The Sport That Built Me
Strongman was my first introduction to strength sports.
Before I ever touched a barbell with intent, before I understood programming or competition strategy, before I knew what discipline or long-term commitment really meant, I watched strongmen. I watched people pick up impossible weights, grind through suffering, and refuse to quit when everything said they should. That planted a seed that changed the entire direction of my life.
Strongman didn’t just entertain me—it showed me a path. It taught me what effort and resilience looked like.What it meant to show up when things were heavy and uncomfortable and uncertain. Without that early exposure, I honestly don’t know who I’d be today.
That’s why events like the Shaw Classic / Strongest Man on Earth matter so much more than a weekend of competition.
They are the entry point.
For a lot of people, strongman is the first time they realize there’s a place for them in this world. That you don’t have to look a certain way, move a certain way, or fit into a clean little box to belong. You just have to be willing to work—and suffer—toward something bigger than yourself.
If competitions like SMOE disappear, it’s not just another event off the calendar. It’s an entire generation potentially missing the moment that could change their trajectory. The moment where they see themselves in these athletes and think, “That could be me.”
Strongman gave me that moment.
And I don’t want to see one of those doors closed behind me.
This article isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about responsibility—protecting the sport that shaped us, and making sure it’s still there for the next kid who needs to see their future in someone lifting something impossibly heavy.
Brass tacks
Strongman doesn’t have a talent problem.
It doesn’t have a fan problem.
It has a business and structure problem.
And if there’s one event that should be able to solve that problem, it’s the Shaw Classic / Strongest Man on Earth (SMOE).
This isn’t just another contest. It’s Brian Shaw’s vision of what strongman could be—athlete-focused, fair, brutally hard, and respected. That’s exactly why its struggles matter. If an event with Brian Shaw’s credibility can’t survive under the current model, then the model itself is broken.
So the question isn’t “Why is the Shaw Classic struggling?”
The real question is: How do you fix it without selling out the sport?
The Hard Truth: Bigger Isn’t Better Anymore
Strongman keeps trying to win by going bigger:
- Bigger venues
- Bigger productions
- More events
- Longer days
That approach is killing margins and burning out everyone involved—promoters, athletes,spectators and sponsors.
The Shaw Classic doesn’t need to be the heaviest show with the most events on earth.
It needs to be the best-run.
The future of SMOE and strongman as a whole shouldn’t be a spectacle.
It should be premium entertainment.
Premium events like the Keg bench press at SMOE or arguably the most spectacular event ever,”The Wheel Of Pain” at the Arnold are great examples of premium events.
That’s how tennis, golf, and motorsports operate. Strongman needs to learn that lesson and dive deeper into that.
Step 1: Reposition SMOE as the “Wimbledon of Strongman”
Instead of competing with Worlds, the Arnold, or Rogue on size, SMOE should own prestige.
That means:
- Smaller, elite-only field (10-12 athletes)
- Less events. 5-6 total
When fewer athletes compete with less events:
- The product is tighter
- The storylines are clearer
- The event costs less
- The sponsors get more exposure per athlete
- The Prize money goes up per athlete
This format helps everyone involved, not to mention the spectators. People don’t want to sit for 6-8 hours and come back the next day just to do it all over again. Strongman is the only sport where you have to come back the second day just to watch the other half of the show. You’re giving spectators an opportunity not to come back. Don’t give them a reason to leave.
Europe’s Strongest Man, has the right idea in my opinion. Known as “The greatest one-day strongman show on earth”. A one day event that is fast paced, high action, with tense situations that keep people on the edge of their seats.
If the sport wants to survive, this is a great blueprint to follow and how the sport should be executed in the future.
Step 2: Stop Selling Logos—Start Selling Stories
Most strongman sponsorships are lazy:
- Banner logos
- Shirt logos
- Social media shoutouts
That doesn’t move the needle anymore.
SMOE’s real value is athlete-driven content, and Brian Shaw already understands media better than almost anyone in the sport.
Sponsors should be buying:
- “Road to SMOE” content series
- Training footage
- Athlete profiles
- Behind-the-scenes access
- Short-form clips optimized for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts
Instead of:
“Your logo will be on a banner”
The pitch becomes:
“Your brand will own the strongest humans on earth preparing for the hardest contest in the sport.”
Having exclusive rights to behind the scenes training is something no one is doing. Now that’s a completely different conversation. Both for the athletes and sponsors
Step 3: A Lean Media & Livestream Plan for the Shaw Classic / SMOE
The goal is simple:
Look professional.
Spend less.
Create more usable content.
Strongman doesn’t need ESPN-level production. It needs consistent, clean, digital-first coverage that works on YouTube, PPV, and social platforms.
1. Ditch “Broadcast Thinking” — Go Digital-First
Traditional broadcast production is what kills budgets:
- Large crews
- Expensive trucks
- Overengineered setups
Instead: build SMOE as a creator-style digital production.
Core principle:
The livestream is just one piece of the content ecosystem.
Everything shot should also:
- Become clips
- Become reels
- Become sponsor assets
- Become future promos
2. The Minimal Camera Setup (This Is Enough)
You do not need 10 cameras.
