never distance himself from the Ohio event. “The movie stuff ... it’s not in his soul in the same way bodybuilding is,” Wachter said. “It’s like his foundation for everything. It’s how he ... became somebody.”