Why MMA Won’t Last
Admittedly, I’m not a hardcore MMA fan. Casually, sure. But I don’t know its history nor can I recount any legendary matches or rally off today’s top 5 fighters. My knowledge is limited to Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell and most recently, Kimbo Slice. I’ve heard of some guy named Shamrock, but I couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. As a casual fan, MMA has been sold to us as the next big thing, but I’ve always been a tad skeptical. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, but I felt that something was holding it back from gaining the popularity that’s been long expected. After watching Kimbo Slice fall to Seth Petruzelli last weekend, it occurred to me what’s missing in MMA, and why it will always be in its own way.
Most NFL fans can’t tell you what a cover 2 defense is or how the west coast offense operates. Likewise, you’ll be hard pressed to find an NBA fan who can detail what Phil Jackson’s triangle offense looks like, or a baseball fan who understands what a hit and run is designed to do. The simple fact of sports is that we cheer for players, not plays.
The NBA enjoyed its greatest success in the 1980’s because of engaging personalities and athletes like Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, etc… Sure, they were all excellent players, but their appeal is more of a result of the fan/athlete dynamic that was so strong with the leagues most prominent players. They were accessible, interesting, fun and articulate. That’s why we watched, and that’s why the league was so popular. Don’t believe me? No team has played better basketball in the last 10 years than the San Antonio Spurs, and yet, their finals appearances have garnered some of the lowest ratings ever for the NBA Finals. There simply aren’t enough engaging athletes on the Spurs, so we don’t care that they play a quality brand of basketball. We’re more interested in watching Kobe Bryant go 1 on 5 every night on his way to 81 points, or witness LeBron James dragging 3 defenders through the lane.
The NFL and MLB are also full of similar examples. Brett Favre, LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Owens are the reason we watch every Sunday. They’re great players, but also engaging figures that are fun to watch and cheer for. Even Boxing’s best decades were a result of interesting characters like Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leanord and of course, Muhammad Ali. Whether we cheered for or against these guys, we always tuned in…not necessarily because of the athleticism displayed, but because of our affinity for the athletes themselves.
This brings me to MMA. I’m sure there are engaging, interesting and fun athletes in that sport as well. The problem is…and always will be, that they never last long enough for us to get to know them. UFC hyped Chuck Liddell up for months before his bout with Rampage Jackson. And within seconds, he was on his back and the fight was over. Goodnight everybody, thanks for coming! Then MMA gets another chance when Kimbo Slice emerges as the next fighter to bring the sport to the mainstream. He literally saw one punch before that fight ended as well…incredibly short order. So, before we get a chance to relate to the fighters or learn what makes them so special, they become yesterday’s news.
The problem is with the nature of the sport itself. Liddell and Slice were both victims of a single punch that rendered them incapable of defending themselves, and ultimately led to their defeats as their opponents pounced on them immediately before the referee’s called the fights. Game over. Game over??? We’re not even sure if the better guy won the fight. I know, I know…they better guy or team doesn’t always win anything. That’s true, but in a 4 quarter football game, we’re at least shown WHY one team was able to overtake another. Even in Boxing, most matches last beyond a single punch. That’s because the fighters are given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and adapt as the fight is carried out. Boxing’s been criticized for being too slow or boring, especially when compared to MMA. But a consequence of that pace is that my favorite boxer will generally have a chance to figure out his opponent and be competitive in the match. And hell, even if he loses, at least I cheered for him for about 5 or 6 rounds first.
Boxing’s lost a lot of appeal lately, but that’s a result of poor marketing and an antiquated business model. As a matter of fact, it’s boxing’s failing business model that has allowed for MMA to gain some notice in the mainstream. Who’s going to pay $50 for a pay-per-view boxing match to watch someone they’ve never seen? MMA has been smart to place highly marketed events on network or cable television and it’s served them well.
So here we are at the proverbial turning point for MMA. It’s been well marketed, continues to satisfy its hardcore fan base, and is incredibly accessibly to marginal fans. The next frontier is to conquer the mainstream which, as I’ve stated, requires engaging personalities more than anything else. My suggestion? Change the format of the fights themselves. Of course, this flies completely into the face of the sport’s no holds barred premise, and alienating one’s base is always a risky proposition. But I don’t the think the sport can reach its desired heights if it keeps playing musical chairs with its brightest stars. MMA needs a Brett Farve or Magic Johnson to make it, but if Magic gets his teeth knocked out in the first 15 seconds, then it’ll be almost impossible to gain the mainstream following to reach its goals.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.