Where Does MMA Rank?

[klunderbunker]

A lot of people have touted MMA as the next big thing and a lot have also said that MMA is the current big thing. I've heard people rank it anywhere from the 5th major sport to the 2nd biggest sport after only football in this country. Is that correct? Is MMA (not UFC, but the sport as a whole) bigger than any of the major four American sports? Could it someday be the biggest sport in the country if not the world? Or is it destined to be a niche sport that has a glass ceiling that it's never going to be able to crack?

 

[INDYjon22]

Tough question. I think that currently mma is a hotter product then basketball and hockey. Both of those sports have just lost a step throughout the years. Im not trying to take anything away from them but they arent what they used to be, though they are starting to get better. Baseball is a tough call because it can go with minimal notice throughout the regular season but as soon as the post season hits it is a huge ratings draw. I would however out mma ahead of all three of those right now. It is just a super hot sport that has been getting hotter and hotter each year since like 2004. once it hit the mainstream and Bonnar/Griffin happened a lot of people took notice, myself included. At this point I would not put it ahead of football because football is the most popular sport in America. I can walk through the mall and see at least 10 football jerseys to the maybe 3 mma shirts.

I think mma has the potential to be a true contender for the number one sport but its gonna take a few years without any real mishaps. They deal with steroids the appropriate way which is a definite plus in my book. But they have to stay clean. As long as they dont turn into what boxing turned into I see the sky as the limit for mma. Someday it may be the biggest sport out there but for now id rank it at about 2.

 

[jmt225]

The main reason you have to place MMA so highly in America is because the numbers TUF drew when Kimbo Slice fought. Almost 7 million people tuned in to watch that fight, and it occurred during a baseball playoff game. Moreover, MMA's success on network television has been spectacular as well, with Strikeforce and EliteXC bringing in great numbers. And of course... there's the UFC's pay-per-view revenue, which of course is at an all time high.

Now, while the Kimbo fight trumped a baseball playoff game in ratings, and surely would have done the same to a playoff basketball game (not a football game, though), I still can't put MMA in front of them. There just aren't enough house hold names in the sport to do so right now, and that's what keeps me from doing that. Also, the UFC attendance records don't come close to matches a lot of the top sports in America, either.

As far as how popular I think this sport will end up being.... I'm not so sure. I think it'll continue to do well, and I do think it's on the verge of competing with golf as the most popular non-team sport in America, but I don't think the UFC will ever get to the point where every pay-per-view gets over 1,000,000 buys, and the television ratings average 6 million viewers every show they air. I do believe MMA is here to stay though, and will remain popular, but at the same time... I don't think they're far away from peaking. But what's good about that is that I think they'll peak and stay there, rather than go down hard soon afterward, like a lot of things do when they peak at something.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I definitely think that MMA is ahead of hockey in terms of popularity. A lot of fans in America have grown disillusioned with hockey ever since the lockout season, and the only channel it's being shown on is Versus (and local channels), which isn't even available on some cable systems and on Direct TV. When I watch Sportscenter, the only hockey they really devote time to is when Crosby or Ovechkin play. ESPN.com rarely has any stories devoted to hockey, and whenever there's an MMA card, they have coverage of it on the front page.

MMA has more avenues as far as an audience goes. Strikeforce has Showtime and a major broadcast network for an outreach. The UFC has Spike, which always shows UFC stuff every night. Whenever there's a huge card the UFC puts on, it gets buyrates in the millions. A lot of people (read: Douchebags) wear Tapout and Affliction shirts, which is MMA apparel.

Basketball is definitely more popular, but the UFC is getting up there in terms of popularity, already surpassing hockey.

 

[NSL]

This is an interesting question. The NHL has slowed down considerably, as a result of the change in rules, and the problems with cable companies. But, to take their place, you have NASCAR. They've risen to one of the top 5, at least.

The NFL is definitely first, and I'd still put MLB second. Those two dominate the airwaves during their seasons, and everyone has at least 1 team they follow as a casual fan. MMA might actually fall in 3rd, if only because everyone can watch at any time. The NBA would have been my next choice, but people in my area are not about to watch two horrible teams play for no reason. They'd much rather watch 2 guys pound in each other's skulls.

That leaves it like this:

1. NFL
2. MLB
3. MMA
4. NBA
5. NHL

 

[Shocky]

I think people rate Major League Baseball to highly. Outside of the Big Markets, no one plays this game any more. The only people that try to tell everyone else how great Baseball is usually are the Bob Costas' of the world. It's an older generation's game, and it truly will be America's Past Time in another Generation. The Strike all but killed the sport, and the young fans aren't coming. Teh games don't draw, and the season is too damn long.

NFL is king in this country, and nothing is going to change that. Even an expansion to 18 weeks won't ruin this sport. The NFL is the true spectator sport, and it doesn't over stay it's welcome.

This is what MMA, and the UFC in particular, have working for it. It isn't over exposed. Maybe you get a card once a month, or 15 cards a year from a major player. It serves just enough to not over stay it's welcome.

So If I were to rank it currently, I'd put it behind the NFL. I know it urks a lot of the big time sports reporters/writers of the world, but the sport simply draws. Could it draw on a week to week, if not day to day basis like the MLB, NBA, or NHL, probably not, but I would say those leagues could cut out a quarter of the season and still have too many games.