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Wednesday work week: Oregon MMA gets publicity
By Zach Arnold | July 18, 2007
Your article of the day from the Associated Press about Oregon regulating MMA – despite the fact that MMA shows have already taken place in the state, just ask Matt Lindland. Money quote:
“To me, it is a brutal and disgusting sport,” said Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, who co-sponsored the bill. “I’ve never been to an event, but I’ve watched some on TV to see what’s going on and I am not impressed. Something needed to be done.”
For those who don’t know where Ashland is, Ashland is by Medford (Southern Oregon) and is a real pricy town for both artists and skiiers. Nice place, but very expensive.
Here is the card line-up for the IFL’s August 2nd show in New Jersey.
The Philadelphia City Paper has quite the article on MMA and the BodogFight show. It brings up the issue of racist fans at the event. You’ll be shocked – shocked – to learn that the writer questions whether or not MMA should be allowed in Philadelphia. The writer is appalled – appalled – by the growth of MMA. The author’s e-mail is here.
Yet another MMA drug suspension.
Will the theme of K-1’s New Year Eve show revolve around ‘the U-system’? The U-System as in UWF, UWF-International… yeah, Japanese MMA revolves around professional-wrestling.
Onto today’s headlines.
- UFC HP: Frank Mir-Antoni Hardonk added to UFC 74 added
- MMA Weekly: Swick vs. Goulet at UFC Fight Night 11?
- UFC Mania: Jon Fitch signs UFC 76 bout agreement to fight Sanchez
- MMA on Tap: Pictures from BodogFight show
- 411 Mania: Matt Hamill not with Team Punishment
- Fightlinker: Joe Rogan rips on booers
- IC Renfrewshire (UK): Storm over ‘barbaric’ cage fight show
- The Visalia Times-Delta (CA): Tough challenge – Tulare’s Rafael Del Real has opportunity to raise eyebrows
- The Alexandria Town-Talk (LA): Popularity of MMA on the rise in Cenla
- PR Newswire: Ken Shamrock and Spotlight 29 casino present Shamrock’s Spotlight Smackdown in Coachella Valley
- The Kansas City Infozine: Missouri National Guard soldier competes in Elite Fight League martial arts
- The Canadian Press: Bodog boss builds mixed image
- Komikazee: MMA Smackdown #32 w/ Yves Edwards
- The Baltimore Sun: Breakout MMA victory for Binky Jones
- Yahoo Sports (Dave Doyle): Halfway there in 2007 for MMA
- The Sequoyah County Times (OK): Local trio on the card for Champions of the Cage
- The Sun Star Cebu (Philippines): Quijano – Ringside seats to MMA
- MMA Weekly: Just say no – the growing drug problem in MMA
- Boxing Scene: Bernard Hopkins – boxing will survive UFC
Topics: BoDog, Boxing, HERO's, IFL, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 12 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
New Tito Ortiz interview at http://www.mmanews.com (RSS feed is http://www.mmanews.com/rss.xml) We’ve only got Part one up now (of 30 minute interview) – part two should be up by the time you read this though.
http://www.slate.com/id/2169923/
Towards the end of the podcast, during the “cocktail chatter” portion, editor David Plotz recounts his interview with John McCain 10 years ago and McCain’s opposition to MMA (or full-contact fighting, as it was known more commonly then) in juxtaposition to the sport’s growth in popularity of late.
While he handily dismisses the sport being accused as being more dangerous than boxing he does make the suggestion that the sport’s popularity could be in relation to the predominance of white athletes in MMA versus the growing black and Hispanic athletes in boxing. In not so many words, Plotz accuses MMA’s audience of racism instead of accusing the absolute bore boxing has become as a spectator experience.
Discuss.
While there may be a mindset in some Boxing fans of finding that ‘Great White Hope’ (like in the days of Jack Johnson as Heavyweight champion, although that had more to do with Johnson basically flaunting interracial relations and his callous attitude towards the public igniting very heavy white supremacy feelings, such as Jack London’s article asking Jim Jeffries to come out of retirement to wipe the smirk off Johnson’s face for the good of the white race), but I don’t think that’s the major issue in the minds of many casual fans.
