“Was So Jealous of Him”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Admits How Yesteryear NFL Star Joe Namath Fueled Him to Grow Bodybuilding

Before Arnold Schwarzenegger rose to fame and established the Arnold Sports Festival, which now hosts several aesthetic and combat sports, he knew bodybuilding wasn’t popular. Having struggled to get his town to accept his profession was just the beginning of several hurdles he faced on moving to America. Yet, he managed to not only make it big in the industry but also popularize the sport. In a candid conversation with the Kelce brothers, Jason and Travis, he revealed who fueled his desire.

Yesteryear New York Jets legend Joe Namath had grown famous as a star Quarterback, so much so that he was a familiar face all around. Apart from being a household name back in the day, he also seemed to have set a fire in Schwarzenegger’s heart to see bodybuilding at the same level of popularity.

Speaking to the Kelce brothers, he recalled how he came to America at 21 with a head full of dreams, only to see bodybuilding barely providing him enough to survive. As Schwarzenegger took on a brick-laying job to support his passion, he saw Namath on TV flaunting his glamor.

“When I came to this country, I was so jealous of him…in bodybuilding, I had to go do brick-laying jobs. I made no money in bodybuilding.”

Things went down south when he saw the NFL “endorsing pantyhose” because of his popularity. Schwarzenegger couldn’t help but compare his lifestyle to his fellow athlete where millions would watch Namath’s sport while he never had financial support or sponsorships in bodybuilding.

How did Joe Namath inspire Arnold to grow the sport of bodybuilding? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/SRmCPrIkli

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Namath was quite good-looking and often attracted viewers, along with his solid game skills. So when he did endorsements, Schwarzenegger revealed how he had been making big bucks even in the 70s.

“Way back then, he gets $1,000,000 for an endorsement!”

However, Schwarzenegger worked on growing bodybuilding not only as a sport but as a space for fitness enthusiasts to explore new avenues. With Arnold’s Sports Festival gaining more and more popularity each year, it looks like his vision has come to life.

Arnold Schwarzenegger began as a powerlifter for a special reason

While Schwarzenegger was crowned the Mr. Universe at 20, the journey of becoming a bodybuilder wasn’t easy. Hailing from a small town in Austria, he knew the people around him wouldn’t consider his dream profession to be respectable. He often recalled in various memoirs how he had to work his way around.

The stereotype that bodybuilders were vain and only cared about aesthetics was prevalent back then.

Schwarzenegger picked up powerlifting as his choice of sport which allowed him to train and build his body while also participating in competitions.