When you’ve been in strength sports or a sport at all long enough, you start to notice something uncomfortable:
Some sports pack arenas.
Some fill expo halls.
And some… mostly fill warm-up rooms.
So let’s answer the question honestly:
Which Barbell Sport Has the Most Fans: Bodybuilding, Strongman, Olympic Weightlifting, or Powerlifting?
From most fans to least fans globally:
- Bodybuilding
- Strongman
- Olympic Weightlifting
- Powerlifting
Now let’s break down why.
1️⃣ IFBB Bodybuilding – The Largest Audience Sport
When you think of physique competition, you think of the Mr. Olympia. There’s a reason why every supplement company has fitness models or bodybuilders as the faces of their company. They simply have the most fans and that means more people buying the products.
But why does Bodybuilding have the most fans? It’s simple really:
It’s visually universal.
You don’t need to understand technique, weight classes, leverages or programming
You just look at the stage and say: “Wow.”
The physiques are extreme. The lighting is dramatic and the presentation is theatrical. It’s built for spectators.
Add in:
- Massive social media presence
- Influencer crossover
- Physique-based lifestyle appeal
- Mainstream supplement marketing
And you have a sport that sells aspiration.
Bodybuilding has turned physiques into entertainment.
Total viewers: over 10k in arenas and millions worldwide online.
2️⃣ World’s Strongest Man – The Spectacle Sport
Strongman has something bodybuilding doesn’t:
Raw chaos.
Atlas stones. Log presses. Truck pulls. Fingal’s fingers.
Events like the Arnold Strongman Classic and World’s Strongest Man have built global recognition because the events are dramatic and easy to understand:
- Lift the heaviest thing.
- Move it the fastest.
- Survive the most brutal event.
You don’t need to know technical intricacies to appreciate someone pulling a plane.
Strongman works because it’s primal, unpredictable and television friendly.
But here’s the limitation:
It’s event-based. Outside major competitions, it doesn’t have the same year-round viewer engagement as bodybuilding content. I’ve seen high school football games with more fans than local comps.
Total viewers: 220 million worldwide annually with events like Britain’s Strongest Man bringing in 10K spectators at Royal Albert Hall.
3️⃣ Olympic Weightlifting – The Global Stage Sport With A Rich History
Olympic weightlifting holds a unique position.
Because of its presence in the Summer Olympics and long rich history, it has something the other sports on this list don’t have:
Built-in global exposure.
Every four years, millions of viewers watch athletes snatch and clean & jerk at the highest level.
It also has:
- Deep international rivalries
- National pride
- Government-supported athlete pipelines in many countries
- Technical beauty that appeals to trained eyes
But here’s the reality:
Outside of the Olympics, viewership drops significantly.
The sport is highly technical.Missed lifts can confuse casual fans. Weight classes and attempt strategies aren’t always explained well.
To trained lifters, a perfect snatch is art.
To casual viewers, it can look like “they lifted it or they didn’t.”
Olympic weightlifting benefits massively from its Olympic platform — but it struggles to maintain that same attention year-round. This is in part due to the repetitiveness. The same two lifts over and over again. This makes it difficult to get untrained people to become new fans.
Total viewers: Ranging from millions of viewers during the Olympics to 1,500 spectators at national level events.
4️⃣ Powerlifting – The Athlete-Heavy Sport
Now we get to powerlifting, and this is where things get uncomfortable.
Powerlifting likely has more participants than spectators.
Local meets are filled with lifters, coaches, family and friends, but not many pure fans.
Why?
1. Very Technical and Rule Heavy.
- Wondering why a lifter missed a lift because their elbows weren’t “low” enough or their feet slid during a bench is enough to discouraged most of the general public from wanting to watch or become regular fans.
- No clear reasoning why a lift is turned down. A Ref holds up a red, yellow or blue card. Who the hell knows what those things mean unless you’ve read the rule book. The “fans” are always left asking questions.
2. It’s Repetitive and Long.
- Squat. Bench. Deadlift. Repeat hundreds of times. I’ve seen people actually sleeping in the audience. I can’t blame them after watching the same thing for 8hrs. I mean football is long and that’s only 3 hrs at most. In a day and age where people have the attention span of a goldfish, we need to shorten these runtimes drastically.
3. It Lacks Spectacle.
To a casual viewer, a 650 squat and a 700 squat can look identical. Throw gear and technical rules on top of that and you lost everyone.
Even at high levels like the IPF World Championships, the viewership is niche compared to physique or strongman events — and even compared to Olympic exposure every four years.
