'Sports Journalists' On MMA In The Media
Jan 15, 2007 18:46:16 GMT -5
Post by LWPD on Jan 15, 2007 18:46:16 GMT -5
'Sports Journalists' On MMA In The Media
tinyurl.com/y9cmw8
LWPD (the above links to an interesting discussion among 'sports journalists' regarding the propspects of the mainstream sports media accepting MMA as a 'sport'...an interesting look at some of the prevailing 'attitudes' that must be dealt with as it tries to gain more of a presence in newspapers across the country)
Some highlights from the alluded to discussion...both pro and con alike...note how thoroughly uneducated some of the 'journalists' are about the topic they are discussing:
"Wrestling is a sport. In college, in high school, people compete under a fairly consistent set of rules. UFC is people beating the sh*t out of each other. They have one-off versions of this crap in every podunk town in the country, there is no coherent set of rules and the people come to swill cheap beer and watch a couple of cranked-up meatheads crack each other's heads. That ain't a sport."
"So you blend freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, boxing, judo and taekwondo, which are all Olympic sports, and throw in several other martial arts disciplines, and are proud to say that you don't consider the finished product a sport. Brilliant."
"Gymnastics and basketball, both sports. Basketball on a trampoline or whatever that shit Pat Croce was foisting simply wasn't even close. Do the same algebra with roller derby. UFC and MMA ... they don't become legit by throwing rules out. They lose legitimacy doing so. They're up there with Tough Guy contests. Mere popularity isn't the only measure (or in fact any measure) of what is or isn't a sport. When Fox acquires the rights, my case will be cemented."
"If UFC/MMA is a legitimate and historical expression of a centuries-old tradition of martial arts, as has been expressed here, where are all the Asian combatants, i.e. folks who might actually have some sort of cultural association with it?"
"The three biggest MMA organisations in the world are Pride FC, K-1 Heroes and the UFC. Two of the big three are based in Japan. The Asian fighters, the majority of them, are competing in Japan. Put it this way. On August 28, 2002 a super show put on by both Pride and K-1 drew 91,107 paying spectators to the Tokyo National Stadium. MMA is a very big in Japan. The Asian fighters don't tend to, on the whole, pop up on UFC cards because MMA is very big in Japan and they have no need to travel."
"You win when I can go watch my local high school compete with the next town over in ultimate fighting. Until then, it ain't a sport."
"So then, by that logic you don't consider boxing a sport?"
"Ever hear of Golden Gloves? Anyone who has ever seen a small-town version of this knows it isn't even close to being a sport. I'm sorry to the fanboys. But it just ain't."
"Yes. But I've never heard of a Golden Gloves match between Podunk High and Rival High. I could certainly be wrong, but it's nothing I've ever come across in the four states I've covered prep sports."
tinyurl.com/y9cmw8
LWPD (the above links to an interesting discussion among 'sports journalists' regarding the propspects of the mainstream sports media accepting MMA as a 'sport'...an interesting look at some of the prevailing 'attitudes' that must be dealt with as it tries to gain more of a presence in newspapers across the country)
Some highlights from the alluded to discussion...both pro and con alike...note how thoroughly uneducated some of the 'journalists' are about the topic they are discussing:
"Wrestling is a sport. In college, in high school, people compete under a fairly consistent set of rules. UFC is people beating the sh*t out of each other. They have one-off versions of this crap in every podunk town in the country, there is no coherent set of rules and the people come to swill cheap beer and watch a couple of cranked-up meatheads crack each other's heads. That ain't a sport."
"So you blend freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, boxing, judo and taekwondo, which are all Olympic sports, and throw in several other martial arts disciplines, and are proud to say that you don't consider the finished product a sport. Brilliant."
"Gymnastics and basketball, both sports. Basketball on a trampoline or whatever that shit Pat Croce was foisting simply wasn't even close. Do the same algebra with roller derby. UFC and MMA ... they don't become legit by throwing rules out. They lose legitimacy doing so. They're up there with Tough Guy contests. Mere popularity isn't the only measure (or in fact any measure) of what is or isn't a sport. When Fox acquires the rights, my case will be cemented."
"If UFC/MMA is a legitimate and historical expression of a centuries-old tradition of martial arts, as has been expressed here, where are all the Asian combatants, i.e. folks who might actually have some sort of cultural association with it?"
"The three biggest MMA organisations in the world are Pride FC, K-1 Heroes and the UFC. Two of the big three are based in Japan. The Asian fighters, the majority of them, are competing in Japan. Put it this way. On August 28, 2002 a super show put on by both Pride and K-1 drew 91,107 paying spectators to the Tokyo National Stadium. MMA is a very big in Japan. The Asian fighters don't tend to, on the whole, pop up on UFC cards because MMA is very big in Japan and they have no need to travel."
"You win when I can go watch my local high school compete with the next town over in ultimate fighting. Until then, it ain't a sport."
"So then, by that logic you don't consider boxing a sport?"
"Ever hear of Golden Gloves? Anyone who has ever seen a small-town version of this knows it isn't even close to being a sport. I'm sorry to the fanboys. But it just ain't."
"Yes. But I've never heard of a Golden Gloves match between Podunk High and Rival High. I could certainly be wrong, but it's nothing I've ever come across in the four states I've covered prep sports."