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Evaluating Yahoo’s hiring of Dave Meltzer
By Zach Arnold | October 10, 2007
Making the case for Dave Meltzer’s importance in MMA coverage and ripping on the evil Zach Arnold:
Meltzer’s ascension is not only deserved, but it could shape the way we read and digest thoughts and ideas on MMA. Coverage effects how we all view our MMA. The Sam Caplans’ and Todd Martins’ of the world are excelling because they understand the synergy and goals of business and entertainment as much as true sport. They are equally necessary. And somewhere in between Josh Gross and noted Negative Nancy Zach Arnold (great for community of MMA journalism, but often a malcontent when the sky isn’t falling) there is Dave Meltzer. Well, in between it all is Fight Linker, but that’s commentary.
Who predicted the collapse of PRIDE before it was ever conventional wisdom in any media circles? I took two years of abuse for that one. The track record is good.
As for the hiring of Dave Meltzer at Yahoo Sports, it’s a good utility move. If there are both major boxing and MMA events happening on the same weekend, Meltzer can cover the MMA show and Kevin Iole can cover the boxing event. The move also allows Yahoo Sports to cover any major scandals or deaths in the pro-wrestling business (like the Benoit tragedy) with some credibility.
Topics: MMA, Media, Pro-Wrestling, Zach Arnold | | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
Hey Zach, i’ve been with you and continue to read you - keep up the good work
And still - the world needs ‘negative nancy’s’ to offer a bit of perspective!
Journalists often call one another witch-hunters & ambulance chasers when their jobs are threatened. You been tossing around resumés, Zach?
I’d be honored to write for your newspaper.
Zach, sometimes the amateur-hour journos on some of the more popular MMA websites are so incapable of seeing anything above the next Ultimate Fight Night show that when a true professional such as yourself BREAKS news that they can’t believe (mostly because they are too dumb to fully understand it) or shows us facts and figures WITHOUT the company spin, assessing them for what they really mean, they automatically feel the need to attack the journalist/writer who is simply attempting to give MMA fans the FULL story. I mean, some of these ‘writers’ are willing to regurgitate Zuffa press releases and pass them of as some kind of insight. They are what we call in the business, USELESS FUCKING MORONS.
So, Yahoo did well in picking up Meltzer, who has close relationships throughout the MMA world and in particular with Zuffa management, more so than most. But also thank you to Fight Opinion for contributing so much BEFORE so many in regards to the huge issues facing MMA at the moment.
Yahoo made a great hire with Meltzer. Hopefully his coverage will balance out Iole’s less than stellar contribution.
I think the main difference is that Zach isn’t covering individual fights and fighters as much as some other top writers - his business-oriented angle probably has less appeal for the average fight fan, and hence he’s not as attractive for yahoo, fox, et al.
…and this is the way I want it. Hell, I was accusing Zach of being overly negative in the beginning, but I’ve seen the light, at least now that the UFC is given the same level of scrutiny as Pride during its collapse. Keep it up man.
Hey Zach,
for the record I don’t think your the devil. I guess everyone knows every avenue of my opinion already! At least, your readers do. But I’m one of them, or else i wouldn’t know you, so now I’m confused.
Geez, what a bunch of verbal blowjobs! You can all stop kissing Zach’s ass. We aren’t competing for a job. And the guy w/ the UFC fight night comment, don’t be a pretentious MMA fan, sir. Fightnights or SHOOTO shows, same ammount of love. Unless you own stock, there’s no need to cheerlead anyone.
I read Zach stuffs too. I didn’t say he sucked, I put Zach in the conversation. He was tickled enough to post it up here. See guys, Zach likes the poke. He likes being a “wicked witch”. I only ask that he surprises me on the next audio show w/ something he loves about MMA that doesn’t sound too wink-wink. It can’t all be the great evils of the world. On the PRIDE thing, i made a comment on the article on MMAOpinion.com you linked to yesterday. It explains my thoughts on PRIDE, a portion of which we seem to be in agreement on. I’ll say something lovely about Zach soon enough, and feel free to rip me too. Where’s Jordan Breen when you need him, he’s no Neg. Nancy
Jeff, hopefully it’ll get Iole and Doyel shitcanned, since they’re both intellectual pseudopods.
Zach,
Did you apply for the same job that Meltzer got?
I didn’t know there was an application process.
The answer is no.
The focus should be more or less on the assault Yahoo Sports is waging against ESPN, Sportsline, etc. in terms of signing big-name talent and trying to make a-go at it with digital content. YS is picking up legitimate steam on that front as far as traffic is concerned.
Well, Yahoo is smart and ESPN has been known to throw MMA under the bus. I’m surprised Google hasn’t started hiring some writers to report on anything considering they are the largest entity on the planet when it comes to the web.
Anyways, I want to thank John for calling Zach the devil and I want to thank Zach for linking my page. I do enjoy the page hits as we are suffering from lack of exposure. I do realize it is mostly due to my poor writing style, but please continue anways
P.S. - What’s up with all the hate from Johnny Mudd?!
Just wanted to say that you are one of the top MMA journalist out-there, you are telling it, how it is and not trying to be “diplomatic” towards major orgs…
Keep up the great work.
much respect!
I just heard Zach say the other day that “behind every silver lining, there’s a dark cloud”.
In terms of print MMA media, Qaudros has been irrelevant for years. I was surprised to see him get so much credit in this piece.
Aaron,
Who exactly do you want to see shitcanned? Doyel writes for Sportsline; Doyle writes for Yahoo.
Perhaps you should put down the thesaurus and stop looking for words like “pseudopod” and instead dust off your Journalism 101 textbook and brush up on the basics, like getting people’s names right. Then maybe somewhere years down the road you might actually get to a position where you’ll have say over hiring and firing decisions at major media outlets.
Zach Arnold, king of the “I-told-you-so.” As Ivan would say, real classy.
I wasn’t trying to give Quadros credit as much as give an example of the “old guard” and one that came from print. If I wrote everything in my head and wrote a position and counter-position to everything I thought everyone else would say, well… that would be the end of me ever writing. I do like the idea of the new FIGHT magazine, and I’m interested to see how they’ll keep it interesting every two months considering everything moves online at day-to-day lightspeed.
“I’m interested to see how they’ll keep it interesting every two months considering everything moves online at day-to-day lightspeed.”
That is the tricky part of doing print
“So, Yahoo did well in picking up Meltzer, who has close relationships throughout the MMA world and in particular with Zuffa management, more so than most” GRR!
Amused,
WAHT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME I AM JAUNDICED BY YOUR FASTIDIUOUS, CHOLERIC AND ALTOGETHER IRASCIBLE POST WHY AM I CRYING OH GOD
It was a typo, doofus. But for the record, fuck off. I was using pseudopod in put-downs before you were conceived in your dad’s ass. But nice own, though.
I read FightOpinion daily. I enjoy FightOpinion a lot. I admire the writing and the work Zach does.
But…
Negative? Yes, imho, very much so. Overly, at times.
Like I need to cuddle with puppies and kittens and rainbows after reading it, just to get a sense of perspective back.
Zack, its lonely at the top.
I would like to point out that there is no space in my name. NO SPACE! I would also like to point out that I’ve been talking about Zach’s penis on my site lately and I haven’t gotten any quotes over here for my trouble. Guess I’ll have to execute plan omega alpha four. You have all been warned.
This site rules. I hope Meltzer doesn’t stop doing his newsletter. How else will I know where the Sheepher…errr Bushwackers are wrestling this weekend?
I don’t care how Kurt Hennig is doing after testicular cancer chemo. Ditch the stupid newsletter.