Total viewers: 500-1000 at national events (again, most tickets being lifters friends and family), with the largest being over 2k at Sheffield.
The Hard Question
If a sport has more athletes than fans…
Who is it actually for?
Is it:
- A participation sport?
- A self-development outlet where people can feel like they’re part of a community?
- A competitive hobby? Maybe for kids that didn’t make their high school team but still want to compete in something or for the athlete that didn’t make it to the pros in their chosen sport but still wants a competitive outlet?
- A coaching ecosystem?
- A testing ground for personal limits?
- Maybe a way to escape everyday life?
Or is it something that simply hasn’t figured out how to package itself?
After being in the sport for 30 years I’ve seen the good and the bad. So when I was asked this question recently by a good friend of mine Nathan Baxter, my response was, I think it’s for the promoter. Unless you are in the top 1%, No one else profits from the sport like they do. There are no true fans, so no one outside the sport is getting joy from it. There is no pro league in the sport so the athletes don’t profit, at least nothing beyond the excitement of competing. Don’t get me wrong that’s important but we are talking bigger picture here and for a sport to grow it needs to have fans, not rely on more athletes to keep it profitable.
So I did some digging. I researched and asked friends that have promoted meets and this is what I came up with.
What Does an Average Powerlifting Meet Cost?
(Numbers vary by federation and region, but this is a realistic mid-size meet example in the USA.)
Athlete Costs
- Entry fee: $100–$180
- Federation membership: $40–$100
- Travel, hotel, food: variable
Let’s assume:
Average entry fee: $150
With 100 lifters:
$15,000 in entry fees
Promoter Costs (Rough Estimates)
- Venue rental: $1,500–$5,000( the top end would be for a much larger venue while others may run meets out of their own gym on off days for $0)
- Equipment rental or transport: $2,000–$4,000 ($0 If they own it)
- Insurance & sanction fees: $1,000–$2,000
- Staff/spotter platform crew: $1,000–$2,000
- Awards/medals: $150–$500
- Miscellaneous (livestream, permits, supplies): $1,000–$2,000
Estimated total expenses:
$5,650–$13,500
Let’s assume a middle ground:
$9,575 in expenses
Additional Revenue Streams
Now let’s factor in the other common income sources.
Sponsor Contributions
Local supplement companies, apparel brands, or gyms often sponsor small-to-mid meets.
- Small local sponsor: $250–$500
- Mid-level sponsor: $500–$1,500
- Title sponsor: $1,500–$3,000
A realistic small meet might bring in:
$1,500–$5,000 in sponsorships
Let’s conservatively assume:
$1,500
Vendor Booth Fees
Vendors pay for booth space to sell apparel, supplements, or services.
- Booth fee: $200–$500 per vendor
- 4–8 vendors typical at a 100-lifter meet
Estimated vendor revenue:
$1,000–$3,000
Let’s go low and assume:
$500
Spectator Ticket Sales
This is where things vary drastically.
- Day pass: $10–$25
- Weekend pass: $20–$40
At local meets, most spectators are family and friends.
If:
- 150 spectators attend throughout the day
- Average ticket price: $20
That’s:
$3,000 in ticket sales
Many meets see less. Larger regional meets may see more.
Potential Outcome for 100 Lifters
Base Entry Revenue:
$15,000
Plus Sponsors:
$1,500
Plus Vendors:
$500
Plus Spectators:
$3,000
Total Revenue: $20,000
Minus Estimated Expenses:
$9,575
Estimated Promoter Profit:
~$10,425
Now that’s a pretty good day.
But here’s the reality:
- Not every meet gets $1,500 in sponsors.
- Not every meet gets 150 paying spectators.
- Some venues cost far more.
- Equipment transport can spike costs.
- Some federations charge higher sanction fees.
- A poorly attended meet could drop profit.
Now Here’s the Key
If most revenue comes from athlete entry fees, and sponsors are typically targeting the lifters…
And spectators are mostly friends and family…
Then the sport is primarily funded by its participants, not by fans.
Which brings us back to the uncomfortable question:
If a sport survives without needing spectators…
Who is it really built for?
And if growth depends on more lifters entering meets — not more fans buying tickets —
Is that a ceiling? Or is that the model?
I want to hear what you have to say.
Should powerlifting aim to become more fan-driven like bodybuilding?
What about spectacle based like strongman?
Or is there power in being a participant-funded sport?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. I want to hear your thoughts.
And if you’re serious about competing at a higher level — or building something bigger within the sport — reach out.
Let’s build stronger athletes — and stronger sports.
Great points!!
Thanks. what are you thoughts tho? who is it for?