Shawn Ray Leaves MD

Shawn Ray Leaves MD

On his own YouTube channel, Shawn Ray has announced that he’s leaving Muscular Development (MD) after 10 years! Shawn joins a growing list of MD’s former contributors including: Peter McGough, Dave Palumbo, John Romano, Shawn Andros, Dave Bourlet, Robbie Durand, David Baye, Bob Chicherillo, Dab Solomon, King Kamali, Flex Wheeler, Adina Zanolli, Per Bernal, and many others. But if you’ve followed Shawn Ray’s professional career, you’ll know he’s never had to work outside of the bodybuilding industry and he’s always had something else lined up before he’s left any business venture. Shawn’s indeed a survivor and despite being retired from pro bodybuilding since 2001, he’s continued making a living in the industry.    

Why is Shawn Ray Leaving MD?

Despite the rumors, Ray has NOT said he’s leaving MD to work for Flex, Generation Iron, Muscle Insider, RxMuscle, Digital Muscle or any other media source. But he does give some clues in his resignation video that show us he’s going to “…continue to deliver hard-hitting news, exclusive contest coverage…“ Shawn states:

“We’ve gotten to that point in my career where I’m going to do other things. There’s more things that I have on my plate beyond Muscular Development. I’m not going to disappear from the landscape. I’m going to continue to deliver hard-hitting news, exclusive contest coverage, and of course the evolution of bodybuilding and fitness around the world. It’s what I do, it’s who I am, and naturally, I’ll be available to you guys through my social media…I’ll miss you, I’m not dead, I’m just reinventing myself and stay tuned for some news coming through my own social media as we move forward through this journey together…”   

But with less than two weeks until the Olympia, it seems strange that Shawn Ray would leave MD this close to the biggest contest of the year! The Olympia is a show that MD always covers which Ray would have been a critical part of their contest coverage. Why would he do this? MD has been loyal to Shawn for the last 10 years despite a rollercoaster ride with highs and lows in the market and challenges from advertisers. MD Publisher Steve Blechman had to fire many extremely talented people over the years but he always protected Shawn. And with the growth of digitally-focused media sources like RxMuscle, Muscle Insider, and Generation Iron, it’s become harder for large magazines like MD to attract the same assortment of sponsors they once had. Sponsors drive the financial engines required to create great content, and without it, a media source becomes just a hobby for its owners. Fans want great content. Sponsors want to reach fans. The two are dependent on each other. Leaving MD two weeks before the Olympia will definitely raise eyebrows with their sponsors and fans. When the dust settles, MD will continue to do great contest coverage and Shawn Ray will continue to make a healthy living in the bodybuilding industry. As more updates come in, we’ll keep you posted.