Jimmy Payne: The Forgotten Mr. America – Iron Game History – January, 2012

Shortly after World War II, the enterprising brothers of iron, Joe and Ben Weider of Montreal, formed the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) to challenge the erstwhile authority of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and its chief benefactor/power broker in weightlifting, Bob Hoffman ofYork, Pennsylvania. Although the AAU had sanctioned the world’s most prestigious physique competition, the Mr. America Contest, since 1939, the Weiders sought to capitalize on the title by sponsoring a rival event with cash incentives.