Base Setup (4-6 Cameras Total)
- Wide static main cam
- Covers entire event
- Locked tripod
- Covers entire event
- Tight action cam
- Zoomed on athlete movement
- Zoomed on athlete movement
- Side angle cam (can be done with handheld gimbal)
- Adds depth and drama
- Adds depth and drama
- Overhead or elevated cam (optional)
- One ladder/platform angle
- One ladder/platform angle
- Mobile handheld gimbal cam
- Walk-ins, reactions, crowd, sponsors
- Walk-ins, reactions, crowd, sponsors
- Commentary / host cam
- Can double as interview cam
- Can double as interview cam
That’s it.
More cameras = more operators = more cost = more mistakes.
3. Crew Size (Where Most Events Overspend)
You can run this with 6–10 people total.
Core Crew
- 1 Technical Director / Switcher
- 1 Stream Engineer
- 4 Camera Operators
- 1 Audio tech
- 1 Host / commentator (2 is better tho)
- 1 Utility shooter / clip editor
Compare that to the 20–30 person crews many strongman events try to run. This alone saves tens of thousands.
4. Use Software Switching, Not Broadcast Trucks
Broadcast trucks are a money pit.
Use:
- vMix or OBS Studio
- Blackmagic ATEM switchers
- Portable encoding hardware
Benefits:
- Fraction of the cost
- Easier redundancy
- Faster setup
- Fewer points of failure
This is how most large YouTube events are run now and the quality is fantastic.
5. One Stream, Multiple Outputs
Instead of producing:
- One livestream
- Separate social clips
- Separate sponsor videos
Capture everything once.
Simultaneous Outputs:
- Vertical crop for shorts
- Clean feed for sponsor ads
- Raw footage archive for post-event edits
This multiplies value without multiplying cost.
6. Pre-Record What You Can (Massive Cost Saver)
Live is expensive.
Pre-recorded is cheap and better controlled.
Pre-Record:
- Athlete intros
- Event explainers
- Sponsor reads
- Rules breakdowns
- Brian Shaw segments
Then drop them into the livestream.
This:
- Reduces on-air mistakes
- Keeps pacing tight
- Reduces live crew stress
7. Build the Livestream Around the Schedule (Not the Other Way Around)
Most strongman streams drag because they film everything.
Instead:
- Hard start times
- Tight run-of-show
- Cut away during long resets
- Use pre-recorded content during downtime
Fans don’t need to watch plates get loaded.
Sponsors don’t want dead air.
8. Monetize the Stream Properly (To Offset Cost)
If you’re paying for video, it must pay you back.
Revenue Options:
- Paid livestream (low-cost, high-volume)
- Sponsor pre-rolls
- Mid-event sponsor reads
- Sponsored replays. These can be shown in between events
- “Presented by” event segments
Even modest monetization can fully cover production if done correctly.
9. Use Brian’s and the other athletes Existing Audience as Leverage
This is huge.
They already have:
- YouTube audience
- Instagram following
- Credibility
Use that to:
- Cross-promote the stream
- Bundle sponsor placements with their personal channels
- Reduce paid ad spend
That alone can replace thousands in marketing costs.
10. Post-Event Content Is Where the Real ROI Is
The livestream is not the product.
The product is:
- Weeks of clips
- YouTube videos
- Highlights
- Athlete features
- Sponsor reels
One event should feed content for:
- 60–90 days minimum
If you’re not doing that, you’re wasting money.
Step 4: Let Brian Shaw Be the Commissioner, Not the Pack Mule
Brian Shaw is the asset. I get it. When you build something yourself, you want everything to be right but that stretches you thin.
No one person should be:
- Promoter
- Organizer
- Financial backstop
- Talent liaison
- Media face
- Event set up and testing. etc……
That’s how burnout happens.
SMOE needs:
- A business operator
- A media/production partner
- A dedicated sponsorship sales lead
Brian’s role should be:
- Commissioner
- Final authority
- Vision holder
Strongman keeps failing because lifters try to do everything themselves. It’s how we’re built. That model doesn’t scale. He built something that no one thought possible in such a short time during a time when it shouldn’t have happened, but it has outgrown him and his wife and that’s a good thing if they let it.
The Bigger Picture: Why Saving SMOE Matters
This isn’t just about one competition.
If the Shaw Classic can prove that:
- Athletes can be paid fairly
- Sponsors can get real ROI
- Fans get a better product
Then it becomes the blueprint.
Final Thought
SMOE has the credibility, the athletes, and the leadership to show the sport what a professional strongman show actually looks like and they have done that in so many ways. They have changed the game in such a short time frame but there is always room to grow. I can only hope this article finds Brian and Keri and helps them just a little, because strongman is too important to fall and I would hate to see a great show like this leave.
If strongman meant something to you, don’t just read this and move on.
Support the events that are trying to do it right. Talk about them. Share this article. Show promoters and sponsors that strongman still matters. Because if we stay silent while the best-run events struggle, we don’t get to complain when they disappear.
Check out the history of the Shaw Classic (SMOE) Here
0 Comments