Has Following MMA Taken Away Your Enjoyment of Other Sports?

[Turd Ferguson]

What I mean is this... I used to be a die hard fan of all four major sports. Football, baseball, hockey, and basketball. I always was a fan of MMA, but not as die-hard as I've been over the last three or so years. I don't follow the four big sports nearly as much as I used to. I pay attention to hockey still, but not as much as I used to. Basketball... let's put it this way, the Celtics were in the Finals, and I really didn't care for the most part. Even my interest in baseball has waned with the Red Sox being boring this season.

When I was at a party last month, we were talking about sports, and it was the first time that I really felt out of touch in a discussion. I used to be on top of everything, and now I really couldn't care less.

I think the reason why my interest has waned so much is the fact that the greed in pro sports has gotten out of control. There's nothing worse than when an athlete who is already a millionaire holds out for more money. I understand that it's the way it goes in sports, there's a market value for an athlete, believe me. But the greed has gotten out of control, and when they hold out, or they start dogging it on the court for whatever reason, it's infuriating. The LeBron "Decision" special was one of the most disgusting and self-centered things I've ever seen. The fact that they're all immature and act like assholes despite being paid so much and setting a bad example (and they do) is also very annoying. They act like such assholes to fans too. On a radio show I used to listen to, one of the hosts claimed that he was at UFC 101, and some kids asked Jayson Werth (who was in their section) for an autograph, which he wouldn't give. I just watched an interview with Dana White where he said that one of his security guards took his kids to the Home Run Derby, and the athletes there wouldn't give kids the time of day. You get paid millions to play a game. Being accessible to the fans who pay to go to game and support you should come with the territory.

Then you hear about how mixed martial artists are extremely accessible to the fans. They'll respond to them on Twitter. Chael Sonnen has corresponded with me over email while he's preparing for this Anderson Silva fight. You always hear about how Dana White makes sure he signs autographs for every fan who wants one, and he's extremely accessible on Twitter. The UFC Fan Expo is an event designed to let fans get face-time and meet the fighters, get autographs, and take pictures. Back when the All-Star Game was here in 1999, there wasn't one baseball player to be found except at their obligated to be there autograph signings. I ran into Johnny Pesky, and rather than being impressed that a 13 year old knew who he was, he bigleagued me saying he was busy.

Not to mention, mixed martial artists work their asses off and prepare for weeks and months for one fifteen minute fight where they know they're going to get the crap beaten out of them by another guy. Being a mixed martial artist also means that you have to be skilled at a bunch of fighting styles, not just one thing. They should be getting millions of dollars a year... and for the most part, guys have to work their asses off for years to get real big money. Sam Bradford, who is going to be a bust, just got awarded a $78 million contract and hasn't even played a game yet. What the fuck is wrong with that picture?!

I just have attained such a respect for these guys and how hard they work day in and day out. I can't respect a guy like LeBron James, especially where rather than finishing a job that he started for his hometown Cavaliers, he ran off to Miami where now the Heat are going to dominate the league for years.

 

[INDYjon22]

I agree. MMA fighters seem a lot more easy going and reliable from a fans perspective. They always seem very accessible and when you follow them on twitter you can see that they are just likes us. They kid around with each other online and act like normal joes, not that they aren't. However, pro basketball, football, and baseball players don't have that same feeling surrounding them, at least not for me.

Because the fighters are easier to contact it makes them a lot easier to like and makes me follow them more closely, whereas other athletes seem so distant from the fans. Personally, outside of Cal Ripken Jr, Dirk Nowitzki, Reggie Miller and Peyton Manning I would much rather meet a fighter such as Jon Fitch, Koscheck, Andrei Arlovski or Forrest Griffin. In addition, I enjoy following MMA more then any other sport, with the exception of Football, Colts all day baby.

 

[Ferbian]

I've never been a big fan of any other sports than the fighting related ones. MMA, boxing and wrestling. That however doesn't mean that I wouldn't say that MMA, or any of the 3 other sports has damaged it a bit.

Wrestling and MMA most commonly. I've seen a lot of comparisons of UFC to WWE, there's entertainment involved and drama in that manner. You get more than just a show of people fighting each other to keep the other down. You get entertainment, drama and you get dragged into it in an emotional manner.

So in that way I would say that if I had been a fan of any of the other sports. Yes MMA would have taken away my enjoyment from the other sports. Because the other sports doesn't offer the same kind of fan development, not the same characteristic developments that allows us to get sucked into the product. Baseball is just men running around with a ball, and that's pretty much the same thing for every sport. Sure you care about someone on a specific team. But you do not get emotionally developed with him, you don't get a look into his characteristics. And therefore it becomes less interesting. At least in my eyes.

 

[Via Armbar]

It certainly has and the greed aspect of sports that you mentioned is one of the biggest reasons. I've always believed it to be ridiculous that athletes get paid that much to play a sport. I know there are unbelievable amounts of money to be made off of their skills and talent by managers and agents and so on, but they aren't curing fucking cancer. They don't work harder than most ordinary people and have contributed next to nothing to society other than an entertaining game. It just pisses me off to see them given so much and yet they give so little.

Now I'm sure there are some fighters who aren't very approachable or friendly but I haven't heard of them. Any UFC event I have been to I got to meet plenty of fighters and every single one seemed genuinely happy to see people there. They know that people spend good money to watch them do what they love to do. That opportunity is very rare in life and they seem to understand that. I firmly believe that mma has the most grateful athletes out of any professional sport today.

I still follow football and hockey every season. I still have my teams and I still watch as many games as I am able to. I just don't get excited over it any more. I used to be absolutely crazy about football. I had a Steve Young poster over my bed (now replaced with a Michael Jackson poster) and I had a Niners bed set. I had my Niners hats and t-shirts and would wear them proudly while watching every game. No longer do I do any of those things. Maybe I naturally grew out of it, maybe mma had something to do with it. All I know now is I get incredibly excited for fights and mma in general. Not football any more. Or hockey.

It's the same way I used to feel about professional wrestling. I would draw on my Rock sideburns with permanent marker (mother would be pissed) and I would watch Monday Night Raw with unmatched excitement. Missing Raw was like missing Christmas morning. I'm sure everyone remembers their own golden age of wrestling. Obviously, I still watch wrestling. I still follow it and I still very much enjoy it. I just don't get excited about it the way I used to. Or the way I now get excited about upcoming fights. The wrestling landscape has changed, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Rarely do I get genuinely stoked for matches or pay per views put on by the WWE anymore. It's usually just the biggest shows of the year. They have greatly improved over the past year and things are looking up. They still have a while to go though until I get as excited over a match as I do for a big fight.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

MMA will never replace college football for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE talking MMA. I call my boy Javier at least once a day and talk sports with him, most of it MMA. I belong to 4 MMA forums including this one, but college football will always be my bread and butter.

The colors, the sounds, the tailgating, the bands, the song-girls, etc...Nothing beats heading to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a Saturday afternoon/evening and drinking beers/alcohol from noon-7:30pm when the gates open. Filing into your seat sitting around people dressed as ridiculous as you and cheering on your school as they play a pointless game. (All games are just that) Special shirts are made for certain games, people sitting around you sharing their smuggled in alcohol, inviting you to eat a steak at their tent after the game.

Sorry, brother, I love MMA, but there's something special about college sports that MMA can never have. Especially when you talk about rivalries that are over 100 years old.

EDIT: Speaking of, bitches. I already have my tickets to USC's home opener against Virginia I'll post some pictures of exactly what I mean after I go.