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There's no telling how long this deal was in the works, but its announcement certainly seems to have been well-timed; just as "American Gladiators" returned to television, Liberty Media took control of Bodybuilding.com.

Yes, I'll admit to having watched "American Gladiators" on both Sunday and Monday, and although the show needs to lose about 90 percent of its dialogue (a term I use loosely), it was kind of fun.  It was also the sort of thing that'll probably send dozens of guys to the nearest gym, and hundreds more to the nearest bodybuilding website.

Odds are decent that the site'll be Bodybuilding.com, which claims to have received 3,100,000 unique visitors in November of 2007.  Also, Michael Zeisser, the senior vice president of Liberty Media, stated, "Bodybuilding.com is a fast growing leader in fitness nutrition e-commerce and the authentic voice of the bodybuilding community . . ."

So a large price tag on Bodybuilding.com makes sense, and Jessica E. Vascellaro reports that a controlling stake cost Liberty Media "more than $100 million."  No layoffs or reorganizations are planned; this appears to have been a simple reshuffling of ownership papers.  I'd recommend some tie-ins with "American Gladiators," though, if there's any money left over for advertising.