The main issue is that there is no truly polarizing figure in Boxing today who has garnered wide mainstream attention (such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson or ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard did in their times) for both their talent and personas in and out of the ring, besides Oscar De La Hoya (who is near the end of his career). In addition, the traditional weight class that the vast majority of casual fans and media watch carefully is Heavyweight and while there is a decently dominant fighter in Wladimir Klitschko, the heavy turnover in champions and the constant shifting in challengers has made the division a murky mess. In addition, the ‘traditional’ mindset of those fans that advocated the ‘Great White Hope’ were Americans and not eastern europeans (such as Klitschko), so I doubt you will see any significant drawing in terms of that aspect of marketability.
The only real way to garner attention is to find a fighter that can successfully merge both the talent and marketable personality aspects (such as the aforementioned). While there are fighters out there that do decent PPV buys and good gates based on one aspect or the other, only Oscar is really a marquee name that can draw (to paraphrase Mike Tyson) while doing perverse acts at MSG. Boxing won’t die tomorrow, but the decline of club business due to the expansion of TV and PPV in the last 50 or so years has hurt the talent developmental abilities of the sport that once has fighters actively fight at least once a month (although there were numerous fatalities and severe injuries from concussed guys getting back into the ring quickly) to establish themselves. Instead of fighting around 60-80 fights in a career (based on the 60s and 70s scene when regulation to protect the fighters flourished), fighters nowadays are lucky if they reach 55 fights before they call it a career. Fewer fights with less chances to fine tune oneself plus the increased valuation of padded records over 40+ years ago (where losing a few fights was considered a good thing in terms of fighter development) has really changed the game, and I personally don’t think it’s for the better.
> he does make the suggestion that the sport’s popularity could be in relation
> to the predominance of white athletes in MMA versus the growing black and
> Hispanic athletes in boxing. In not so many words, Plotz accuses MMA’s
> audience of racism
This is Eddie Goldman’s longstanding critique, particularly of the UFC.
John Kronus, former ECW Tag Team champ, one half of the Eliminators, found dead at his girlfriend’s apartment according to the Observer.
Link.
Here we go again.
“the sport’s popularity could be in relation to the predominance of white athletes in MMA versus the growing black and hispanic athletes in boxing.”
The word “white” is neither a correct racial term or an ethnic description. Caucasian is the correct racial term. The world “white” in the USA is used to describe Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, and Finno-Urgic people.
Hispanic boxing fans like Oscar de la Hoya because Oscar is a great HISPANIC fighter. Would David Plotz say those hispanic fans are racist?
Tiger Woods was supposed to increase black american interest in golf. Why was that? Because Tiger Woods was black. So black americans weren’t interested in watching non black golfers, golfers who didn’t look like they did? Would David Plotz say these black americans are racist?
The Germanic, Celtic, Slavic and Finno-Urgic fighters attract an audience who are of the same ethnic backgrounds. Just like Oscar de la Hoya and Tiger Woods attract a hispanic or black audience.
The only time the word “racist” is used is when Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, or Finno-Urgic fighters attract an audience of similar ethnic backgrounds. Not when black, hispanic, asian, or jewish athletes attract an audience of similar ethnicities.
The racist here is David Plotz, or anyone else who says that Germanic, Celtic, Slavic or Finno-Urgic fans are wrong for liking fighters of a similar ethnicity.
John Kronus dying couldn’t happen at a worse time for Pro Wrestling.
The Eliminators, during their great stretch as ECW Champions, were one of the best tag teams. Their matches with Sabu & RVD, Gangstas, & Dudley Boys were fantastic. A real throw back to the 80’s when we had teams like Strikeforce, Hart Foundation, and Demolition.
I didn’t care for tag team rasslin most of my life. Saturn and Kronus changed that. Sad to hear.
The Eliminator was, by far, the best tag team finishing move in the history of pro wrestling. Vicious.
45 shows his true colors. I’ll bite…
The Eliminators were nothing like Strikeforce or the Hart Foundation. Dude, cmon why not go more obscure, like the Can-Am Connection or Fabulous Kangaroos?
Dan Lauzon calls out Gabe Ruediger on the UG, and Gabe accepts…
http://mma.tv/TUF/index.cfm?ac=ListMessages&PID=1&TID=1094826&FID=1
Matt Boone: The RRS feed for MMANews is acting a little weird. Old posts gets mixed with new ones. You might have a post from today in between posts from last week.