There are many ways to increase Powerlifting's popularity but the following, I feel is, one of the best opportunities for expanding the exposure of the sport.

I believe the way to make Powerlifting more popular is to make it part of a larger event, like the Arnold classic. With an event like this people who would never think about attending a powerlifting competition would come by to check it out. They may be there for some other sport but might watch it out of pure curiosity or because everyone likes to see extreme strength exhibitions.

Many stores and businesses form together at a mall because they know they can get more sales by being synergistic than by being alone. We too can take advantage of this concept by teaming together with other other sports and entertainment to bring in more and different people than we could by ourselves.

It might be more difficult for promoters to organize such events but they wouldn't all have to be as huge as the Arnold. For example Gary Kanaga is running this type of event in Cleveland on August 30. The 2nd Annual Dan Bobish Classic will be held at The Plain Dealer Pavillion and Stage in Cleveland, Ohio. The all day event will include 10 Bands, Arm Wrestling, World Strongman Competitions, and evening cage fights. $1,500 in prize money will also be awarded.

The result of this type of event will be that more competitors will show up to compete. This is why the Arnold is such a huge draw for competitors because you are not just going to a powerlifting competition you are going to be a part of a "Sports Superbowl". We all love the thrill of huge and enthusiastic audiences and know the crowds would be bigger and better because they will get to see many of there favorite sports and not just one. That is why the Olympics are so popular. Nobody watches the world championships of the sports that make up the Olympics but put them all together and all of a sudden we are stoked to see Michael Phelps win six gold medals. Using this kind of "Strength Olympics" would bring powerlifting back on to the right track and make it one of the more watched sports instead of the one confused with Weightlifting or not even known at all.

Jeff Hackett