Eight-Time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman Sues Gold’s Gym
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman filed a civil lawsuit against Gold’s Gym in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 28, 2008. Coleman is “claiming misappropriation of image and likeness, invasion of privacy and unjust enrichment. ” Gold’s Gym is accused of using a photograph of Ronnie Coleman in an advertising campaign to recruit new gym members without obtaining permission or paying Coleman for the commercial use of his image.
It is good to see pro bodybuilders use the courts to protect against the exploitation of their image. Current Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler filed a similar lawsuit against NDS Nutritional products last year and successfully settled the suit with the company.
TMZ broke the news on their celebrity gossip website. Sadly, TMZ chose to use the regrettable headline, “Mr. Olympia Rages at Gold’s Gym.” The use of the term “rage” in the context of bodybuilding and muscle subtlely and inappropriately suggests “roid rage.” Fortunately, a reader was quick to point out the “ridiculous and misleading” nature of the headline in their comments.
The title of this article is ridiculous and misleading. The title alone perpetuates the stereotypes of steroids. No where in the story is there any mention of rage or anger for that matter. Many of the so-called side effects of steroids have never even been proven but the media continues to use these so-called side effects to keep a bad name associated with body building and other competitive sports… Why not go after Lindsey Lohan or one of the coked out drugged up hookers. They are just as much a role model to kids as Barry Bonds or Ronnie Coleman. But I guess we want the teenage girls of America hooked on hard core drugs and driving drunk and crashing cars. Mean while guys like Bonds have a relatively quiet career, free of crashed cars and DUI’s.
