ears, Anderson "The Spider" Silva defeated Dan Henderson via a rear naked choke at 4:52 in the second round. As a result, the Pride Fighting Championships (Pride FC) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight belts were unified and Silva (seen on the left) earned the title of undisputed middleweight champion of the world. Though this fight was a groundbreaking event for many reasons, The CBS Television Network made even bigger news on February 28th when a contract was arranged between CBS, a major television network, and ProElite, Inc., "a Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and media company that produces world class mixed martial arts (MMA) events." The two companies have agreed to a multi-year pact that will bring mixed martial arts to a mainstream television for the first time in the sports brief history.According to representatives from both organizations, "CBS will broadcast four MMA events per year, produced by ProElite's EliteXC fight division, as two-hour live primetime specials targeted for Saturday nights," and if these events are successful everyone involved in the sport will enjoy the benefits. As a sports fan and believer in mixed martial arts, the fastest growing and most entertaining sport in the world, I am thrilled with this contract because it represents a major advance for the sport, allowing mixed martial arts to demonstrate its popularity, dismantle the monopoly the UFC has created, give the fighters negotiation leverage with the UFC, and could possibly result in future contracts made between other mixed martial arts companies and broadcasting companies. CBS and ProElite, Inc. will provide the average sports fan with an opportunity to develop an understanding of and appreciation for the sport. These free events could have a significant impact on the number of mixed martial arts fans and convert followers of the sport to believers in the sport.
This agreement could also disrupt the domination the UFC has established over the past decade. Before CBS and ProElite, Inc. came to an agreement on the contract the uFC was by far the most successful mixed martial arts company, receiving over $222 million in pay-per-view sales in both 2006 and 2007 and coverage from the major sports news channels (ESPN, ESPN2). However, with this union EliteXC will experience great amounts of exposure that could give the company the opportunity to become a legitimate contender to the UFC. That being said, the success of EliteXC could lead to negotiation leverage for the fighters. At this point in time, fighters are unable to successfully negotiate contracts with the UFC and are forced to fight for very little pay because there is not a company that can offer the same exposure, quality, and fame as the uFC, but if these four events are successful and develop a fan base for EliteXC we could see improvements in each of these categories. Finally, the covenant could produce future agreements made between major broadcast television networks and mixed martial arts companies. Should the events aired on CBS reach out to new viewing demographics, receive good ratings, and prove that mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, more contracts could be made between other networks and mixed martial arts organizations (UFC President Dana White has expressed great interest in reaching an agreement with sports television powerhouse ESPN).
Though this is a great advance for mixed martial arts one could argue that the contract could hinder the progress of the sport. Poor ratings and/or a bad representation of the sport may discourage networks from making deals with
mixed martial arts companies in the future. If the fights do not receive the expected ratings and fail to prove that investing in mixed martial arts is an intelligent business move the results could be devastating. The broadcasting networks would be hesitant to contracts with mixed martial arts companies because f the fear of losing money which could keep the sport out of the mainstream sports world for years. Another fear is the possibility that the fights and fighters will not represent the sport well. In a scenario where the fights are boring, slow, and uneventful viewers will be unable to notice the differences between mixed martial arts, the sport often described as intense, exciting, and action packed, and boxing. There is also the possibility, though it is a rare occasion, that the fighter will not represent the sport well by intentionally breaking a rule that prevents serious injury to his opponent (for example, a kick to the head of a grounded opponent), upholding the notion of the sport as human cockfighting. Another situation that could hinder the progress of the sport would be a fighter dehumanizing his opponent after a victory or using obscene words or gestures in the cage. All of these actions could have a negative impact on a first time viewer, resulting in that individual believing many of the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with the sport.This contract not only places a great amount of pressure on CBS and proElite, Inc., but also the employees of the two companies, the fighters and their agents, and all mixed martial arts supporters. Four good shows could takke the sport to the next level, allowing everyone involved in the sport to reap the benefits and four bad shows could hinder the progress of the sport and possibly destroy the momentum and popularity the sport has acquired in the past few years.
2 comments:
LRT, this is a very good, and very interesting post. I fall under the crowd that is interested in MMA, but not yet complete believers, but this does present an interesting and exciting opportunity. The only events I was ever able to see before was on pay-per-view shows, or actually going to the events. And on Guam, where I'm from, MMA is a rising sport, but pay-per-view is a little more costly than in the U.S., and so often people just go to the events we hold on island. But this move that CBS and ProElite are making will definitely allow for a larger crowd, and as you say, spread the interest and create more fans of the sport. It will also allow for already existing fans to enjoy more of the fights that they might not have been able to watch before. But it's true, a lot of this is riding on also the fighters and their performance. I have seen good fights, and they are very entertaining, and then I've seen the bad ones, where the crowds actually booed the fighters. With only four events being aired, we can only hope that they're all good fights, because even one bad fight can ruin the chances of this continuing. Do you think that maybe the fact that this will be aired on cable will affect some of the rules of conduct in the sport? Because you mentioned the problem with bad sportsmanship and language could affect the success, it makes me wonder if they might have to change some things to help promote the shows. You definitely did well, covering the different aspects of the issue, because I never thought about the fact that, if one organization has a monopoly , they are able to decide how much they want to give, how much they want to pay the fighters. So this is indeed a good chance for the fighters to move up, as long as this new collaboration can provide competition with UFC. The only thing I might criticize is I felt there was a little repetition in you post, mainly that you kept saying that MMA was the fastest growing sport, which I agree, but I felt was said a little too much. That's the only thing I really noticed, and it's not really a biggie. I really liked how you started out this article by covering this recent fight and using it as a transition into everything else. It is a very entertaining way to start it out. Good work!
Great job on the post! It is really interesting to see how Mixed martial Arts are gaining more acceptance in mainstream media. The CBS deal is intriguing because while it will undoubtedly bring more much needed attention tot he sport, I wonder if there will be intensified FCC restrictions on the sporting events, and if it will in fact diminish the quality of the televised fights. Maybe they should have struck a deal with networks like HBO or Showtime, which have been known to create buzz and generate hits.
Also creating exposure for the industry are a crop of new films, like Never Back Down and the new film that comes out next month (the name escapes me right now)and I wonder if you think film deals are better for MMA or television? They both have their pluses and minuses, and it will be interesting to see which medium will portray MMA in the best light possible.
The UFC monopoly you mention is also interesting, because I think it may in fact may limit the success of the sport. If one company controls the majority of the sports attention then they also control a lot of the funding, publicity, and marketing of the sport. I'll keep an eye out for what changes the ABC deal will bring.
In terms of your post, though, it was interesting, well researched, and thought-provoking. Overall, good job and I look forward to your next posts.
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