Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeFighting sports deserve coverage
September 25, 2006 —
Mixed martial arts is a sport just on the verge of becoming 'mainstream.' That is, in terms of brand awareness, revenue, and overall popularity, mixed martial arts - or "MMA," as the sport's followers call it - is about to explode. The popularity MMA garnered via the Internet and through Spike TV's reality series "The Ultimate Fighter" has created a fan base substantial enough to propel the sport onto mainstream television.
There are literally hundreds of MMA "promoters," which can take the form of multi-million dollar companies such as Zuffa Inc., owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship; loosely organized, multinational non-profit organizations like Shooto and especially small, local shows like Hook'n'Shoot, which there are dozens of in the Midwest alone.
This, in addition to the countless gyms throughout the United States, Japan, Europe, and South America that teach the fundamentals of MMA - especially Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - is proof enough that the sport has reached a critical mass.
Why, then, is the sport practically invisible in the mainstream media? You'll not see coverage of MMA on ESPN, in Sports Illustrated, or on any of the large news networks, like CNN or MSNBC.
It's because sports media's old guard has refused to lend any credibility to MMA. Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times told Max Kellerman on an episode of ESPN's "Around the Horn" that the sport was "garbage." Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, a normally level-headed, well-spoken individual, argued in a fit of lunacy "If these guys are such good fighters, why aren't they doing real fighting in boxing?"
Other columnists have argued that the sport is brutal and inhumane - essentially, a human cockfight. What these people don't realize is that the athletic commissions of 20 states sanction the sport and that doctors and an in-ring referee are present at any given fight, with the authority to halt the action if it is deemed unsafe for one of the competitors to continue.
In essence, Mr. Ryan and his ilk couldn't be more wrong: MMA is the real fighting, not the other way around. And if Ryan thinks boxing is a sport, then MMA most certainly is.
MMA competitors are some of the most dedicated, skilled, and superbly conditioned athletes on the face of the planet. To be an elite MMA fighter, one must excel at many combat disciplines, if not prove absolutely stellar in at least one or two. Just being a good boxer, for example, is not good enough: recently, Japanese cruiserweight boxer Yousuke Nishijima, a former champion, was badly beaten by Brazilian Evangelista Santos. Santos, a full-fledged mixed martial artist, was able to utilize his striking ability to set up a ground assault that eventually choked Nishijima unconscious. This fight, and the countless more that preceded it, has proved, over and over again, that this sport requires a more complete athlete than perhaps any other.
Perhaps this is why the sports media are so reluctant to offer coverage of mixed martial arts; in a way, MMA threatens some of the sports that those in the media grew up with and cherish, prompting a knee-jerk reaction by many sports journalists who respond with sensationalist invectives like "savage" and "bloodthirsty."
Thankfully, the blackout of MMA coverage has not gone unnoticed. Space constraints limit an extended review of the available materials, but journalists writing for the New York Times, the Washington Post and numerous smaller papers have all published articles commenting on the bull-headed reluctance of the major sports outlets to cover MMA.
What is perhaps most disheartening about the whole matter is how obvious this problem is to even a passive sports fan. If you want to see for yourself, type espn.com into your Web browser of choice. In the search box located near the top of the page, type "MMA," or "Mixed Martial Arts." Count the results. Conduct another search, only this time, type "hot dog eating contest" into the box. Count the results.
That should say enough.