When I think about reasons why mixed martial arts has failed to realize the optimistic goals many fans and pundits placed at the feet of their anointed saviors—the Fertitta brothers and Dana White—after their purchase of the UFC early in 2001, I think of several things.
So you could imagine my reaction when my jackass buddy from the UFC told me that the MMA media is holding the sport back. I was pretty shocked to say the least. Knowing the ins and outs of the scene I figured it was common knowledge that MMA press corps could not hold back a charging Chihuahua much less the entire sport of mixed martial arts.
Then I started thinking about all of the crazy things I have seen involving the ever changing but always growing MMA press corps during my six years covering the sport.
I have seen many so-called journalists openly cheer for fighters, while others have even dared to shout instructions to fighters in the cage. I have even seen a “journalist” in tears at the sight of his favorite fighter lying unconscious on the canvas.
The worst thing about it is I am not even shocked anymore by the way some of these people act.
The best part is when someone calls them on it. You get the responses like “What am I supposed to do? He is my friend.” Which in turn begs the question: How in the hell are we supposed to believe anything you say is unfettered due to personal bias? Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think it’s possible.
Another pet peeve of mine is these people who straddle an ethical line by trying to cover the sport while working for a promoter. Can anyone tell me how someone can be taken seriously when they are expected to provide an objective view of their employer’s event? Ding, ding, ding … that’s right, they can’t.
Yet another bone I have to pick is with writers who just refuse to be critical of anyone or anything. These types usually fall back on the trusty “Support the Sport” standard—and no I am not talking about MMAWeekly.com’s Ken Pishna—without realizing that they would be doing a much bigger service by pointing out things that should be changed, rather than being a worthless “apple polisher.”
Now don’t get me wrong, Sherdog.com is no bastion of perfection in the otherwise screwed up world of MMA reporting. But we do try our best to provide our readers with an unbiased account of events we cover as well as clear, concise—albeit sometimes wrong—opinions about the happenings surrounding the sport we all want to see reach its full potential, whatever that is.
We have brought in my boy Josh Gross to shore up the editorial content and try to bring a semblance of professionalism to an enterprise littered with hucksters and profiteers.
It will be a long journey, not only for the sport but also for those covering it, before we reach a level of respectability—if we ever make it at all. In the meantime, it’s a good thing we have the loyal opposition over at MMA forums including the much maligned Fightsport.com—at least the guys have an original thought—to provide an equally amateurish, yet completely valid place for people to vent their unpopular opinions.
Now with all that said, I find myself looking back and still wondering how anyone at Zuffa could believe that the MMA media, with its limited reach and often homer attitude towards the sport, could be the reason mixed martial arts has not taken off and burst into the mainstream of North American sporting events.
I tend to think it is the nature of the sport itself that limits its potential, but what do I know? I could be setting the sport back another five years with this column.